Inverness (

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...

: ''Baile Inbhir Nis'') is a Canadian rural community in Inverness County,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. It is about an hour's drive north from the Canso Causeway and about an hour south from

Cape Breton Highlands National Park Cape Breton Highlands National Park is a Canadian national park on northern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The park was the first national park in the Atlantic provinces of Canada and covers an area of . It is one of 42 in Canada's syste ...

. In 2021, its population was 1,228, down 1.6% from 2016.

History

Coal-mining

Located on the west coast of

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Inverness sits astride a small

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...

seam which was exploited from the late 19th century to the mid-late 20th century, beginning with a mine opened by William Penn Hussey of Massachusetts. Before Hussey industrialized the coal operations of the town it was exploited by the locals, but without means to export the coal it was never mined in earnest. Hussey was able to secure financial backing from European investors and soon dredged a portion of the sand dunes to connect MacIsaac's Pond to the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He had some piers and wharves built, laid a small railway and was able to ship coal to export markets. Hussey's operations were profitable but ten years later his infrastructure fell into disrepair and he sold off his interests. Immediately following Hussey's departure the town entered the era of William Mackenzie and

Donald Mann Sir Donald Daniel Mann (March 23, 1853 – November 10, 1934), who was also referred to as "Dan" or "D.D." before his knighthood, was a Canadian railway contractor and entrepreneur. Biography Born at Acton, Canada West, Mann studied as a Met ...

during the 1890s. These two (whom local streets are named after) were able to lobby the Government in order to fund a railway project from Port Hawkesbury to Inverness. As a result of this endeavour they were able to open several more mines in and near Inverness during the early 20th century. These were shaft mines and extended from the area between the town and the beach out under the ocean in some cases. As a result of this boom the town's population soared to over 3,000 by 1922. Many of the mines closed following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

with the last one closing in 2001.

Harness racing

Inverness Raceway was established in 1926, and harness races are held twice weekly between May and October.

Golf courses

Canada's only true links golf course, Cabot Links (opened in 2011) is on a site formerly occupied by coalmine shafts, overlooking the beaches and harbour and, , was ranked 43rd in the world by Golf Digest. A newer course north of the community, featuring spectacular cliff views, Cabot Cliffs is ranked 9th.

Notable people

* Allan MacEachen (1921-2017), a former deputy prime minister of Canada * Alexander MacLeod, short-story writer, born 1972 in Inverness * Onna White (1922-2005), choreographer and dancer *

Al MacInnis Allan MacInnis (born July 11, 1963) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played 23 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Calgary Flames (1981-1994) and St. Louis Blues (1994-2004). A first round selection of ...

, former professional hockey player, born 1963 in Inverness * Iain Rankin, former premier of Nova Scotia

References

External links

Town Directory from the Inverness Education Centre
{{Authority control Communities in Inverness County, Nova Scotia Mining communities in Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia