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Box 1310 |
New Brunswick Tourism Region : Fundy Shore
Description From Owner:
- The name of the 137 sq km island derives from a combination of Amerindian and French sources, particularly the Maliseet-Passamaquoddy word Munanook meaning 'island.'
- The French added the prefix Grand to distinguish it from Petit in present-day Maine.
- In 1607 Champlain charted the island as Menane and subsequent explorers called it Manano, Manthane, le grand Menane, Great Manan, and Grand Monan before its present name became common usage from the late eighteenth century onward.
- Locally people drop the word Island and call the place Grand Manan. The island is reached by toll ferry from Blacks Harbour on Route 176. From Grand Manan a toll ferry operates to White Head Islands.
- Dulse from Dark Harbour on the west side of the island is touted as the best in the world. High cliffs protect the harbour on three sides limiting the amount of sunlight reaching the waters which results in some of the richest marine algae in the B Fundy
- There are three lighthouses on the island: Long Eddy Point is an active lighthouse established in 1873 at 436 Whistle Road; Southwest Head is active and was established in 1871 at 2571 Route 776 and replaced with a concrete structure in 1969;
- Swallowtail Light Station was established in 1860 at 50 Lighthouse Road and is active in the original tower. Grand Manan Museum at 1141 Route 776 contains historical displays, a geological exhibit and historical and genealogical records.
- The Anchorage Provincial Park at 136 Anchorage Road offers hiking and biking trails. Grand Manan Whale and Seabird Research Station at 24 Route 776 is dedicated to marine research, conservation and education and includes a natural history museum.
- Hole-in-the-Wall Park at 42 Old Airport Road has unique rock formations and viewing sites for whales and seals, marine and land birds.
- Seven Days Work is a perpendicular rock formation showing at least seven strata of rock piled to a height of over 200 feet.
- It may be reached by hiking along the beach from Whale Cove. The Bishop is a small pillar of rock N of Ashburton Head which derives its name from the 1857 shipwreck of the Lord Ashburton.
- Money is on the W side of Grand Manan I. Legend has it that Capt. Kidd buried some of his treasure here.
- White Head Island: In Passamaquoddy the place was known as Wabatpemiguk, 'the white headland seen at a distance.'
- It was first called Ille gravée where Champlain repaired a ship in 1606. In 1930 the island made the Guiness Book of Records when the largest Great White Shark ever recorded was caught in a herring weir.
- The shark measured 11.3 metres (36 feet) and yielded almost 1,000 litres of shark oil.
- With permission from 'New Brunswick Place Names' David E. Scott 2009
Address of this page: http://nb.ruralroutes.com/GrandManan