To add to Colin's description here is something else that I came across that may be of interest to some: What eventualy became Alder Point used to be included in the district of Little Bras d'Or. It was changed with the introduction of the telegraph (early 1900's) office at Arsenault's Store in Alder Point. There is a yarn that has merit that Captain John Arsenault when he got the telegraph office was also directed to rename the place and asked his daughter Theresa for her opinion. She stated because the place was overrun with alders that they call it Alder Point - he did. Theresa later became Mrs. Walter Dugas who in later years ran the post office and the telegraph office in Alder Point. The name Little Bras d'Or was officially dropped in the 1940's and replaced with the name Bras d'Or. Many people along with businesses including the Canadian National Railways continued for many years to use Little Bras d'Or in their advertising and correspondence. I even see Little Bras d'Or listed on maps describing the area from the Sydney side of the Bras d'Or gut from Bras d'Or corner up to the Johnson Road as Little Bras d'Or. George ----- Original Message ----- From: "Colin Waye" <cwaye@eastlink.ca> To: <ns-cape-breton@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 19, 2008 7:23 AM Subject: [NS-CB] Re; Boularderie And Big Bras D'or > I'll add my 2 cents to the discussion on the Bras D'or > It seems like most place names around here they were named because of the > water passages. > Boularderie Island has water channels on either side. > Big Bras D'or is the wide one and therefore the name, as the big entrance > into the Bras D'or lakes > The Seal island Bridge now spans this channel which was once serviced by > Ross Ferry > As you drive along the South side of Boularderie,you go through Hillside > Boularderie, Boularderie West, Kempt Head and to the Seal island Bridge. > On the other side of the Trans Canada, the commnity on the north side of > the bridge carries the name Big Bras D'or. > The other side of Boularderie, closest to Sydney, the channel is very > narrow and is called Little Bras D'or. > This side is spanned by a Highway bridge.Once serviced by Hawley's Ferry. > Many know it as MacNeil's Cove. > George's River is on one side and South side Boularderie the other. > Farther up one can look across easily from Point Aconi on Boularderie to > Alder Point.on the main section. > I have seen several maps, that for some reason don't show this channel,and > show Boularderie connected, which makes it not look like an island. > Some of the place names seem split now, but they were all named before the > Trans Canada Highway went through and divided up the island > > > Colin Waye > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NS-CAPE-BRETON-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message