This site is dedicated to the many employees of the Mulgrave Ferry system which served as a connection between mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island. The ferry service remained in operation from 1890 to the opening of the Canso Causeway in 1955. It was one of the main employers of the region and with large volumes of traffic passing through the town of Mulgrave, many spinoff businesses formed and grew with the ferry sytem. The first train ferry that sailed from Mulgrave to Port Hawkesbury in 1890 was know as the S.S. Mulgrave. In 1901, a second larger ferry was built to combat the size and congestion issues the S.S. Mulgrave battled. This larger ferry was the Scotia I and remained in operation until 1915. The last ferry that crossed from the mainland to Cape Breton Island was the Scotia II. It was larger again then the Scotia I and thus helped with the heavy volumes of traffic. It was the main ferry for the Mulgrave system and stayed in operation until the opening of the causeway in 1955. The Scotia I remained as a backup vessel.

Some of the names of captains and Canso Strait ferrymen are listed below.

CAPTAIN'S FROM SCOTIA I AND SCOTIA II

Captain Carr, Captain McGuire, Captain Kennedy, Captain Dort, Captain Crocker, Captain Hadley, Captain Ryan, Captain O'Neil, Captain Keaton, Captain Charles Davis, Captain Robert D. Davis.

EARLY CANSO STRAIT FERRYMEN

Hugh MacMillan Andrew Sharp
Richard Carter Alexander McGuire
Alexander Auld James Hadley
John Carter John Forrestal
John McNair Archibald Maclean
Thomas Marten Charles Embree

SCOTIA FERRY LOOKOFF

Still today, the Scotia Ferry system is an integral part of Mulgrave's history. The town has constructed a historical landmark in honor of the Scotia Ferry overlooking the Strait of Canso where it once sailed. Many of the town's citizens remember the days the Scotis Ferry was in full sail. Click on the links below to take a guided tour of the Scotia Ferry Lookoff in the town of Mulgrave, Nova Scotia.

Evidence of the impact the Scotia Ferries had on Mulgrave are still vibrant today. The town constructed the "Scotia Ferry Lookoff" overlooking the Strait of Canso where it once crossed. There is a historical lookoff informing the citizens and tourists of Mulgrave of the significance they once had on the town. There are three main stations that give an historic review of the town of Mulgrave. They depict maps, pictures and stories of the ferry system and the town as it was before the opening of the Canso Causeway in 1955.

The town has recently been developing a proposal to construct a museum to provide the town of Mulgrave with an in house information center on the history of Mulgrave. The Scotia Ferry system will have a large portion of the museum concentrating on the story of the ferries and life as it was prior to the Canso Causeway.