There are some days in history when a community knows it is witnessing something much bigger than itself.
August 13, 1955, was one of those days.
Today marks 71 years since the official opening of the Canso Causeway, a day that forever changed the connection between Cape Breton Island and mainland Nova Scotia.
The celebration was unlike anything the Strait area had seen.
An estimated 40,000 Nova Scotians travelled to the region, arriving by train, boat and car. The streets were filled with families and visitors eager to witness the official opening of the new link across the Strait of Canso.
For the Port Hastings Historical Society, the anniversary remains an opportunity to remember just how important the Causeway has been to the region.
Angie MacIsaac, Executive Director of the Port Hastings Historical Society, says the museum recognizes the anniversary every year, even when it isn’t a major milestone.
“The causeway’s played such a significant role in the whole area over the number of years that we kind of just stop and celebrate it once in a while.”
The story of the Causeway began well before that celebration.
Construction started in 1953. About a year and a half later, the main rock and roadway across the Strait had been filled in, with a bridge and canal completing the waterway connection.
The result was far more than a new transportation route.
MacIsaac says the Causeway helped create an ice-free port and played an important role in attracting industry and providing employment in the Strait Area.
Following speeches from the ribbon cutting on the mainland side, pipers led a procession across the newly opened Causeway, with crowds following behind toward Port Hastings and the Grand Opening Highland Games.
For generations since, it has remained one of the most important transportation links in the province.
And 71 years later, the Strait Area Museum is inviting people to step back into that moment.
MacIsaac says the museum has a simple message for both visitors and local residents who may never have stopped in before.
“We are owned by the public. So just remember it’s your museum that you’re coming to visit here and stop in for a visit.”
Today, the museum is sharing photographs from the grand opening celebrations, along with cake and refreshments, giving visitors a chance to imagine the sights and sounds of that remarkable August day, 71 years ago.
