Autumn arrives at the end of September. In Autumn cruise travelers turn to the Martimes of Eastern Canada for spectacular scenes of fall leaves. Cruise ships run from Boston or New Jersey ports to Montreal and the reverse. Small vessels travel through the locks to Toronto.

When there is late season heat and unpredictable weather patterns, the promise of colorful scenery may be unfulfilled. Still, Canadian Maritime Provinces are a treat, regardless of foliage. On these voyages the big attractions are Quebec and Montreal, but my favorite port remains Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The small province of Nova Scotia has seen pivotal events in the history of North America and creation of Canada. The islands were an early beachhead for explorers, fishermen, and settlers. This is the gateway to the Saint Lawrence River. From the Halifax cruise ship harbor visitors are led into history as they follow the wooden boardwalk around Halifax waterfront.

Frenchman Samuel Champlain sailed to Nova Scotia in 1604, as a geographer for his king, to site a colony. France made several attempts to establish Acadia colony. Champlain gave up on Nova Scotia and sailed to Quebec.

Scotsman William Alexander convinced King James I of England and VI of Scotland to give him a charter for an English colony in 1621, knowing the land was occupied by France. Alexander never sailed to Acadia. He sold titles of baron to Scotsmen, who bought land sight unseen. Land in Acadia was more valuable if not seen.

English arrivals fought Mi’kmaq and French Acadians for a little rugged land. In 1755, Governor Lawrence forced immediate departure of Acadians. In the wars that formed North America, Nova Scotia received English Royalists and Black Loyalists fleeing the American colonies, then Irish and Scots fleeing famine and removal. New arrivals repopulated the island.

When French-Catholic Acadia became British-Protestant Nova Scotia, not all Acadians left, and many returned. Though decimated, Mi’kmaq survived. Black Loyalists marginalized for color, like Bluenose Nova Scotians marginalized by their government, survived through tenacity.

Britain changed the name of Acadia to Nova Scotia in 1749. Halifax was the British capital, with a naval base to protect New England. France clung to Nova Scotia in Sydney and Cape Breton, entrance to the Saint Lawrence, to protect Quebec. Nova Scotia’s value was to protect assets elsewhere.

Governor Edward Cornwallis laid out a street grid named for royals and began a hospital. Sons of King George III enjoyed Halifax. Future king William enjoyed the pubs. Edward, father of Queen Victoria, was dubbed Commander in Chief of Halifax. No one knew what that meant, including Edward, however, he endowed the city with the Citadel, built Government House, Martello towers to store ammunition, and a clock tower completed in 1803.

Royal parties ended in 1812, when the US declared war and British troops burned the White House. In Halifax, war boosted the economy. War brought lax enforcement of sea commerce, enabling privateers to thrive.

Privateers’ Wharf in Halifax grew wealthy on booty of French and American ships. The height of excitement was when the HMS Shannon brought the captured USS Chesapeake into the harbor. According to locals, funds to begin Dalhousie College in Halifax came from auction of Chesapeake contents.

The 1867 British North America Act created the Dominion of Canada. Nova Scotia opted to be part of the provinces. In so doing, it sealed economic doom. Decisions in Montreal, Ottawa, or later in London did not favor Nova Scotia.

Great Explosion of Halifax Harbor

On December 6, 1917, an explosion rocked Halifax to a magnitude not seen prior to the bombing of Hiroshima. The Mont Blanc, headed to France after sheltering from a storm, loaded with 200 tons of TNT and 2,300 tons of picric acid, collided at a narrow point at the harbor entrance with the freighter Imo, carrying a load of coal and chemicals. A third ship, towing barges, entered the narrows and while avoiding the Imo, the Imo turned into the Mont Blanc. Assessment of blame can never compensate for loss on that day.

When the Mont Blanc blew, concussive effect of the blast sent its cannon a mile in one direction and its anchor two miles in the other direction. Rocks on the exposed harbor bottom were catapulted into the air. Rocks, strips of metal, and rain of fuel and oil poured down upon Halifax.

The city was blown down in an instant, followed by fire. The top of the Citadelle blew away. A Mi’kmaq village beyond the harbor disappeared. A tsunami of sea water rushed up the city slope. As water receded, countless victims were drawn into the sea. It was impossible to know how many fishermen in the harbor were lost in the blast.

By the next spring Halifax began to rebuild. Signs of the blast are seen in houses of Hydrostone, a concrete block used to quickly rebuild. New streets replaced random lanes and parks were included in the harbor cityscape.

In 1919, the United States decade of alcohol prohibition was a boom time for Halifax. Smugglers using Halifax as a harbor, between French sources of wine in St. Pierre and buyers along the Atlantic coast, brought a boost to the economy. Rebuilt Halifax welcomes visitors today with a short stroll along the boardwalk, from the port to the Bicycle Thief Café and Maritime Museum.

In Halifax Stories of Courage and Artistic Triumph

Directly uphill from the Maritime Museum is the not-to-be missed Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Featured is a 2005 Kent Monkman mural. The work recasts struggle for survival by social class on a raft following tragedy at sea depicted in the 1818 The Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault. Both works are social commentary on the failure of government to protect marginalized populations. Monkman depicts First Nations of Canada.

For a view of triumph in human spirit, venture to the museum lower level and be introduced to Maude Lewis, in a complete installation of her tiny home. Maude transformed a shack into an artwork. As a young orphan Maude was ostracized by her little understood debilitating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. She married out of necessity a man, who left her isolated, so she painted everything around her. Find Maude’s efforts in Halifax and be inspired.

Find stories of Nova Scotia in Cruise through History Itinerary 6: Ports of the Atlantic Coast of North America and all 16 Itineraries of Cruise through History on Amazon.com.

Photos are property of Cruise through History for use with permission.