Stepping back in time – Fortress Louisbourg

It’s taken me a while to sit down to write again. I’ve been enjoying time with family and friends while visiting my home province of New Brunswick for a couple months. Now back on the road, relaxed and settled, with time to sit and reflect on the continuation of our adventure and discoveries on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. 

I visited the landmark historical site of Fortress Louisbourg when I was about 8 with my Dad.  I have some photos that have kept the memories alive all these years. My main memories were of the children dressed in traditional outfits playing games in the streets while their parents, also traditionally dressed, were weeding gardens, baking bread or preparing salted cod. The soldiers with their long rifles and bayonets scared me at that young age.  Stepping back in time intrigued me and excited me. I wanted to live there and re-enact that time period, and still would love to. 

I was excited to show this childhood place of wonderful memories to Mike, but tried not to arrive with expectations as it has been over 30 years and its post-Covid so likely much has changed. I was correct, much has changed, but it was not disappointing. 

We arrived on a bus with other tourists from the welcome center.  It was supposed to be a sunny day, but out that far on the coast there was no sun in sight. Fog and wet gloomy air greeted us, along with a man dressed as a French fisherman from the 1800s. He wisely explained the rules of the location along with what his role there would have been in that era. The main purpose of the Fort was cod fishing and preparing it to send back to France (when occupied by the French).  The sea was so plentiful back then that it was worth living in this cold, desolate location. 

The first difference I noticed from my childhood visit was that the streets were almost empty! When I’d been there before they were lively and bustling with people of all ages.  Many who stayed there for vacation to live in the role of the period, and lots of tourists experiencing the ways of the 1800 lifestyle of the Fort.  On this day it was so quiet within the fog and mist that it added to the emotion of isolation and depression many there must have felt. 

The actors now all work for the provincial government and put on a great show. A variety of characters from soldiers, bakers, servants and spinsters. We got to see cannon firing, muscots loaded and shot, as well as a mock hanging of a thief.  Farmers, cooks, musicians, and servants were also doing their daily chores.  

One of the interesting things to me was the role of women in this fishing and soldier community.  The elite ladies did not serve much role or have much say in things, other than to make their husbands pleased and create bobbin lace that increased the look of their wealth when worn. The servants or common women made everything from farming vegetables, dying wool, making clothes and cooking meals.  They worked very hard but it was a worthy life creating tangible things required for the inhabitants to survive, nothing was frivolous.  And in their small amount of free time they were able to dance, sing and carry on as free spirits with the other common folk, children and men, unlike the elite wives of the leaders of the community who had to remain stoic and proper at all times.  I’m sure I am romanticizing what it was like, but it seems to me that having a real purpose that kept others alive by feeding them and keeping them warm was a much better life to live.

Visiting Fortress Louisbourg was stepping back in time on multiple dimensions. Back to the 1800s and also back to my childhood. I felt like a kid again there, curious and excited to explore and imagine the life people once led.  A harsh and simple life that we today even with our best imaginations can barely glimpse. 

What places have you visited that bring out the kid in you again? We would love to hear about them in the comments down below.