The mysteries of Isle Haute explained

By Anne Ottow

For The Spectator

More than 150 dinner guests turned out September 15 at the Port George Recreation Hall to support the Mount Hanley One-room Schoolhouse Museum, and to enjoy a turkey dinner before hearing about that mysterious, isolated island that stands out in the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy.

Isle Haute was the topic and Dan Conlin, curator of the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, made everyone amazed at the wealth of knowledge he passed on to the many who see it often but know very little about it. Twenty miles from Port George and closest to Advocate Harbour on the Nova Scotia side of the Bay, the island has several pronuciations, but the French name High Island was given to it by Samuel de Champlain in 1604. He explored its 320-foot-high basalt cliffs that run a mile and a half long and have only one place where a landing can be made followed by a trek up the spruce-clad slope to the top of the island.

At the landing site a small lake with no wave action, and a spring for clean water, make for an ideal camping spot which has been used for centuries by visitors. The earliest, native predecessors of the Mi'Kmaq, going back as far as 9,000 years, used the island as a tool-making site, bringing their stone materials from both sides of the Bay, from Cape Split, Cap d'Or, and Economy Mountain. They left huge amounts of unfinished or broken axe and arrow heads and other essential remains of their labour. Their name for the island translates as 'where wild potatoes grow,' and according to Conlin, they still grow their. The site also has evidence of copper. The places where their wigwams were set up have also been found. (Subhead)Europeans arrive

As soon as Europeans began to land on the island however, all traces of native use are abandoned. A long sand spit at the landing site is evident at low tide only. It is a most dangerous place to be anywhere other than at the landing site when the tide comes in, Conlin warned, for there is no way to escape or to seek refuge on the spit or up the steep basalt cliffs that resulted from volcanic eruptions in the Jurassic period. One man was killed after falling from a tree when hunting for bird eggs. Loose soil at the top of the cliffs makes it easy to lose footing and fall to your death.

Vegetation on the island is different than on the mainland because there are no wild animals larger than a mouse. Trees and bushes don't get eaten. They grow densely, with many huge alders competing with the trees. The deer mice are much larger than those living where there is competition, and Conlin says they are not at all wary of humans. On top of the island is one very small pond which is crowded with hundreds of frogs, since that is the only place they can find fresh water. There are two species, thought to have been brought over by settlers and they are highly competitive for the space.

When settlers arrived, they did bring animals and for many years there were cattle, sheep, horses, as well as foxes, kept at a fox ranch on the west end of the island. The soil is fertile but shallow, so fences must be made without the use of fence posts dug in. Around the island are big colonies of grey and harbour seals. (Subhead)Lighthouse built

As the Bay shore became settled by Europeans, and ship traffic increased dramatically before roads and railroads were built, ship safety demanded a lighthouse on Isle Haute. A 1777 engraving shows the island with many sailing boats and ships around, evidence that water travel was intense. The four-storey structure, with an attached house, was built in 1878, along with a shed for the storage of oil barrels to fuel the rotating light. All this was hauled up the steep road by horses that furnished the only transportation for the several families that lived on the island until the 1950s. They exported hay, sheep and cattle from the island farms, while pickled herring were also sold ashore. Aerial photos from the 1930s show much of the top of the island cleared for agricultural use.

One early recorded ship that was lost was a 1786 excursion sloop from Port George that got wrecked when huge rip tides thrust a long into the ship and it was washed ashore. Luckily the eight people aboard were able to scramble ashore and they spent the next five days stranded. Finally they were rescued when people on the mainland saw their signal fires. Some 20 shipwrecks have been recorded, but others could have occurred. In those days a series of fires were used to send messages to the mainland. One fire meant 'all's well;' two meant someone was ill; three signalled a need for help; and four fires recorded a death. (Subhead)Popular place

It's amazing today to hear of the many visitors to the island in days gone by. It was a popular place for picnics and wedding parties. Church groups, school bands, lodges, and other organizations loved to go there despite the complications of weather, tidal timing, and organizing in the days before telephone and electricity.

A seven-minute, black and white film from 1937 shows a visit by American tourists who came aboard 'The Lucky Lady.' It shows them climbing fences, swimming in the pond, and picnicking on the shore. In all, thousands of people have visited over the years. As with Oak Island, Isle Haute had its share of treasure hunters, and ghost, and pirate stories too. There are many stories about buried treasure and people digging holes and seeking it. In fact that preoccupation did a lot of damage to the remaining archeological sites. This was still going on in the 1950s.

During the Second World War, aircrews from Greenwood used Isle Haute as a training site. They would throw down items useful to the island people and were sent fish as payback.

Then in 1956, fire struck the lighthouse. Starting in the kitchen, the flames spread, and when the shed where the oil barrels were stored caught fire, it was beyond saving. The entire site was leveled. The Coast Guard came to rescue those who remained living on the island. The animals were sold off and a pre-fab automatic lighthouse replaced the old system. No one remained to live on the island. Now operated by the Coast Guard out of Saint John, the island faces new challenges. (Subhead)Scientific research

In 1996, a huge scientific expedition brought experts from many fields to access the island and establish priorities. The Coast Guard no longer wanted to claim the whole island, only the lighthouse site and a helicopter landing site. However, many people are afraid to have this spot exploited and ruined. It is the home of rare species, including snails and spiders, along with peregrine falcons, and the famous mice 'bold but dumb,' which have been shown to not reproduce when taken from the island.

The Canadian Wildlife Service has an interest in preserving Isle Haute as it is, and there is still much research to carry out.

Currently some visitors are still able to go to the island, but it has become very difficult because of safety issues and today's insurance situation. Very few fishermen or others with capable boats to make the trip want to risk involvement or the trouble needed to follow insurance guidelines to take out the general public. Today maybe 300 people a year are able to visit, and many of those are doing research. Even this might be cut back as various government interests are changed. At the moment we must wait and see, and look at the magic island from a distance.