Big Baddeck: A Little History from Cape Breton

Big Baddeck is the name given to the Baddeck River Valley, stretching from the Highlands to the Bras d'Or Lake, Pitu'paq, "the long dish of salt-water" in the middle of Cape Breton, Unama'ki, unceeded territory of the Mi'kmaq People.

This little history tells stories of how people have lived in Big Baddeck over the last 450 or so years, starting with descriptions of the lifestyle of the First Nations Mi'kmaq, as observed by an early European adventurer-trader.

A blanket, an axe, and a birch-b...