Big Baddeck: A Little History from Cape Breton

Big Baddeck is the name given to the Baddeck River Valley, stretching from the Highlands to the Bras d'Or Lake, Pitu'paq, "the long dish of salt-water" in the middle of Cape Breton, Unama'ki, unceeded territory of the Mi'kmaq People.

This little history tells stories of how people have lived in Big Baddeck over the last 450 or so years, starting with descriptions of the lifestyle of the First Nations Mi'kmaq, as observed by an early European adventurer-trader.

A blanket, an axe, and a birch-bark canoe. War between the French and the British. Shipwreck and rescue. Newcomers from the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Just five houses and no others for miles. Rain, sleet, bad roads, scarce hay. Father made our shoes. Two ruts and a gully, almost as good as level. Potatoes rotten like sin. Missionaries in Korea. Accidentally drowned. Spinning wheel and handloom. Teacher at age 16. Bright sunbeam of a girl. Wartime valour and tragedy. Bucksaw and crosscut. Queen of the cookies.