Fortress at Louisbourg

Located on the Northwest tip of Cape Breton Island just 20 miles out of Sydney lies the largest re-created historic site in North America. We had heard about this site from a native Nova Scotian who highly recommended it. Suzy suggested it on our day trip to Sydney and we easily found it easily. Just followed buses full of Japanese; works every time.

The sight is a large town and fortress the French set up in the early 1700’s as their launch point for other excursions and a large cod fishing ground. They dried the cod and shipped back to Europe by the boat full. The Grand Banks were GRAND in those days.

The Canadians had found the foundations on the sight and then found the full set of drawings for all the buildings and fortifications so they re-created everything in exact detail. Amazing. Then they manned it with a village full of kids and adults in the clothes of the era and doing the activities of the era, right down to playing cribbage in a saloon. Also all the soldiers dressed in uniforms and weapons. Gardens with the vegetables growing, geese, chickens and pigs running around, smoke in the chimneys, pots on the fires, it was easy to feel like you had stepped back in time to 1744. The “actors” all stayed in period with their conversations with you as they went about their duties. I especially enjoyed talking to a young lieutenant about the fortifications, lines of fire, and strategies of defense.

You see the French were attacked by the British later in 1744 as part of what we refer to as the French Indian War. After a seven week siege the British won, sent all the French folks back to Europe and took over the fort. Ten years later the British gave it back to the French as part of a treaty arrangement and the French took it over again only to lose it in another seven week siege years later. Think that was what they called the King Geoge’s War. Anyway, I was interested on how the French had lost it twice in sieges. Very well informed on history was the young lieutenant and kept his cool while made some disparaging remarks about the French military mistakes in keeping the fortress.

The guard at the gate when we got to the fortress would only let in French visitors, accusing the rest of us as being spies. When she found out we were from the states she even less enamored with allowing us to pass. She was great, so in character and funny too.

We left the fortress and felt like we were going back in a time machine to the 21st century after a half day in New France.