Pictou Island, Nova Scotia
Encyclopedia
Pictou Island is a Canadian
island located in the Northumberland Strait
approximately 4 NM
north of Nova Scotia
and 10 NM south of Prince Edward Island
. Measuring 9.5 km in length and 2.5 km in width, the island is administratively part of Pictou County
.
The island is heavily wooded with several clearings on the more sheltered south side. There is a small year-round population spread throughout the island of which the majority make their living by fishing. The island has a public wharf located at the west end and a breakwater
for mooring at the east end. There is also a community centre, church, fire department and several lighthouses located on the island.
Pictou Island receives no electrical power from the mainland. The residents supply their own energy with solar power
, windmills and generators. There are no stores of any kind on the island but residents can email or phone a grocery order in to Sobeys
(a local grocery chain) and the order will arrive by ferry or plane depending on the time of year.
There is a one-room public school, facilitated at the Pictou Island Community Centre, with a single part-time teacher for students up to grade 6, after which students begin correspondence studies. Generally island students enroll in schools on the mainland of Nova Scotia once they begin grade 11, as many post-secondary programs do not accept a correspondence studies diploma.
The Community Centre is also home to a provincially sponsored CAP Site (see http://cap.ic.gc.ca/index.htm) which provides internet access to the public. Most island residents have access in their homes, through dial-up, and some are hoping for 'high-speed' soon.
A seasonal passenger-only ferry service begins operation in May and stops in November; Cessna airplanes operating out of an airport at nearby Trenton
serve the island in the winter with mail and supplies. There is one main dirt road on the island that runs from one end of the island to the other that is maintained by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and also services as a landing strip for the airplanes.
victories secured under his command in the Napoleonic Wars
. Permanent European settlement of the island began in the 1810s.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
island located in the Northumberland Strait
Northumberland Strait
The Northumberland Strait is a strait in the southern part of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in eastern Canada...
approximately 4 NM
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
north of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and 10 NM south of Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. Measuring 9.5 km in length and 2.5 km in width, the island is administratively part of Pictou County
Pictou County, Nova Scotia
Pictou County is a county in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It was established in 1835, and was formerly a part of Halifax County from 1759 to 1835. It had a population of 46,513 people in 2006, which represents a decline of 6.3 percent from 1991. It is the sixth most populous county in Nova...
.
The island is heavily wooded with several clearings on the more sheltered south side. There is a small year-round population spread throughout the island of which the majority make their living by fishing. The island has a public wharf located at the west end and a breakwater
Breakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
for mooring at the east end. There is also a community centre, church, fire department and several lighthouses located on the island.
Pictou Island receives no electrical power from the mainland. The residents supply their own energy with solar power
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
, windmills and generators. There are no stores of any kind on the island but residents can email or phone a grocery order in to Sobeys
Sobeys
Sobeys is the second largest food retailer in Canada, with over 1,300 supermarkets operating under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than $14 billion CAD in 2009...
(a local grocery chain) and the order will arrive by ferry or plane depending on the time of year.
There is a one-room public school, facilitated at the Pictou Island Community Centre, with a single part-time teacher for students up to grade 6, after which students begin correspondence studies. Generally island students enroll in schools on the mainland of Nova Scotia once they begin grade 11, as many post-secondary programs do not accept a correspondence studies diploma.
The Community Centre is also home to a provincially sponsored CAP Site (see http://cap.ic.gc.ca/index.htm) which provides internet access to the public. Most island residents have access in their homes, through dial-up, and some are hoping for 'high-speed' soon.
A seasonal passenger-only ferry service begins operation in May and stops in November; Cessna airplanes operating out of an airport at nearby Trenton
Trenton, Nova Scotia
Trenton is a town located in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.Trenton is situated on the east bank of the East River of Pictou, adjacent to and immediately north of the larger town of New Glasgow.- Economy :...
serve the island in the winter with mail and supplies. There is one main dirt road on the island that runs from one end of the island to the other that is maintained by the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and also services as a landing strip for the airplanes.
History
Pictou Island was claimed on October 17, 1809 by Charles Morris. That same year it was granted by the Crown to Admiral Sir Alexander Forrester Inglis Cochrane, likely as a reward for Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
victories secured under his command in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Permanent European settlement of the island began in the 1810s.