Micou's Island is a

tidal island A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands, many of them have been sites of ...

located in the Glen Haven community near the eastern shore of St. Margarets Bay,

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 Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. The island is accessible by a

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. ...

at low

tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

and has become a popular beach during summer months.

Mi'kmaq

The island is also known as ''Big Indian Island'', named together with Little Indian Island (a smaller tidal island next to Micou's) and Indian Point peninsula because of arrowheads that have been found there in the past, suggesting that this was once a

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Miꞌkmaw'' or ''Miꞌgmaw''; ; ) are a First Nations people of the Northeastern Woodlands, indigenous to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec as well as the nort ...

summer camping ground. Their presence, and history, on Micou's can be observed through two shell middens that can be found there. These seemingly insignificant piles of shells are actually ancient refuse piles, left over from centuries of the seasonal harvest of shellfish in the area. The piles have endured the stand of time as those who deposited them would have used them as indicators to mark the spots that were good for harvest. With the help of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History, there is confirmation of two Mi’kmaq burial sites in the area.

European Settlement – Post 1700s-1930s

The area was first settled by James Dauphinee in 1785, with the original family farmhouse still located on Indian Point. The Family used Micou's Island for cattle and sheep farming. Plus they would harvest wood and hay every summer from the island.

The Micou Family – 1930 - 2005

Micou's Island got its name in the 1930s when the island was sold to an American family, the Micous. The Micous used the island as a summer vacation spot.

Island Stewardship

In 2007 the island was bought by the province and is now being cared for jointly by

Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramat ...

and the St. Margaret's Bay Stewardship Association. The Department of Natural Resources has stated it intends to manage the island for recreational purposes in an ecologically sensitive manner. An area is a popular place for hikers and a favourite beach destination during the warm summer months.

Features of the Island

Micou Family Memorial

On the far side of the island is a memorial site for Creswell MacMurrary Micou and his wife Andrina McIntyre. In 2014 Anne Micou Harper memorial plaque was added to the memorial rock. The Ashes of the residents have been spread here during memorial services. Many hikers leave shells and their beach finds at the memorial site, in memory of the island residents.

Strong Arm

The oldest living tree on Micou's Island – a sugar maple known as "Strong Arm". It is estimated to be over 185 years old and one of only two sugar maples on the entire Island, Strong Arm is the spiritual centre of the island for many reasons and generations have sought its broad canopy for solace and meditation. In 2021, the central stem of the maple tree has fallen.https://themastheadnews.ca/images/Issues/2021/2021_05_05.pdf

Sand Bar

The sandbar on that connects Micou's Island to the mainland of the Indian Pt. peninsula is walkable (without getting wet) for a 5-hour window that is 2.5 hours on either side of low tide.

References

External links

Micou's Island
{{Coord, 44, 37, 58, N, 63, 56, 19.6, W, name=Micou's Island, display=title, scale:10000_type:isle_region:CA-NS Islands of St. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia Landforms of Halifax, Nova Scotia Tidal islands of Canada Landforms of Halifax County, Nova Scotia