SHIPWRECKS

The water surrounding the shores of the area have been known to be

treacherous and misleading to vessels. Shipwrecks have occurred along the coast, and ships were also forced aground by heavy seas.

Ships known to have gone aground included the “Jewel” and “Scotia” on November 29, 1889. It was said that the “Jewel” was carrying a load of stoves, several of which are still in the area. The “Halycon” was wrecked off Brown’s Cape on November 7,1907 with all hands lost. Another noted wreck was the "Ripley Ropes”. The “White Bird” went aground on May 10, 1928. This vessel had a cargo of fertilizer and bags of the watersoaked fertilizer were salvaged by residents of the area.

BEAR SIGHTINGS

Bears were considered to be both numerous and troublesome about the 1890‘s. The bears would kill sheep and young cattle. Although bears were much more common than today, the sighting and chase of a bear still was unusual enough to create a great deal of local excitement. Neighbours would all gather together to hunt down and kill the bear, often chasing it for miles.

Doubtless there was more than one sighting of a bear in the area. The road in by Jim Bank's was even known as the Bear Trap Road. The sightings re- mained more common in wooded areas.

The best documented sighting, however, was recorded by Lawrence Doyle in the song “The Grand River Bear”. This well known local song records the chase a bear from Annandale to the Fortune Road, where it was killed. The hunt took at least several days.

OTHER

Many years ago a man from Little Pond went shooting. He built a blind out of seaweed, sticks, bushes. The ducks would come in so far and then fly Out again before he could get a shot at them so he knew something was scaring them away. He decided to investigate and raised his head to peer over the blind. A huge-snake like head poked out from the weeds around the shore. He aimed and fired quickly at the monstorous head and killed it. However the appartion began to thrash about in its last agony and the man realized how large the creature really was. He immediately took flight, dropped his gun, and raced to a nearby neighbour’s. The neighbours could hardly understand what had happened since he was almost incoherent with fright. They accompanied him back to find the carcass and discovered it to be fourteen feet long. They attached a wire to it and pulled it up. it was estimated to weigh close to 300 pounds. It was felt that this monster must have come from the sea.

Ship sightings are not an unusual event on any river, however in the year of 1938 a strange ship was sighted lying off Little Pond. This ship remained near the coast for two or three days and the sailors could be seen walking about on deck.

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