A Canadian Family

Genealogy, Family History & Vintage Postcards

Mmmm – Prince Edward Island Seaweed Deserts!

The other day I blogged about the Jersey, Channel Islands practice of  harvesting seaweed (vraic) off the beaches.This prompted a  little trip down memory-lane for Carol-Ann (Theriault Gen.12).

——————————————————————————————————————

“I visited PEI a few years back to attend the wedding of a cousin (Lagace, Gen.11).  While taking a walk on the beach I had the pleasant surprise of coming across a horse galloping through the ocean with a few men standing nearby.

peihorsewater

My cousin explained that they were seaweed harvesting.  There is a semi-floating ‘sled’ attached behind the horses which drag them along to collect the seaweed brought in by the tide. They overturn the sled on the beach, collect the seaweed, then load it into a pickup truck for transport.
I imagine the way it is done today is much the same as it was then – the triangles you see are semi-floating sleds  and since they didn’t have pickup trucks they may have dumped the seaweed into small boats to bring to a central depot rather than pile it on the beach and bring it in by pickup truck.”

peihorseseaweed80percent

Read more »

January 31, 2009 Posted by | . | , | 2 Comments

Vintage Postcard: Shippegan Peat Moss, New Brunswick

 

fafardgood

What does a bag of peat moss have to do with Shippegan – land of fishermen?  We already know that when our ancestors first settled in the Shippegan area, they were there to harvest the sea (especially cod) – certainly not to farm the land which was poorly suited to most types of agriculture.

Nowadays it turns out that the land itself can also be “harvested”. I’m talking about the peat moss. Peat moss is in great demand today – especially by organic gardeners – and Shippegan peat moss is particularly valued!

                                                                              Western Peat Moss, Shippagan

shippeganpeatmoss

“… the vast plains of Shippagan had been considered a serious handicap to the growth of the community.  People could not foresee that these plains would one day be the basis of a flourishing peat moss industry.  Since 1942, various companies such as Fafard, Western, Atlantic and others have successfully processed and marketed  peat moss from thousands of acres in Shippagan and surrounding area, giving employment to hundreds of workers.” 

 Town of Shippagan

 

Related Posts:

Index: Vintage Postcards of New Brunswick

January 31, 2009 Posted by | . | , , , | Leave a Comment