Mabou, Nova Scotia

46°04′19″N 61°23′30″W

Mabou, Nova Scotia is located in Nova Scotia
Mabou, Nova Scotia
Mabou in Nova Scotia

Mabou (Scottish Gaelic: Màbu;[1] )is an unincorporated settlement in the Municipality of the County of Inverness on the west coast of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. The population in 2011 was 1,207 residents.[2] It is the site of The Red Shoe pub, the An Drochaid Museum, and Glenora Distillers[3]

History
View of Mabou from the shore of the Mabou River

The name Mabou is thought to derive from Mi'kmaq name Malabo, shortened from Malabokek, meaning "place where two rivers meet" (the Mabou and Southwest Mabou rivers). It is also thought to mean "Shining Waters" or "Sparkling Waters". In Canadian Gaelic it is called An Drochaid, meaning "The Bridge".

St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Mabou

In 1841, the first resident Roman Catholic priest, Maighstir Alasdair Mòr (Fr. Alexander MacDonald, 1801-1865) was assigned to Mabou, where he was seen as, "a veritable chieftain and patron of poets." Fr. MacDonald was also a very near kinsman to many local Gaelic-speaking pioneers, as he was 8th in descent from Iain Dubh MacDhòmhnaill, the 1st Tacksman of Bohuntine for Clan MacDonald of Keppoch.[4]

During the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century Mabou's primary economic activity centered around a coal mine with several collieries located in the surrounding area. The Inverness and Richmond Railway opened in 1901 to connect the mines in Mabou and Inverness to wharves in Mabou and Port Hastings.

Mining activity ceased following World War II and the railway was abandoned during the late 1980s and is now a snowmobile and ATV trail. Today Mabou is primarily a fishing port for a small fleet of lobster boats. It also hosts a high school serving central Inverness County.

Geography

The community is located at the head of an inlet off the Gulf of St. Lawrence named "Mabou Harbour" and is surrounded by low mountains which are part of the Creignish Hills.

Climate
Climate data for Mabou (1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.5
(61.7)		 15.0
(59.0)		 18.0
(64.4)		 23.0
(73.4)		 31.5
(88.7)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.5
(92.3)		 35.5
(95.9)		 29.0
(84.2)		 24.5
(76.1)		 19.5
(67.1)		 16.5
(61.7)		 35.5
(95.9)
Average high °C (°F) −1.5
(29.3)		 −2.2
(28.0)		 2.1
(35.8)		 7.3
(45.1)		 14.3
(57.7)		 19.6
(67.3)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.4
(74.1)		 18.8
(65.8)		 13.0
(55.4)		 7.3
(45.1)		 1.5
(34.7)		 10.6
(51.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.6
(21.9)		 −7
(19)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 3.1
(37.6)		 8.8
(47.8)		 13.9
(57.0)		 18.0
(64.4)		 18.1
(64.6)		 14.1
(57.4)		 9.0
(48.2)		 4.1
(39.4)		 −1.8
(28.8)		 6.0
(42.8)
Average low °C (°F) −9.6
(14.7)		 −11.6
(11.1)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 −1.2
(29.8)		 3.3
(37.9)		 8.1
(46.6)		 12.6
(54.7)		 12.9
(55.2)		 9.3
(48.7)		 5.0
(41.0)		 0.8
(33.4)		 −5.0
(23.0)		 1.5
(34.7)
Record low °C (°F) −25.5
(−13.9)		 −34.5
(−30.1)		 −26.0
(−14.8)		 −13.0
(8.6)		 −8.0
(17.6)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 1.5
(34.7)		 1.0
(33.8)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −6.0
(21.2)		 −12.5
(9.5)		 −24.0
(−11.2)		 −34.5
(−30.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 82.7
(3.26)		 82.1
(3.23)		 77.0
(3.03)		 82.0
(3.23)		 77.0
(3.03)		 81.9
(3.22)		 85.9
(3.38)		 90.7
(3.57)		 124.3
(4.89)		 136.1
(5.36)		 137.2
(5.40)		 115.2
(4.54)		 1,171.9
(46.14)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 34.9
(1.37)		 38.0
(1.50)		 51.3
(2.02)		 72.1
(2.84)		 76.0
(2.99)		 81.9
(3.22)		 85.9
(3.38)		 90.7
(3.57)		 124.3
(4.89)		 135.9
(5.35)		 127.8
(5.03)		 70.2
(2.76)		 989.1
(38.94)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 47.9
(18.9)		 44.1
(17.4)		 25.7
(10.1)		 9.9
(3.9)		 1.0
(0.4)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.1
(0.0)		 9.3
(3.7)		 45.0
(17.7)		 182.9
(72.0)
Source: Environment Canada[5]

Famous residents

References
  1. "Obair air tòiseachadh aig Beinn Mhàbu". Naidheachdan a' BhBC (in Scottish Gaelic). 2021-11-16. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  2. NS Community counts
  3. List of Canadian Whisky Distilleries at canadianwhisky.org Archived 2016-06-20 at the Wayback Machine website (which shows four single malt distilleries in Canada when conducting a search for "single malt").
  4. Effie Rankin (2004), As a' Braighe/Beyond the Braes: The Gaelic Songs of Allan the Ridge MacDonald, Cape Breton University Press. Page 28, 62.
  5. "Mabou, Nova Scotia". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Archived from the original on 2020-10-31. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.