Please take note: The Provincial Parks coin program will be coming to a close at the end of 2019. It was a great program but it has run its course, and it is time to look at something new. Passports will be accepted until the end of the year, If there is an issue with a cache please communicate by sending a message on the cache page. The address has changed to send in the passports, please use this address:
Nova Scotia Dept. of Lands and Forestry
15 Arlington Place, Suite 7
Truro, Nova Scotia
B2N 0G9
Overlooking Cape Breton’s rugged southern Atlantic Coast near the scenic Bras d’Or Lake, Battery Provincial Park is located near the historic community of St. Peter’s, Richmond County. Visitors can explore a rich cultural legacy that predates Halifax and Louisbourg.
Used extensively by the Mi’kmaq as a portage and seasonal encampment; the narrow isthmus that separates the Bras d’Or Lake and the Atlantic Ocean was one of the first sites in the New World to be settled by Europeans. Portuguese fishermen established San Pedro near the present park site in 1521, however unaccustomed to the severe winters, they departed in 1525. In 1650, Nicholas Denys, a French merchant adventurer, built a trading post and fort near the former site of San Pedro which he renamed Saint Pierre. The trade was in furs and was carried on with the Mi’kmaq, who supplied a range of pelts in return for European goods. During the winter of 1668-69, the trading post and fort were destroyed by fire. With the help of the Mi’kmaq, Denys and the other French were able to survive the winter, however Denys was financially ruined and forced to leave Saint Pierre. Following the loss of mainland Nova Scotia to England in 1713, France began to encourage the development of Cape Breton. This generated a wave of French immigrants, some of whom settled at Port Toulouse, near Denys’ original fort. In addition to a profitable trade industry, the area supported farming, fishing and boat building. A small fort was built at Port Toulouse and a garrison was established there. In 1745, Fort Toulouse was destroyed by the New England expedition that later captured Louisbourg. When Louisbourg was returned to France three years later, the French proceeded to strengthen their defences on Cape Breton Island.
English Settlement
In 1777, Lawrence Kavanagh, Jr. and his family became the first English people to settle in Saint Pierre. Kavanagh was later elected to the Nova Scotia Legislature, the first Englishspeaking Roman Catholic to hold a legislative seat in the British Empire. The outbreak of war with France in 1793 turned Britain’s attention to the strategic importance of St. Peter’s. Mount Grenville, the highest point of land within the park, commands a view of both the Bras d’ Or Lake and the Atlantic Ocean, and was chosen as Britain’s chief point of defence for Cape Breton Island. At the summit of Mount Grenville, in 1794, Fort Dorchester was completed. It never saw battle and was abandoned four years later when the threat of a French invasion or Acadian uprising had passed.
St. Peter’s Canal
In 1869, after 15 years of drilling, blasting and digging, the St. Peter’s Canal was completed. Eight hundred metres (one-half mile) long and 30 metres (100 feet) wide, the canal enabled vessels to sail between Bras d’Or Lake and the Atlantic Ocean. For many years the canal handled large volumes of commercial traffic and proved to be a vital link in the economy of Cape Breton Island. Today, St. Peter’s Canal is operated by Parks Canada as a National Historic Site and is used primarily by pleasure craft.
This geocache is part of the 2010 NS Provincial Parks Geocaching challenge. For more information about the geocaching challenge, click the following LINK for more information. To participate in the challenge, you will need to download the associated PASSPORT. At each geocache, there is a punch that you can mark the corresponding box on your passport. Collect all 5 and you can send in your passport to receive a free trackable geocoin.
In order to solve this geocache, you will need to brush up on your knowledge of trees. Refer to the following links to help you.
How to Solve This Multi
1. At the starting coordinates; identify the species of tree that you see. (Hint: you will see a yellow trail marker 5 feet up the tree)
Answer: 5 letters, you can find this tree either yellow or white. Place each letter in the following slots.
(a) ___
(b) ___
(c) ___
(d) ___
(e) ___
2. Refer to this cipher key to get the corresponding digits from step 1. (eg. the letter I = 2 + 4 = 6)
| 0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
| 1 |
A |
B |
C |
D |
E |
| 2 |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
| 3 |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
| 4 |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
| 5 |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
3. Use your answers in step 2 to discover the final geocache location:
N de a9.18d W b0 e1.891
4. Verify your answers...
i. The checksum from step 2 is a + b + c + d + e = 25
ii. The geocache is located within the park along trails or access road, No bush wacking required
The Series
The geocaches that are part of the passport program are:
The Passport
You can download the passport from NS Parks.
Gur svany pnpur ybpngvba vf 30 srrg bs genvy jryy uvqqra, 5 srrg hc.