In August of 1899, Karl arrived in America from Canada, not Canada as we know it today, but the Dominion of Canada. On July 1, 1867, under the British North America Act, the Dominion of Canada was formed within the British Empire, comprising the colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. By 1899, there was a small region around the City of Winnipeg that was the entirety of the “Province of Manitoba,” then British Columbia joined as the sixth province, followed by Prince Edward Island. These Provinces made up the Dominion of Canada, population 5.5 million. The rest of the country as we know it today was the North-West Territories and Newfoundland.
Even though Nova Scotia was one of the original colonies forming this new Dominion of Canada, Karl found that many Americans he encountered were unfamiliar with his Province. The Truro Daily News published the following letter from Karl when he arrived in the State of Michigan:
“Some of the people know where Nova Scotia is, but a great many have no idea where the place is, and some have never heard of it. The questions I have answered since coming into the United States would make a very interesting book. For instance, one man asked me if Nova Scotia wasn’t in New York; another wanted to know if it was in Canada or Newfoundland. I was asked: “Do they have any summer in Nova Scotia?” “Do they have any winter in Nova Scotia?” “Do the people talk the same language as we Americans?” “What do they eat in Nova Scotia? …A great many rabbits, I suppose!”
Now I would not like to tell you what answers I gave to all these questions but I left a good many of these anxious enquirers filled with a longing desire to visit such wonderful country as Nova Scotia.
One young fellow, about my age, asked me where I started from. I told him Nova Scotia. “Where is that?” he asked. “Oh, it’s over here in Canada, a little ways,” I replied. “Oh, you’re from Canada, are you? I know where that is. Well, say, do you know a fellow by the name of Billy Taylor?” Why of course I do. Everybody in Canada knows “Billy Taylor” And then he asked in an innocent way, what I was laughing about.
Another youth, asked me if I knew Mr. McDonald, who lived in Nova Scotia, I said I thought so, and asked him in what part of Nova Scotia this Mr. McDonald lived, he said he thought it was in Newfoundland.
Then, I bought a 2 cent stamp from the PostMaster to put it on a letter and posted it. The PostMaster seized it, after I had gone, and called after me: “Here boy, you can’t send a letter to Nova Scotia for 2 cents; only places in Mexico and Canada come under the 2 cent rate.” I tried to tell him where Nova Scotia was but it was no use, he would not believe me until finally he turned it up in the postal guide, and saw for himself. “Well,” said he, “I did not know that before; a person learns something new every day.”
True in 1899 and still accurate today, every Canadian knows we encounter several stereotypes and preconceived notions of life in the “great white north.” Ideas that there is snow all year in Canada, roaming polar bears, everyone speaks French, we ice-skate to work, eat poutine for supper, and drink lots of beer (although I think proportionally to other countries the beer drinking is true!).
But beyond the stereotypes, Karl experienced a lack of familiarity with our Province, and 120 years later, I routinely provide a geography lesson on my international travels to illustrate where Nova Scotia is on the map.
So, before we go any further on our journey outside of Canada, for this Karl Chronicle blog, let’s put a spotlight on our beloved Nova Scotia with 23 facts about the Province Karl and I call home:
Located almost halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces.
Nova Scotia was already home to the Mi’kmaq people when the first European settlers established a fur-trading post at Annapolis Royal in 1605 — Canada’s oldest town.
It’s both the second-smallest and the second-most densely populated province in Canada. The population of Nova Scotia in 1899 was approximately 500,000, and today we are just shy of 1 million.
The name Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland.
The British obtained control of the region between 1710 and 1758, establishing Halifax as the new capital in 1749.
Halifax is a major international seaport and transportation centre, and the economic and cultural hub of the region. With a 4 kilometre boardwalk along the waterfront, it’s the perfect spot to take in the city’s sights.
Over 13,000 km of coastline and no point in Nova Scotia is more than 60 km from the sea.
English is the official language, although Nova Scotians of Acadian heritage speak French.
The weather in Nova Scotia is moderate and has four distinct seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Weaving through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park is the Cabot Trail, a 298 km highway ranked one of the most scenic drives in the world.
The Bay of Fundy is home to the world’s highest tides. Twice a day, the bay fills and empties 160 billion tonnes of water. You can walk the ocean floor at low tide but watch the clock because 6 hours later, the height of the tide will increase from 3.5 meters (11ft) at low tide to 16 meters (53ft) at high tide.
Fishers haul 50,000 tonnes of lobster every year, and if you haven’t eaten lobster in Nova Scotia, then you haven’t eaten lobster!
One of over 150 lighthouses around Nova Scotia, the iconic Peggy’s Cove lighthouse is among the most photographed lighthouses globally.
Every day at noon since 1857, there is a cannon fired at Citadel National Historic Site, and even when you expect it, you will likely jump in surprise when it goes off (or maybe that’s just me!).
There are more polydactyl cats (broader paws with additional toes) in Nova Scotia than anywhere else because of our seaport history.*
Nova Scotia provides Boston with an annual Christmas tree commemorating the city’s support after the 1917 Halifax Explosion — when two ships collided in the harbour, one of the largest human-made explosions before the detonation of the first atomic bomb.
Tidal Bay is the signature white wine unique to Nova Scotia’s terroir and grape characteristics, and the perfect accompaniment to a fresh lobster roll.
There have been over 25,000 shipwrecks along the coastline of Nova Scotia and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has a database with the stories, archaeological wrecks, and other rare materials.
On April 15, 1912, the R.M.S Titanic sank into the Atlantic Ocean and Halifax led the rescue operation. Over 400 bodies were recovered and 150 of those are buried amongst three Halifax cemeteries**.
One million immigrants entered Canada between 1928 and 1971 through Pier 21, and the historic site is now the Canadian Museum of Immigration.
The Bluenose is the most famous Canadian ship and was both a fishing and racing schooner in the 1920s and 1930s. Our iconic Bluenose is engraved onto the Canadian dime and has been the graphic image on the license plates of Nova Scotians since 1989.
If you visit Nova Scotia between late spring and autumn, it’s recommended to go whale watching, where you’re likely to see at least one of the12 species of whales that frequent our waters.
In 1899, Karl Creelman left his hometown of Truro, Nova Scotia, on a quest to ride his bicycle around the world.
And although Karl did not know Mr. McDonald, it was because Mr. McDonald lived in Newfoundland, which is not a part of Nova Scotia. Otherwise, I’d suggest that if Karl was asked about people who were actually from Nova Scotia, there was a high likelihood that he would have known them. It’s my experience that if everybody in the world is separated by only six other people (aka six degrees of separation), it tends to be only three degrees of separation here in Nova Scotia. So now that you know more about our Province, when you see me on my journey following Karl’s route, don’t hesitate to ask me about a fellow Nova Scotian. I might know them!
*An earlier GlobeTrotter Blog: Connecting Hemingway and Nova Scotia with a few extra toes
**More on the Nova Scotia connection to the Titanic in Karl Chronicle # 29 The Boat is Unsinkable and #30 Behind the Scenes at the Maritime Museum