Waypoint 003

• Old Arisaig Road: Trunk Road, MacDonald Road, Malcolm’s Clearing (Clitti(clearing?)cowa(callum) from Malcallum (Malcolm): Galic). Malcolm MacIssac (Kenton’s great-great-great granduncle) cleared land but didn’t stick around to take the grant. John Og, John the Older, and Lache MacIssac took up land grants. Old John later moved to Farmont. Took reading on GPS, Main Mountain Road.
• Trunk (meaning Branch of road) Road (Old Arisaig Road): Today MacDonald Road. Used to call some of the MacDonald who were called Trunks which was considered insulting. This is one of the main roads to New York.
• Maple Ridge and Eigg Mountain is the same place. Atlas ’44 showed some different ideas of where Maple Ridge was.
• Steep Roads: take a log off the wagon and chain it under the wheels to act as a brake.
• Back Settlement Road goes over to Highfield.
• Question: Saying Brown’s Mountain as second choice for settlement once lands down on the shore were taken, was this because much of the land was taken up already down on the shore, but had not been developed into farm land. Value of the low land grants. Many property owners on Eigg Mountain were financiers and would lend money on these properties and often didn’t take occupancy. Sometimes only hold the land for a year or two before they got their price. Trying to follow along in the records would get you lost.
• People came in around Pictou, some came by lumber boats. Religion: Settled around Arisaig to form a community of like religious beliefs, for marriage and worship. Easter Duty: Walk to Arisaig. Bishop came from PEI by boat, once a year, tour along the coast. Never seat of the diocese.
• Shore settled 1783, Town Point (Antigonish) 1784, Built log church 1792 at Arisaig, built in one day, Current church 3rd church at that site.
• Old John MacIssac (great-great-great grandfather) owned 500 acres where the church is today, sold part to the Church. When that land sold the rest of the family moved one lot back.
• Lauchy MacEachern(great-great-great grand uncle), surveyors came and noticed his lot was off (1842) so he moved over and abandoned his building.
• Some came because of the resemblance to the Highlands but this is over stated.
• Allan MacEachern d.1912: “Ah yes ‘tis lonely to think about the Highlands of Scotland, remember the hard times, remember we almost starved, remember we weren’t free, remember we didn’t really own the land. ‘Tis good to remember the patriotism and the love of the old home country which we left and to long for it, but we can neigh go back, we can neigh go back. There is no place for us.”
• Lame Angus died 1985 move to Antigonish 1973-4
• Archie MacLellan, was at that site until 1931 …second last on the mountain
• John Gillis, until 1936, fettle back and forth until 1955
• Stopped at the edge of the Plateau. Took a way point (where we were for most of this part of the recording). (point 003)

 

Source: Interview, Kenton and Charlie Teasdale, Eigg Mountain, October 16, 2004.