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Ice boats were an essential link to mainland Canada for residents of tiny Pictou Island during the winter months when sea ice made passage by regular boats impossible. Using ice for survival, a cold isolated time of year for Islanders – ice became an essential role for transportation, communication, and survival.
Iceboats were constructed of wood and built similar to an oversized dory. These boats were used extensively for winter travel between Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia during the 1800s and 1900s.
Many dangers lurked for the ice boats and their crew upon the Northumberland Strait. The greatest danger was not the stretches of open water, nor the sea ice, but rather the heavy slush, which would pool in areas of open water. Ice boats would mire in the slush and oars were often broken while trying to break free. Many men would fall through the slush, thinking it to be solid ice.
The strong tides and currents in the Northumberland Strait caused ice floes to move quickly and the ice boat could easily be capsized or even crushed. There had been times when harsh conditions resulted in crews spending a night under the over turned iceboat for shelter.
There have been cases where entire crews have drowned when making crossing on the Strait ice.
The boat’s rough usage from running into ice cakes, going up and down mounds of ice and snow and dealing with whatever other elements nature could throw its way played havoc on the boat’s strength and the endurance of the men who manned the iceboats.
ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS:
Made possible with support from CHIN and HBCHF [Hudson’s Bay Company History Foundation].
Special thanks to the Pictou Island Community Association.
Thank you to the Pictou County Historical Photograph Society, Amanda MacLean, and Allan Gagnon for photographic contributions.
Historical information, articles, and photographs assisted and supported by local historian and author, Jim Turple and “Pictou Island, Nova Scotia: Its History and People”, author Kenneth MacCallum.
