“North of Smokey”

North of Smokey, an abundance of beauty, mystique, innocence, and energy. Ingonish, Neil's Harbor ,The Cove, Smelt Brook, White Point, South Harbour, Dingwall, Cape North, Sugar Loaf, Bay St. Lawrence and last but not least Meat Cove. These are the communities that make up the North of Smokey area.

Mountains as far as the eye can see, a forest that stands tall and proud with endless colors. Fields of green and low lying valleys. Falls , rivers, and lakes that run into an ocean called the Atlantic, that surrounds it's very existence.

Communities that are as rich in heritage as they are diverse. Peaceful, yet stern, a world within a world. An observable place that is taken for granted.

Someone once asked me to describe the North of Smokey area, and so I did. I replied, "Home!"

Saint Paul's Island

Saint Paul's Island, or "death island," as some local people call it, is the northern most tip of Cape Breton. Three and a quarter miles long and one mile wide, the island lies 13 miles off Cape North in the gulf of St. Lawrence. It is known for its many shipwrecks, sunken treasures, stormyweather, treacherous reefs, rugged shores and ghostly apparitions.

Saint Paul's Island is often referred to as the Graveyard of the Gulf. Over the centuries, hundreds of shipwrecks and thousands of souls have been lost in the deadly seas surrounding the island. Many who perished are buried on the island, and, according to local legend, their spirits still roam the rocky shores. For instance, there have been sightings of a grey lady dressed in a long white gown, a soldier beating a military drum, and George Gatz, a lighthouse keeper who fell to his death while attempting to cross the tickle.¹

1 The channel of water separating the northeast island from the southwest.