Episode #6 – Prince Edward Island
Tug'n crossing "The Bridge"
Prince Edward Island—originally known as Abegweit—was home to the Mi'kmaq people for thousands of years before French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in 1534. France claimed the island in the early 1700s, renaming it Île Saint-Jean. Following the Seven Years' War, Britain seized control, expelled most of the French and Acadian settlers, and renamed it St. John Island.
The British then divided the entire island into 67 lots and granted them to a small number of absentee landlords. Tenant farmers were forced to pay high rents, creating land ownership disputes that dominated the island's politics and economy for nearly a century.
During the 19th century, waves of Scottish immigrants settled on the island, and in 1799 the colony officially became Prince Edward Island.
In September 1864, delegates from the British North American colonies gathered in Charlottetown to discuss the possibility of uniting the Maritime colonies. An uninvited delegation from the Province of Canada (present-day Ontario and Quebec) unexpectedly joined the discussions, broadening the scope of the conference and laying the groundwork for Canadian Confederation.
When Confederation became reality in 1867, PEI chose not to join. The proposed terms did little to address the island's land ownership problems or its mounting debt from an ambitious railway construction program.
PEI finally entered Confederation on July 1, 1873, after the federal government agreed to assume the railway debt and later passed the Land Purchase Act of 1875, helping tenant farmers purchase the land they had long worked.
Workers pulling "ice boats" across Northumberland Straight to deliver the mail in the late 1800's
Being an island, PEI was naturally isolated. To persuade it to join Confederation, the federal government guaranteed "continuous year-round steamship communication to the mainland." Delivering on that promise was no easy task. Early winter crossings were dangerous, with mail carriers rowing specially designed wooden iceboats through open water and hauling them across ice floes by hand. Over time, icebreaking steamships improved the service, followed eventually by Marine Atlantic ferries. Even then, winter ice frequently interrupted travel.
The challenge was finally overcome with the opening of the 12.9-kilometre Confederation Bridge on May 31, 1997. Stretching across the Northumberland Strait from New Brunswick to PEI, it remains the world's longest bridge over ice-covered water. Its gentle curves help keep drivers alert, while high side barriers reduce crosswinds. At the time, the bridge generated considerable debate. Critics feared it would erode the island's unique culture and overwhelm it with tourism, while supporters believed it would provide the economic stability PEI needed.
Ten years ago, while cruising the East Coast in our boat "Tug'n", we passed beneath the Confederation Bridge. This summer we crossed it again—this time in our GMC Sierra EV, towing Tug'n, our Airstream. Experiencing the bridge from both the water and the road made it especially memorable.
A pic of Confederation from our boat in 2016
Holiday Haven Campground, just outside Charlottetown, became our home base for exploring the island.
Our GMC EV truck with Tug'n and John & Teresa's Tesla and Airstream at Holiday Haven Campground
Our first morning was spent wandering through downtown Charlottetown. As PEI's licence plates proudly proclaim, this is the "Birthplace of Confederation." The city has done an outstanding job preserving its historic character through careful architectural restoration, pedestrian-friendly streets, adaptive reuse of 19th-century buildings, vibrant cultural programming, and beautifully maintained streetscapes.
St. Dunstan's Basilica
Victoria Row
Sitting near Province House, Charlottetown
Charlottetown's City Hall
Beautifully maintained antique fire engine
Historic Beaconsfield House
Beautiful grounds of Beaconsfield House
There is no shortage of historic landmarks, including Province House, St. Dunstan's Basilica, Beaconsfield Historic House, Victoria Row—with its pedestrian-only cobblestone street lined with shops and restaurants—and the attractive waterfront parks and boardwalks.
Lunch was at one of Richard's Seafood restaurants, famous for its lobster rolls. It did not disappoint.
Richard's Seafood
Divine lobster roll. If you think we are eating our way across the east coast, you may be correct...
Who is this?
- An orphaned young girl
- Red hair in braids beneath a straw hat
- Headstrong and imaginative
- Forever finding herself in youthful adventures and mishaps
- The heroine of a 1908 novel that has never gone out of print
Anne of Green Gables, of course—arguably Canada's most beloved fictional character. I knew you'd guess it.
We visited Green Gables Heritage Place near Cavendish. This famous farmhouse inspired the setting for Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel. Montgomery herself grew up with her grandparents on a neighbouring property, while Green Gables belonged to cousins of her grandparents. She visited frequently, drawing inspiration from the house and surrounding countryside.
Green Gables
Gardens at Green Gables
Green Gables Kitchen
Anne's bedroom
Nearby woodlands became the basis for places she called Lover's Lane and the Haunted Wood. Although many locations were inspired by real places, much of Avonlea sprang from Montgomery's remarkable imagination.
Various actresses who played Anne
Montgomery spent the first 37 years of her life in PEI before moving to Ontario after her marriage. Her connection to the island remained profound—19 of her 20 novels are set on Prince Edward Island.
