The past couple of weeks I have been sharing some of our experiences on our September Canadian trip. When my husband first started talking about a Canadian train trip our first thought was to go west through the Rockies. However, we had been to at least three areas in western Canada but had never seen any of the east thus our decision to go east. Our trip took us from Kansas City to Chicago, Buffalo, NY and then to the international crossing at Niagara Falls. From there it was to Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia.
Once in Halifax, we knew we would be taking a tour to Historic Peggy’s Cove. Peggy’s Cove is a small rural fishing community located on the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay in the Halifax Regional Municipality, which is the site of Peggys Point Lighthouse. They claim it is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Atlantic Canada. It is built on an outcropping of solid granite rock, first in 1868 and then that cottage with a beacon light on the roof was replaced in 1912. The current lighthouse with it’s distinctive red and white paint stands 4l ft. high. Adventurous tourists are sometimes swept off the rocks despite numerous warnings. We were able to have our passports stamped at the Cove post office. The Canadian Coast Guard operates the lighthouse.
We also learned that an office in Halifax was the first to receive distress calls from the Titanic. They sent help to rescue passengers and claim bodies. There are three cemeteries where deceased Titanic passengers are buried: One Jewish, one Catholic and one for other deceased passengers.
I knew my great grandmother Elizabeth McArdle came to Scammon, KS by way of Canada and then to Scammon. I always thought she was born in Ireland but a visit to the Canadian Museum of Immigration, Pier 21, the former ocean liner terminal, often compared to Ellis Island, led me to the official story. Her parents came from Ireland but she, the oldest of six was born in 1855 in Logan, Perth Ontario, Canada. The 11 pages of family information and copies of two census records cost me $1.00. I bought a cardboard tube for $3.00. What a special family find and such a very low cost. She died on Nov. 7, 1879 when my grandfather was born and is buried in St. Bridget’s cemetery, just a block from the home where I grew up. The entire search took less than 30 minutes. Because ships coming from northern Europe could cut two days at sea off their voyage, rather than going to NY, Halifax was a very busy harbor. By the way, it is only one of two Natural Harbours in the world, the other being Sydney Australia. What a special visit!
