Port Mouton, Nova Scotia

Port Mouton is a small village along Highway 103 on the southwest coast of Region of Queens Nova Scotia, Canada. It is about ten miles from Liverpool, Nova Scotia, the nearest significant community, and 100 miles from the provincial capital of Halifax, Nova Scotia.

On May 13 1604, the French explorers Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain landed at Port Mouton and built a temporary camp at Bull Point. The village takes its name because a sheep, excited to see land after a long journey, jumped overboard one of the vessels and swam to shore.

The most significant attraction near Port Mouton is the Seaside Adjunct to Kejimkujik National Park, part of which is accessible via a trail originating at Southwest Port Mouton, a fishing hamlet located on a local road which forks from the 103 Highway in Port Mouton. A study of the rocks (including a detailed map of the rocky landscape in the Seaside Adjunct) was made by a geology student from Dalhousie University earth science department in 1988. Other than a restaurant, general store, and one or two seasonal craft shops, there are no businesses in Port Mouton. Fishing is the main employer for those residents who work in the town, either on boats or at a fish plant near the wharves. There is a United Church of Canada and a Canada Post office located on the main highway. The K-8 school closed in the 1994, and children must now travel to Liverpool to attend school. The school house is now home to the Port Mouton International Hostel on the main floor and upstairs there are craft shops and an art gallery.

The villagers of Port Mouton don't pronounce it like the tourists or new citizens do. The local (Liverpool and Port Mouton) pronunciation for this village is "Port Ma-toon".

The oldest house is Port Mouton is the Campbell House, which is now a local restaurant named Seascape.

External links

* [http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ns/kejimkujik/index_e.asp Kejimkujik National Park]