Touring the house and grounds felt surprisingly familiar after seeing various movies, plays and television adaptations over the years. Parks Canada has done an exceptional job preserving both the property and the interpretive centre. It was truly one of the highlights of our visit.
Lucy Maude Montgomery
Another day took us to Orwell Corner Historic Village, an authentic living history museum depicting rural life in the 1890s. Original buildings include a fully stocked general store, one-room schoolhouse, church, blacksmith shop, community hall and working farm. Costumed staff demonstrate traditional skills such as butter churning, bread baking, ice cream making and horse-drawn wagon rides.
Serving up churned ice cream to visitors
Washing machine (I think)
Blacksmith's shop
The General Store
One room schoolhouse
A few facts really stood out:
- In 1901, PEI had approximately 14,000 farms. By 2001, that number had fallen to about 1,800.
- Around 1900, daily life was powered by horses, lit by kerosene and heated with wood.
- Cash was scarce, but families produced most of what they needed to survive.
- The work was relentless and physically demanding.
The interpretive centre features photographs and personal recollections from Islanders who lived through that era, offering a fascinating glimpse into the realities of small family farming at the turn of the 20th century.
Lunch that day was at the Tipsy Farmer in Souris, where we enjoyed outstanding seafood chowder and fresh fish and chips. Finding the best seafood chowder on Canada's East Coast has quietly become one of our travel missions.
Tipsy Farmer Restaurant
Another Seafood Chowder contestant...
Continuing northeast, we stopped briefly at Singing Sands Provincial Park. The beach gets its name from its unusually high silica and quartz content, causing the sand to squeak—or "sing"—beneath your feet.
Unfortunately, the beach was so popular that day, with swimmers, families and children leaping from the footbridge into the warm, shallow water, that hearing the famous singing sand proved impossible. It was however and extremely beautiful setting.
Singing Sands Provincial Park
For the young and young at heart
We also toured the Elmira Railway Museum. PEI constructed its railway system between 1871 and 1875 to overcome poor overland transportation. Eventually stretching 434 kilometres from tip to tip of the island, with numerous branch lines, the railway served Islanders well for nearly a century. Ironically, the enormous construction costs nearly bankrupted the colony, helping push PEI toward Confederation.
Rail lines and stations in PEI
Rail traffic declined rapidly after the 1970s, and the last train ran on December 31, 1989. Today, much of the former railway corridor has been transformed into the Confederation Trail, a wonderful network for walking and cycling.
At the island's eastern tip stands the East Point Lighthouse, a graceful 64-foot wooden structure originally built in 1867 by a local farmer, his two sons and a blacksmith.
East Point Lighthouse - beautiful setting
It has actually been moved twice. The first relocation came in 1885 after the wreck of HMS Phoenix revealed that marine charts showed the lighthouse in the wrong location. It was moved again in 1908 as shoreline erosion threatened its foundation.
Remarkably, it is the only surviving wooden lighthouse built in 1867. From its observation deck, visitors can watch the fascinating wave patterns created where the tides of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Northumberland Strait and Atlantic Ocean meet.
The waters just offshore are also famous for giant bluefin tuna. The largest ever caught weighed an astonishing 1,486 pounds and it was hooked just off East Point.
Fortunately, the weather cooperated, and we could clearly see Cape Breton Island on the distant horizon.
On our return to Tug'n, we stopped at Greenwich Beach in Prince Edward Island National Park.
Boardwalk across the sand dunes to Greenwich Beach
The all important grasses to help protect the sand dunes
Greenwich Beach
The park protects 60 kilometres of spectacular north shore coastline featuring red sandstone cliffs, white sand beaches and ever-shifting dunes. Established in 1937, it is divided into three sections: Cavendish, Brackley-Dalvay and Greenwich.
The boardwalk provides excellent views across the fragile dune system before opening onto an expansive white sand beach.
The interpretive centre highlights several vulnerable marine species found in the area, including great white sharks, leatherback sea turtles, Atlantic wolffish and winter skate, while explaining the environmental challenges they face.
We have been fortunate to visit a number of Canada's National Parks over the years. Their purpose is to protect representative landscapes from each of Canada's 39 terrestrial natural regions while maintaining ecological integrity and providing opportunities for Canadians to experience and appreciate these remarkable places.
Today the system includes 37 national parks and 11 national park reserves, representing 31 of Canada's 39 natural regions.
These parks are truly national treasures. Parks Canada, working closely with Indigenous partners, continues to incorporate Indigenous knowledge, respect ongoing land claim agreements and tackle growing challenges such as climate change and invasive species. It is an enormous responsibility, and one for which we are deeply grateful.
Departing PEI for Nova Scotia
Next up: Nova Scotia's unique and spectacular Cape Breton Island.
