17 ' TOURISM

Our first tourists may be said to have been the Indians, who came here in the summers to hunt and gather shellfish, though recent archaeological work suggests that some stayed year-round. The French, too, visited here in the summers for the purpose of fishing for many years before they made any permanent settlements. But tourism as a leisure activity instead of food-gathering forays began in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The North Shore of the Island was particularly popular with visitors, largely on account of the surf bathing available on the magnificent beaches; boating and sailing, fishing and shooting, and the beauty of the countryside were added attractions. Along the North Shore were a number of hotels catering to summer visitors, such as the Seaside Hotel at Rustico Beach, the North Shore House at Malpeque and the Lorne Hotel, later the Acadia Hotel, at Tracadie Beach. At Brackley Point there were several establishments, including that of Neil MacCallum (... accommodations afforded for summer boarders) and Shaw’s and Gregor’s Hotels, which both began as farm tourist homes. In Stanhope itself there was “Glencorse”, owned by John C. Leitch, at the head of Covehead Bay; and at the other end of the bay were “Mutch’s Hotel”, later “Seaside Inn”, and Angus MacMillan’s “Point Pleasant Hotel”, later known as the “Cliff Hotel”, and now named “Stanhope Beach Lodge”. A little later in time “Kiloran Lodge”, on the Bayshore Road, consisted of a large farm house with cottages; and then there were a number of cabins and cottages for rent by summer visitors, such as those of Herbert and Doris Roper, Jack and Connie Williams, and Mamie Drew. When the National Park highway was built, and the Bayshore Road paved, numerous cottages, both for rent by tourists and also owned by summer residents, sprang up like mushrooms, together with motels, trailer

214