Cape John, Nova Scotia
- Official Community Name: Cape John
- Latitude / Longitude: 45.790184, -63.099085
- NTS Map Number: 011E14
- 1879 Pictou County Atlas: Section 3
- Nova Scotia Land Grant Map Number: NS Land Grant map 085
- Nova Scotia 1:10k Topographic Map Number: 1045750063000 (River John)
Cape John is a rural community that is located along the north side of John Bay. To mariners the Cape is considered to be Pictou County’s western boundary.
It was originally only the name of the point of land to the west which forms the extends out into the Northumberland Strait, and the community was referred to Back Shore because of it’s geographic location in relation to the village of River John and the point was called Point Jaune in the 1770’s. It sits on land granted to the trustees of Philip Marchinton in 1811, and to John Liddell a Halifax business man in 1820
The Mi’kMaq referred to the area as “Wenjooteamwakade” meaning the cow pasture.
The area was settled about 1808 by William McLeod and John Morrison. John Mciver, Allen McLeod, Donald McFarlane Alexander McLeod, natives of the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, who emigrated to Nova Scotia in 1807. John Williamson may have been settled near Williamsons Brook by 1811.
A school was built at Cape John, in 1871. A postal way office was established April 1, 1866, with H. McLeod as postmaster.
[Source: Nova Scotia Place Names – T. Brown / Places of Nova Scotia – C. Bruce Fergusson ]
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