Kidston Island is an uninhabited island in the

Bras d'Or Lakes Bras d'Or Lake ( Mi'kmawi'simk: Pitupaq) is an irregular estuary in the centre of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, Canada. It has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. It also has inflows of fresh water from rivers, making the brackis ...

Baddeck, Nova Scotia Baddeck () is a village in northeastern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated in the centre of Cape Breton, approximately 6 km east of where the Baddeck River empties into Bras d'Or Lake. Local governance is provided by the rural municipality ...

. The island is owned by the Village of Baddeck which leases it to the local

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , ...

, which operates the beach on the island and the ferry to the island.

Features

The island features a lifeguarded beach operated by the Lions Club. The beach features a picnic area, changing rooms and washrooms. The island is also home to the

Kidston Island Lighthouse The Kidston Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Kidston Island, located in the Bras d'Or lakes, in Baddeck, Nova Scotia. The original lighthouse on Kidston Island was built in 1875. The present lighthouse was built in 1912 and the two stood sid ...

, an historic property located on the eastern tip of the island.

Access

Kidston island is accessible during the summer months via a 12-passenger ferry operated by the Lions Club.

History

In 1819, Lt. James Duffus (half pay Naval Officer), whose brother-in-law was Sir

Samuel Cunard Sir Samuel Cunard, 1st Baronet (21 November 1787 – 28 April 1865), was a British-Canadian shipping magnate, born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, who founded the Cunard Line, establishing the first scheduled steamship connection with North America. H ...

founder of the

Cunard Line Cunard () is a British shipping and cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, England, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. Since 2011, Cunard and its three ships have been registered in Hamilton, Berm ...

of steamships, founded his home on what is now Kidston Island. Duffus operated a mercantile business on the island, serving people from River Baddeck and Grand Narrows; customers were ferried to the island by canoe. Duffus died in 1833, and his former assistants operated the business for a little over two years. In 1836 the executors of his estate in Halifax sent

William Kidston William Kidston (17 August 1849 – 25 October 1919) was an Australian bookseller, politician and Premier of Queensland, from January 1906 to November 1907 and again from February 1908 to February 1911. Early life William Kidston was born in Fa ...

to wind up his business. Kidston met and ended up marrying Margaret Ann Duffus, widow of James Duffus, in 1836 and taking over the business. The Kidston business was moved to the mainland in 1840. A lighthouse was built on Kidston Island in 1875. The present lighthouse was built in 1912 and the two stood side-by-side for some time. Eventually the island came to be owned by the Mersey Paper Company which sold it to the Village of Baddeck in 1959.

References

{{Baddeck Islands of Nova Scotia Uninhabited islands of Canada Lions Clubs International