Did You Know?

Do you remember who crossed the Causeway early on the Sunday morning of May 11,1980? George Fox remembers because he presented the young man with a cheque from the Port Hastings Fire Department. Yvonne Fox remembers because she gave him an inspirational poem and made a good luck sign. They shared the same last name but were not related. Terry Fox was travelling across Canada on his Marathon of Hope to raise money for research to find a cure for cancer.

The first passenger train over the Canso Causeway was train number five from Halifax to Sydney on Saturday, May 14, 1955. The train was pulled by stream locomotive 6014, with engineers Dan Campbell and Harry McCormick, fireman James MacNeil and conductor Harry Whooten. Martin Boston purchased the last passenger train ticket in Point Tupper from Pat Meagher for one dollar and rode the train ferry to Mulgrave. He travelled as far as Monastery where he changed trains and boarded the first eastbound train to cross the Causeway.

Several people claim to have driven the first car across the Causeway. The driver of the first car to pay a toll was recorded on May 20, 1955. He was Charles Hillcoat who played drums for the Gib Whitney Orchestra of Sydney. He and two sax players, Alex Lightner and James Shea were returning to Cape Breton after playing with the orchestra at the ST.F.X. convocation. The 75 cent toll was paid to Mulgrave resident Dan MacDonald. Look for a parade of 1950’s cars on August 13th.

The Honourable C.D. Howe, Federal Minister of Trade and Commerce, cut a Nova Scotian tartan ribbon with a historic claymore to officially open the Canso Causeway on August 13, 1955. In 1980 that same historic claymore (sword) was used by Premier John Buchanan to cut another tartan ribbon to celebrate the Causeway’s 25th anniversary. The predominately blue tartan became the official provincial tartan in 1955, the year the Causeway opened.

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