Murray Harbour is a community that holds
rural municipality status in
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...
, Canada.
It is located in southeastern
Kings County.
Located in the township of
Lot 64, the community is named after
General the Honourable James Murray, (1721–94), Governor of Quebec (1764–66).
With an area of 3.89 km
2 and an extensive waterfront facing a large natural harbour (also named Murray Harbour), the community's primary industry is fishing, most notably
lobster
Lobsters are a family (biology), family (Nephropidae, Synonym (taxonomy), synonym Homaridae) of marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails and live in crevices or burrows on the sea floor. Three of their five pairs of legs ...
and
scallop
Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families ...
s. It also hosts some secondary industry in the form of
fish processing
The term fish processing refers to the processes associated with fish and fish products between the time fish are caught or harvested, and the time the final product is delivered to the customer. Although the term refers specifically to fish, in ...
and a growing tertiary service economy centred on tourism.
The community has a car repair station, a fire station, a grocery, two restaurants, a number of churches, a marina and a number of wharves. The Community Centre hosts many events throughout the year, including plays, music and comedy shows - including Small Halls Festival - ceilidhs, suppers, painting classes, seniors' events and more. Behind the Community Centre is a large double dog park and an outdoor rink/ball hockey rink. In summer 2017 a huge playground (for ages 5 to 13) and a skate park will be added.
The majority of the community's fishing fleet is berthed at the South River Harbour facility which is operated by
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO; french: Pêches et Océans Canada, MPO), is a department of the Government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and sc ...
. Other wharves include the Murray Harbour wharf, Machon Point wharf, and Beach Point wharf, as well as the Bowridge Landing Marina.
In recent years, Murray Harbour has attracted many retirees. The climate is a maritime one with only two or three months of cool/cold weather. The summers are pleasant and there is an active arts and social events community.
History
Samuel Holland named Murray Harbour after the Honourable James Murray, (1721–94). According to the first census of Prince Edward Island in 1798, ordered by Governor Fanning, there were only three families resident on
Lot 64, Nicolas Hugh, a family of three, William Sencabaugh, a family of five, and a widow, Mrs. Foster with a family of five, United Empire Loyalists. By the beginning of the 18th century, Guernsey's residents were starting to settle in North America.
Benjamin Chappell
Benjamin Chappell (March 5, 1740 – January 6, 1825) was a machinist and political figure in Prince Edward Island. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1774 to 1784.
He was born in London, the son of Richa ...
(1740 – 1825) described three notable migrations to Prince Edward Island - the
United Empire Loyalists
United Empire Loyalists (or simply Loyalists) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the Governor of Quebec, and Governor General of The Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America duri ...
, the Selkirk Settlers, and the
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
settlers. He wrote on June 3, 1806 that eight families (the Brehauts, Robertsons, Taudvins, Machons, Marquands, DeJerseys, and Sullivans) who had arrived on a ship from Guernsey on May 16, 1806 had gone to Murray Harbour.
The 1901 Census listed 366 heads of households: about 67% were farmers, while another 15% listed their occupation as fishermen. The rest of the people were scattered across many occupations. In the second volume of his 1913 ''History of the Catholic Church in Prince Edward Island'', James MacMillan referred to a "Father Francis" who proselytized "Catholic people living all the way from Rollo Bay to Murray Harbor."
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Murray Harbour had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Notable people
Murray Harbour is the hometown of former ice-hockey player
Brad Richards
Bradley Glen Richards (born May 2, 1980) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York Ra ...
. He received the
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, formerly known as the Lady Byng Trophy, is presented each year to the National Hockey League "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of ...
and the
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general man ...
as a member of the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
when the Lightning won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
in 2004 and he was also the alternate captain of the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
. He also won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
in 2015 with the
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
.
It is also the hometown of writer
Nicholas Herring.
["P.E.I. writer Nicholas Herring to release debut novel Oct. 13"]
''SaltWire Network
SaltWire Network Inc. is a Canadian newspaper publishing company owned by the Dennis-Lever family of Halifax, Nova Scotia, owners of ''The Chronicle Herald''. Saltwire owns 23 daily and weekly newspapers in Atlantic Canada. '', September 26, 2022.
References
External links
*
{{PEI
Communities in Kings County, Prince Edward Island
Rural municipalities in Prince Edward Island