I am sure many of you have walked on the trails which run on either side of the waterway between Lakes Micmac and Charles. I first made this walk, or at least part of it, when I was a teenager and a member of the 4th Dartmouth Scout Troop. This was one of our favourite hiking areas. Since then I have taken the walk countless times but I never cease to discover new features. Also I never cease to be amazed at the sheer energy it would have taken to excavate this major channel. In previous articles we have spoken about a number of trades practiced by the Canal workers. One which may not occur to you is that of carpentry but there were a number of carpenters in the workforce. Charles Coleman, Daniel Fudge, James Healy and James Sawlor were four of them. These people would be responsible for constructing the cranes used to lift the rocks from the channel. Also they were responsible for the large wooden gates which were located at the two ends of the Locks. There were also wooden buildings and a range of other wooden features which they would be responsible for constructing. Again, if you recognize any of these names please contact us.

-Bernie Hart

The photo above is of the gates at Lock 1. These gates resemble those that would have been used in the 1830s.

The lists of men working on the Canal often classified them on the basis of their roles and responsibilities.  We have already spoken about Stone Masons, Blacksmiths and Carpenters.  One of the most common categories is that of “Navvie”.  This is not a term or name presently used in our area.  However, during the canal-building era in Great Britain it was common practice to refer to the labourers on Canals as navigators or “navvies” and this was the case on the Shubenacadie Canal during the first construction phase (1826-1831).  The Navvies would do much of the heavy lifting and would assist the skilled tradesmen such as the Masons and Carpenters.  Do you recognize any of these names all of whom were classed as Navvies and all of whom have the first name John?  They are John Dunn, John Fanning, John Orman and John Stacks.  Please contact us if any of these family names are familiar to you.

-Bernie Hart

It is important to be aware that the people we are identifying in these brief articles were involved in the first version of the Canal (1826-1831) and while much of their work was made use of in the second and successful construction period (1856-1861) it is not likely many, if any, of these craftsmen took part. However, features of their work were included in the second version and thus their craftsmanship can still be seen. For example Lock 1 (as seen in the photo above) at the South end of Lake Banook made use of the granite stones which, we believe, were used in the first lock and the same is true of the east wall of Lock 2 in the Cut just beyond Lake Micmac.

When Canal construction ceased in 1831 some of the workers then got involved in other projects in the area. For example a few were hired to build what is now known as Henry House on Barrington St. in Halifax as well as a number of other stone buildings of the time. We don’t know if these specific people were among them but you may recognize the names of one of the stone masons: Timothy Common, James Conly, John Flavy and Phil Martin. If these do ring a bell, please contact us as we would very much like to find out more about them.

-Bernie Hart