The time had come at the end of July for us to
return to Nova Scotia and say goodbye to Newfoundland. We boarded the ferry at Port Aux Basque to
return to the same campground we left to head to Newfoundland. We hope that
someday we might return to this amazing island.
We had one more important site to visit before
leaving the northern coast of Nova Scotia.
On the northeastern coast is the reconstructed Fortress of
Louisbourg. This is a massive
fortification with the first town settlement occurring in 1713 with the
fortifications completed by the Mid 1740's and was among the largest such
structures on the continent. What was
equally impressive to me, is the fact that the reconstruction that is available
for tours is only one quarter of the size of the original fortified town.
Louisbourg played an important role in the struggle
between the French and English for control of North American colonies and in particular,
what is now Canada. The Fortress was
first overrun by British colonists in 1745.
Most of those colonists came from the colonies that later revolted
against British and ultimately formed the United States. Many of these colonists loss their lives in
this important struggle. Part of the
treaty of 1748 returned the Fortress to French control, causing a lot of anger
among the colonials who actually took the fortress. This, was at least in some part, of the
unhappiness that finally led the colonies to break with the British. When it was ordered to retake the fortress in
1758, an overwhelming force of British regulars took control of the fortress
and supposedly acted on their own, before additional orders were received, systematically leveled the entire fortress to prevent it being handed back to the
French through more negotiations.
The fortress shows what life was like during its
active period with re-enactors everywhere along with guides and interpreters to
answer questions. There are period
places to eat, see the merchant life in action and opportunities to observe the
agricultural and other trades of the period.
For those interested in history, this is a must see
location.
The end.
8 comments:
So sorry there will be no more posts from Labrador. I so wanted to go there this year. The Fortress looks like a very interesting place to visit. The reinactors and so on are like Colonial Williamsburg. Great the end shot!
I have been to the Fortress twice, once long, long ago when I was about 10 and they were just reconstructing it, as it had been done back in the day, using most of the same tools, it was very interesting then again in 2011. I love the place, so full of history and so beautiful. So glad that you were able to visit this wonderful site.
www.travelwithkevinandruth.com
I love visiting historical places. It's especially interesting where they have folks who dress the part of those who lived in the area years before.
I'm so glad you took us along on the trip to the Maritime Provinces. I've really enjoyed reading some of the history and seeing the sights.
I enjoy open air museums like this one. I really like that photo with the misty fort in the background and all the costumed people in the midground ... sort of reminiscent of the Pied Piper and his entourage for some reason.
Fascinating post and pictures. I'm a history buff and love seeing these old forts. :c)
That was really worth the time and effort to visit.
An interesting and fun place to visit. We brought home a loaf of their bread to try. It was like a bowling ball! Loved your photos.
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