Guysborough, officially the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, is a Canadian

district municipality A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa. Canada British Columbia Under provincial law, municipalities in British Columbia are to be desi ...

in Guysborough County,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. First inhabited by the

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

, The area was colonized by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in the 17th century. Large numbers of loyalists settled in the area after the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The Municipality was created in 1879 when the administration of Guysborough County was divided between Guysborough and St. Mary's. Canso was incorporated as a town in 1901, but dissolved and rejoined the municipality in 2012. The municipal office is located in Guysborough.

History

The area was originally inhabited by the

, who had seasonal settlements on the coast of Chedabucto Bay at Cooks Cove and Canso. The Mi'kmaq extensively used the waterways feeding into Chedabucto Bay as trade and travel routes. The area was first visited by European fishermen in the early 16th century, and the first attempt at settlement was made in 1518 at Canso. Canso became a centre for fishing and fur trading activity in the region.

French Settlement

The French established control over the area in the early 17th century. A Catholic mission was established at present day Guysborough (called Chedabuctou by the French) in 1629, with a fort first being constructed in 1632. In 1654, Nicolas Denys expanded on the previous fort and made an attempt at settlement. In 1682, a permanent settlement was established by Clerbaud Bergier and the Company of Acadia. Fort St. Louis was built to establish control over the region and it's fishery. Following Queen Annes War, the area was contested between France and Britain. The British expelled the French from Canso and destroyed Fort St. Louis in 1718 and built Fort William Augustus in 1720, and Canso was raided by the French numerous times until France's final expulsion from the region during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. The Acadian population at Chedabuctou left in the early 1760's.

British Settlement

British settlers began arriving shortly after the departure of the Acadians. A large influx of settlers arrived in the form of Loyalists and former British soldiers in the aftermath of the

. The community of Guysborough was established by the Loyalists, named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton. The area was originally part of Sydney County, from which Guysborough County was split in 1836. In 1840, Guysborough County was subdivided into two districts for court sessisonal purposes – Guysborough and St. Mary's. In 1879, the two districts were incorporated as district municipalities.

Recent History

In a

plebiscite A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...

held on July 12, 2008, residents of the Town of Canso narrowly voted to amalgamate the town with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. On January 19, 2012, the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board granted the town's application to dissolve. On July 1, 2012, Canso became part of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.

Geography

Occupying the eastern half of Guysborough County, the district municipality's administrative centre is the community of Guysborough. The district completely surrounds the Town of Mulgrave and it borders the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's to the west, the Municipality of the County of Antigonish to the north and the Strait of Canso to the east.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), 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 culture. It is headquartered in ...

, the Municipality of the District of Guysborough 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.

Amenities

National Historic Sites

* Canso Islands National Historic Site

Provincial Parks

* Black Duck Cove Provincial Park * Boylston Provincial Park * Port Shoreham Beach Provincial Park * Salsman Provincial Park * Tor Bay Provincial Park

Wilderness Areas

* Bonnet Lake Barrens Wilderness Area * Canso Coastal Barrens Wilderness Area * Ogden Round Lake Wilderness Area

References

External links

* * {{Subdivisions of Nova Scotia Guysborough Communities in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia