Baddeck (2001 population: 907, pronounced /bəˈdɛk/) is a Canadian village in Victoria County, Nova Scotia.
It is the county's shire town and is situated on the northern shore of Bras d'Or Lake on Cape Breton Island. According to some historians the name Baddeck is derived from the Mi'kmaq term "Abadak" which has been translated as "place with an island near" (in reference to Kidston Island, immediately offshore).
The creation of the Cabot Trail during the 1930s made Baddeck the focal point for vehicle touring on Cape Breton Island. The village experienced a boom in post-World War II tourism, particularly after the 1956 opening of the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site of Canada and the opening of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 105) immediately north of the village during the early 1960s.
Today, Baddeck functions as a service centre for the sparsely populated county and hosts a well-equipped volunteer fire department, a consolidated school serving grades Primary-12, as well as a public library, provincial government offices, a hospital and a nursing home.
The village's economy is driven by tourism during the summer and fall months; it has been estimated by provincial tourism officials that the village experiences almost as many tourists as the provincial capital Halifax. Baddeck has managed to maintain public access to much of its attractive waterfront while preventing aesthetically unpleasing developments. It hosts a yacht club which is the focal point for cruising on Bras d'Or Lake, as well as a world-class golf course, a lake-front resort and numerous hotels/motels and restaurants and shopping establishments.
Alexander Graham Bell's summer retreat
In 1885, Alexander Graham Bell, his wife Mabel, and their two young daughters, arrived by boat from the Strait of Canso. They fell in love with Baddeck and built two homes on Beinn Bhreagh, as well as the original Bell Laboratory, predecessor to the famous Bell Laboratories many years later. Dr. Bell and his family helped begin a new era for the people of the village. Alec Bell, who was a Scot and could speak Gaelic, took Baddeck to heart and made their home a gathering place for the village. Alec and his wife Mabel promoted culture, sociability, science and industry among the villagers.
In his laboratory on Beinn Bhreagh across the Bay from Baddeck, Alec Bell conducted experiments, built kits, airplanes, hydrofoil boats, and, during WW I, lifeboats for the Canadian navy. The Bells provided steady employment for many in the village; while Mabel Bell did much to foster home industries, among them the hooking of rugs for which the village of Chéticamp is today so famous.
Baddeck became the site of the first controlled powered aircraft to fly in the British Empire, the Silver Dart which was first flown off the ice of Baddeck Bay on February 23, 1909. Another one of Dr. Bell's experimental craft, the HD-4 hydrofoil established the world watercraft speed record in 1917 after travelling at 71 MPH across Baddeck Bay; the record lasted for 20 years.
Alexander Graham Bell spent the last thirty years of his life mostly in Beinn Bhreagh and he died there in 1922. His wife followed him a few months later and together they rest on the top of their beautiful mountain under a simple boulder of granite.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Terry Kelly - In My Fathers Houseby terrykelly239,184 views
I'm surprised this shows up in my search results when I look for "Cheticamp Volunteer"... Are these words anywhere in your tags? I know both communities are on the Cabot Trail, but I'm sure YouTube's search engines are not _that_ advanced! LOL
burgmail 1 month ago
he came to my school
pink200091 6 months ago
Hey is this where the lookout is?
I went to this house with a huge wooden tower you go up and see all around.
Is that there?
1112223333111 1 year ago