Looking for Historic Stories of the St. Margaret’s Bay Trail
Originally published in the Masthead News June 1st 2022 issue.
For the last two and a half decades, the St Margaret’s Bay Trail has linked communities from Hubley to Hubbards. It’s a popular destination for visitors from the greater Halifax region and further afield. But first and foremost, the Trail, as it’s simply called, is part of the daily routine for thousands of St. Margaret’s Bay people.
Whether we’re walking, cycling, riding an ATV, or riding a horse, it’s a chance to reconnect with nature and our neighbours. Over the years, the St. Margaret’s Bay Area Rails to Trails Association (SMBARTA) has focused not only on ensuring a safe, enjoyable experience for trail users, but also on supporting their learning.
A series of educational and interpretive signs provide interesting information on the natural environment of the region, and the rich social history of the communities along the way.
And now, SMBARTA wants Anne Patrick with one of the interpretive signs on the St. Margaret’s Bay Trail. to involve Bay residents in the project. “We know there are stories and photos about life in the Bay that our users would enjoy,” says Anne Patrick, the association’s board chair. “We’re asking folks to reach out and share their memories so that we can continue to tell the Bay story from the early days up to the present.”
Says Patrick, “I’ve lived here for more than 16 years, but I’m still learning all sorts of interesting things about the Bay and its history. For instance, Gary Meade, long-time Bay resident and historian, told me about the heyday of lumbering in the area.” “According to Gary, the Lewis Miller Lumber Company in Ingramport was the second-largest producer of lumber in Canada that was sent to the West Indies and the United States. And there were also other lumber companies and sawmills operating in the area.”
If you have stories about the history of the St. Margaret’s Bay Trail before it was a trail, please email mail@stmargaretsbaytrail.com.