Orangedale,Grand Narrows,Iona Cape Breton NS(The Rankins Orangedale Whistle)Aug 5/09

Orangedale is a Canadian rural community located in Inverness County, Nova Scotia.

Founded by Orangemen who settled in the vicinity of the Denys Basin of Cape Breton Island's Bras d'Or Lake, Orangedale was a small farming and fishing community until 1886 when the Intercolonial Railway of Canada mainline from Sydney to Point Tupper was constructed. Orangedale became host to a Victorian-period 2-storey wooden railway passenger station and became the preferred stop for many passengers heading to and from northern Cape Breton Island.



Orangedale in Nova ScotiaThe community developed into a small railway service centre, with the majority of its residents being employed by the railway. The ICR was absorbed into the Canadian National Railways in 1918 and in 1993, CN sold the line to Sydney to the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway. Passenger rail service stopped following the January 15, 1990 budget cuts by VIA Rail Canada.

In 1988 a group of community volunteers formed to save the original ICR station from being demolished. Today it is part of an extensive railway museum.

The Rankin Family's record hit Orangedale Whistle pays homage to the community's role in Cape Breton Island's transportation history.

Grand Narrows (An Caolas Mór)(2001 population 15) is a community in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia, Canada. It is at 45°57′24″ N, 60°47′32″ W.


Origin of Name
The name comes from the "Grand Narrows" of Bras d'Or Lake, formally known as the Barra Strait.

History
The community came to prominence during the 1880s after the Intercolonial Railway built its line from the Strait of Canso to Sydney, crossing the Barra Strait between Iona and Grand Narrows by a bridge, still in use, which is the longest railway bridge in Nova Scotia. Grand Narrows became a major transshipment point between rail and waterborne passengers and cargo. A hotel was constructed and became a popular resting spot, Canada's first prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald was among its guests.

A passenger and vehicle ferry service was operated by the provincial government across the Barra Strait to Iona until a highway bridge was opened in October 1993. There is but one route of travel through Grand Narrows; a gravel road called "Derby Point" which runs along the shoreline for approximately 3 kilometers. Most of the residences in the tiny community are summer homes for families who are based in industrial Cape Breton.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.