The Hidden History of North Sydney

The Hidden History of North Sydney - The Tour

What do a massive raft that set sail across the Atlantic Ocean in 1917, a top-secret coded message indicating the end of World-War I, a booming Lebanese mercantile trade, rum-running on the high seas, and an internationally renowned banknote have in common? They all originated in the small town of North Sydney, Cape Breton! These examples are teasers of the tales of everyday survivors, heroes/heroines, inventors, and dreamers. They are the kind of stories that either make people shake their heads in wonder or disbelief, or become motivated to create stories themselves, leaving their own mark in time. 

These are just some of the stories that make North Sydney, a small town with a population today of just over 6000, a place of character and history.   North Sydney was a shipping and mercantile metropolis in the early part of the 20th century, and it was also a town very much driven by steel and coal. Work was hard, but the opportunity was ample and the stories that unfolded from such a situation deserve telling.  

This website presents a self-guided tour.   Following the tour as the numbered stories are presented, it is a circular walk with a side trip for the Flahaven story.  The entire walk is 6.3  km; without the Flahaven story side trip, it's 1.9 km.  Tie up your shoes and let's take a stroll through town to learn a bit more about the people and events that shaped our unique corner of the country.  

Welcome to North Sydney, an authentic seaport town, and gateway to Newfoundland!