News release

Archives Launches History of Tourism in Nova Scotia Online Exhibit

Tourism, Culture and Heritage (Dec. 2003 - Jan. 2011)

A new online exhibit on the history of tourism in Nova Scotia will give an armchair tour back in time.

Launched during Tourism Week by Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, the exhibit, Canada's Ocean Playground: The Tourism Industry in Nova Scotia, 1870-1970 celebrates the first 100 years of welcoming visitors to the province.

"Through all these years, the tourism industry has been, and continues to be, a mainstay of our economy and part of the social fabric of the province," said Bill Dooks, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Heritage. "While our promotional campaigns have changed with the times, the core strengths that bring people to Nova Scotia -- the beautiful ocean and coastline, a vibrant culture and history, and our warm, friendly people -- remain the same."

The resource uses about 7,000 digitized images, including archival photographs, film footage, documentary art and the largest known collection of Nova Scotia travel literature, in nine searchable exhibits.

"This is the first web resource of its kind in Canada," said Brian Speirs, provincial archivist. "No other province or territory has examined its history of tourism so thoroughly. The website clearly demonstrates the industry's community-based strength and adaptability over the years."

Rare photographs tell the story of how the Yarmouth Steamship Company and the Dominion Atlantic Railway first brought tourists to Nova Scotia. Other images show early resorts like Kedge Lodge, Milton House and the grand hotels of the 1930s. Still others show exploring more than a century ago with Mi'kmaw guides, men in business suits paddling canoes, and women in long skirts showing-off their fly-fishing skills.

The website also features a separate exhibit of more than 2,500 photographs taken in the early 1930s by travel writer Clara Dennis, the first woman to drive the Cabot Trail, while it was under construction. Photo and film archives of the Nova Scotia Information Service are available with 2,200 images of life in Nova Scotia from 1945 to 1970.

Selected items from the web resource are also on display throughout the summer at the Nova Scotia Archives Building, 6016 University Ave., Halifax.

Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management acquires, preserves and makes available the province's documentary heritage.

Canada's Ocean Playground is available online at www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/tourism/ .