The men fished and sold their catches to John MacLeod’s store. But they didn’t get paid in money. They only received credit. They could use this credit for the next thing they would need from the store. The store-owner set the price for the fish and for the supplies the fishermen needed. The fishermen never received what they deserved for their fish. A fisherman might have to pay 3,000 pounds of cod for one axe handle! Because of this, the fishermen remained poor and never had any money. Things never improved for them.

On the other hand, it must be remembered that they never went hungry. If one fisherman had a poor season because of accident, illness or bad luck, the store still gave him credit and his family still ate. The storeowner found markets for the fish. If the price of fish went down, the store-owner took the loss. He still had to make sure the fishermen had what they needed.

The store-owner was fair to fishermen, or unfair, depending on your point of view.

The End of Isolation or the End of a Way of Life?

Before the Cabot Trail was built the road connecting the coastal communities of Victoria County was little more than a lonely path through the woods. This was often impassable in winter because of heavy snow. Cape Smokey, 366 metres high, made things even harder for anyone going on foot. People would think twice about traveling over the mountain.