Little Bass River is a sub-community in
Colchester 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 ...
, Canada.
It forms the western portion the community of
Bass River.
"Little Bass" as it is known locally, stretches along
Trunk 2 from "Chipman's Hollow" in Bass River west to the neighbouring jurisdiction of
Upper Economy, and north until it reaches the former community of
Pleasant Hills. It takes its name from the river that meanders down from the
Cobequid Hills, near Pleasant Hills Road, and empties into the
Cobequid Bay
Cobequid Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Fundy and the easternmost part of the Minas Basin, located in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. The bay was carved by rivers flowing into the eastern end of the Bay of Fundy.
The eastern end of the b ...
between Starratt Road and Minas King Drive.
Little Bass today
The year-round population of approximately 60 residents doubles in amount in the summer months when seasonal cottages are occupied.
The local economy employs residents in agriculture, landscaping, retail, auto repair, forestry, and blueberry production. Little Bass River is home to a growing population of retirees.
History
The economy was traditionally focused on forestry, including harvesting various species of
coniferous trees such as
black spruce,
red spruce
''Picea rubens'', commonly known as red spruce, is a species of spruce native to eastern North America, ranging from eastern Quebec and Nova Scotia, west to the Adirondack Mountains and south through New England along the Appalachians to western ...
,
white spruce White spruce is a common name for several species of spruce ('' Picea'') and may refer to:
* ''Picea glauca'', native to most of Canada and Alaska with limited populations in the northeastern United States
* '' Picea engelmannii'', native to the ...
,
balsam fir
''Abies balsamea'' or balsam fir is a North American fir, native to most of eastern and central Canada (Newfoundland west to central Alberta) and the northeastern United States (Minnesota east to Maine, and south in the Appalachian Mountains to ...
, and
juniper, as well as several
hardwood species such as
poplar,
silver maple
''Acer saccharinum'', commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canad ...
,
paper birch
''Betula papyrifera'' (paper birch, also known as (American) white birch and canoe birch) is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named for the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper like ...
, and
speckled alder
''Alnus incana'', the grey alder or speckled alder, is a species of multi-stemmed, shrubby tree in the birch family, with a wide range across the cooler parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Tolerant of wetter soils, it can slowly spread with runners ...
.
During the height of industrial activity at the turn of the 20th century, Little Bass had an active timber harvest feeding a busy saw mill, as well as a shipping wharf for exporting timber and a general store.
Local shipbuilders constructed wood sailing ships, of which 8 vessels measured 100–300 feet in length, these being:
* ''Goldstream'' in 1874 (
schooner)
* ''Compier'' in 1874 (
half brig)
* ''Cashier'' in 1876 (double decker)
* ''Depositor'' in 1884 (double decker)
* ''Florence L.''
* ''M.J. Kenny''
* ''Modoc''
* ''Minas King'' in 1918 (schooner)
The first inhabitants were nearly entirely of
Ulster Scottish origins; their surnames included
Creelman,
Fulton
Fulton may refer to:
People
* Robert Fulton (1765–1815), American engineer and inventor who developed the first commercially successful steam-powered ship
* Fulton (surname)
Given name
* Fulton Allem (born 1957), South African golfer
* Fult ...
,
Lewis
Lewis may refer to:
Names
* Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name
* Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Music
* Lewis (musician), Canadian singer
* "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
,
O'Brien,
Starratt or
Starrit, and
Wilson.
References
External links
Destination: Nova Scotia with a map of Little Bass River
{{coord, 45.400, -63.808, type:city_region:CA-NS, display=title
Communities in Colchester County