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The Aspotogan Peninsula is a peninsula in the eastern part of Lunenburg County, Nova
Scotia, situated between St. Margarets Bay in the east from Mahone Bay in the west. The
peninsula was originally settled by second generation French immigrants on the east (St.
Margarets Bay) side and by second generation German immigrants on the west (Mahone Bay)
side. Traditionally fishing was a major industry for communities throughout the peninsula,
however other primary industries such as farming and forestry were historically important as
well. Shipping and shipbuilding were secondary and tertiary industries that also came into
prominence during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
The coast of the Aspotogan Peninsula is dotted with a number of small fishing and tourist-related
communities; Hubbards in the northeast being the largest. Other communities going west
around the peninsula are Fox Point, Mill Cove, Birchy Head, The Lodge, Northwest Cove, Southwest
Cove, Aspotogan, Bayswater, New Harbour, Blandford, Upper Blandford, Deep Cove, and East River.
Route 329 circles the peninsula along the coast while Trunk 3 and Highway 103 pass to
the north.
The name Aspotogan is a corruption of Ashmutogun or Ukpudeskakun meaning “block the passage
way or where the seals go in and out”.[1] Along with the Mi'kmaq, there were primarily
three strains of immigrants who settled the Aspotogan Peninsula: first the Newfoundland
Irish (1750s), then the New England Planters arrived from Chester, Nova Scotia (1760s)
and, finally, second generation Foreign Protestants arrived from French Village, Nova Scotia and
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia (1780s). The community of Blandford, Nova Scotia was the first community
on the Aspotogan to be settled. The first recorded school house was built in Mill Cove,
Nova Scotia (before 1833).[2]
The Aspotogan was first settled by Mi’kmaq who were a nomadic people. Mi’kmaq sites
have been found in Fox Point, Northwest Cove, the village of Aspotogan and East River.[3]
They would settle along the Atlantic coast in the summer and move in land to the lakes
in the winter. They lived on the Aspotogan until the beginning of World War II (1939).
The Acadians never lived on the Aspotogan Peninsula; however, their presence in Nova
Scotia significantly influenced immigration to the colony. Even forty years after the
British conquest of Nova Scotia (1710), the population of Nova Scotia was still dominated
by Catholic Acadians (population 10, 000). To off set the Catholic population, with the
founding of Halifax (1749), the British created an immigration policy to attract Protestants
to the colony.
Apart from the Foreign Protestants, the first immigrants to settle the Aspotogan Peninsula
may have been Newfoundland Irish, who were Catholics.[5] By 1750, there were 3500 Newfoundland
Irish in Nova Scotia.[6] By 1767, there were 22 Newfoundland Irish Catholics living on
the Peninsula.[7] Those who settled in the Aspotogan Peninsula seemed to have left the
area after a short time. There are only three family names that remain: Murphy, Keating
and Carroll. The only other evidence of these early immigrants that remains are landmarks
named after them such as Riley Point and Riley’s Lake in New Harbour, Nova Scotia and Hollahan
Lake in Deep Cove, Nova Scotia. These Newfoundland Irish are sometimes referred to “three boaters”,
moving from Ireland to Newfoundland, then to Nova Scotia, before finally settling in
Boston.
Prior to 1767, the Protestants who settled the Aspotogan Peninsula were the New England
Planters, primarily from Massachusetts. For these Protestants from New England, the Governor
of Nova Scotia established Chester (1759). Some of these New England Planters eventually
crossed Mahone Bay to settle on the Aspotogan Peninsula. Nova Scotia Lt. Governor Michael
Franklin reported that by January 1, 1767, there were eleven American already living
on the Peninsula.[8]
According to Nova Scotia Lt. Governor Franklin’s return, by 1767 there were also 62 English
living on the Aspotogan.[9] The identities and location of the English who migrated to
the Peninsula are unknown. They may have been associated with English names such as Hubbards
and Blandford. It is unknown if after the American Revolution (1783), Loyalists from
America settled on the Peninsula.
After 1767, a significant strain of immigrants to settle the Aspotogan Peninsula was Foreign
Protestants, both German and French speaking. Upon the founding of Halifax in 1749, Nova
Scotia was a British Protestant colony with only Catholic Acadian settlers. In an attempt
to assimilate the Catholic Acadians, the British invited Protestants from across Europe to
settle in Nova Scotia. Between 1750-1753, over 2500 “Foreign Protestants” had arrived
in Halifax.[10] After living in Halifax for three years, Lunenburg was established for
these “Foreign Protestants” (1753). During the American Revolution (1776–83),
the Americans plundered Lunenburg, burning buildings and taking prisoners (1782).[11]
After the Raid on Lunenburg, many German speaking and French speaking residents left Lunenburg.
Some German speaking residents went to nearby Rose Bay, while French speaking residents
established French Village, Nova Scotia in St. Margaret’s Bay (1783).[12] The westside
of the Aspotogan Peninsula was first settled primarily by German's from Rose Bay, while
the eastside of the Aspotogan was settled by the French crossing St. Margaret's bay
from French Village.[13] Part of the German tradition that remained on the Peninsula until
the end of the twentieth century was the export of sauerkraut. Zinck p. 43-48
During the 1800s tourism increased and Hubbards became a regular stopping place for the stagecoach.
The Halifax and Southwestern Railway between Halifax and Yarmouth, completed in 1905, carried
rail access for visitors to the scenic splendor and beaches of the area and made the Aspotogan
Peninsula a popular tourist destination. Many hotels and cottages were established during
this period, including The Gainsborough. In 1969, Highway 103 was completed linking
Hubbards to Halifax with a 2-lane controlled-access highway. With a driving time of only 45 minutes,
more residents began to commute to Halifax for work. Reasonable land prices and the opportunity
to live in a rural setting also encouraged many city dwellers to move to the area.
Tourism continues to be an important contributor to the local economy, drawing people from
all over the world. Local bed and breakfast operators and inns, restaurants, and campgrounds
are busy during the summer months. The Shore Club, which recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary,
remains one of the last great dance halls in the area and is well known for its Saturday
night dances and lobster suppers.
Regiments were raised on the Aspotogan to defend against possible Fenian Raids, such
as the regiment at Blandford, Nova Scotia. During World War I, the military built a forty
foot look off at the peak of the Aspotogan mountain.[14]
The Gainsborough hotel was sold to the federal government in 1944 and was used as part of
the St. Margaret’s Bay Training School for the Canadian Merchant Navy. (In 1969, the
J.D. Shatford Library was built on the site.) In 1967, Canadian Forces Station Mill Cove
(CFS Mill Cove) was opened to provide a naval radio communications receiving station for
Maritime Forces Atlantic. The radio station consisted of approximately 4,000 acres (16
km2) of land, private married quarters, and administration buildings. The complex was
a major employer and contributor to the local economy until it was automated in the late
1990s.