Visit scenic Cape D'or where discoveries of arrowheads and clay pottery indicate that Indians were the first settlers. White men from France lived in this area for some time giving Advocate its name meaning "lawyer" in French. Cape D'or, called "arm of gold" by these early settlers, derived its name from the copper seen glittering in the sun like gold.

Cape D'Or Cliff

Explorers Demonts and Samuel De Champlain visited these places in the 1600's. Scottish settlers came to live here in 1765 when farming and fishing became a way of life. The first English settler was Robert Spicer who was given two grants of land-one in East and one in West Advocate.

Cape D'or became a thriving copper mining village in 1887. Shafts were opened, houses built, a plant constructed and a railway of 35 gauge and 40 lbs. was built. After all, Cape D'or was only 300 miles from Boston Harbour! Ships arrived at Horse Shoe Cove with supplies and left loaded with copper. Alas, by 1905, the company had fallen on hard times. It became too expensive as unacceptable levels of conglomerate were mixed with the copper. Thus the project was abandoned.

Beach front at Cape D'or

Interestingly, the houses were loaded on barges and towed to nearby areas - Port Greville, Parrsboro and across the Bay of Fundy to Kingsport and Windsor. One house was even taken around Cape Chignecto to Alma, New Brunswick. So great was the skill of the movers, the chimneys were not even taken down, the furniture was left in place with no loss or damage. That, in itself, was a tremendous seafaring feat.

The Cape D'or light house and foghorn were constructed around this time. Today, the lighthouse is automated and thousands of tourists visit this majestic sight each year.

Take a trip back in time to the days of sailing ships. Famous for its ship building which started in the 1830's, many ships set sail from the Bay of Fundy shores. Visit the Age of Sail museum in Port Greville and relive those days of wooden ships and iron men.

Glooscap's Kettle (Spenser's Island)

Plan to hike the rugged trails of Cape Chignecto and see some of the most breathtaking scenery anywhere in the world. Take along your camping gear and make a weekend trip, or hike part of the trails and do a day trip. If you are not up to rugged trails, enjoy a leisure stroll along the beach and collect interesting pieces of driftwood as souvenirs.

If you are a rock collector, head for the beach at Horse Shoe Cove on Cape D'or and find pieces of agate or copper to take home. Visit the lighthouse and enjoy the magnificent view of the Dory Rips as the tides come and go.

Too tired to prepare your meals? Experience a taste of local cuisine at one of our eating establishments. Spencer's Island is a beautiful historic ship building village where you can relax and enjoy the view of Glooscap's Kettle, the island offshore.