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This story appears in the book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women in The Maritimes,' which can be found at backyardhistory.ca/books

This is the cover story of the third Backyard History book, 'Rebellious Women In The Maritimes.' Find it at backyardhistory.ca/books

Part one of two!

This is the cover story of the book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women in the Maritimes,' available at backyardhistory.ca/books

Buy the books at backyardhistory.ca/books

This story appears in the new book 'Backyard History: Mysterious Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past' which is available at backyardhistory.ca

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Recorded in front of a crowd of a hundred people at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton on March 7th, 2025.

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Buy the three Backyard History books at backyardhistory.ca/books

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This story appears in the new book 'Backyard History: Rebellious Women In The Maritimes'! Order your copy at backyardhistory.ca

Buy the book 'Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past' at backyardhistory.ca

This story appears in the brand new SECOND Backyard History book! Order a signed copy at backyardhistory.ca/book

Order the Backyard History book at backyardhistory.ca/books

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Part Two of the 'Liberty On The Rocks' trilogy about the Liberty, the fastest rum running ship of Atlantic Canada!

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Part one of a three part series called "Liberty On The Rocks."

Book: backyardhistory.ca/book

This story appears in the book 'Backyard History: Forgotten Stories From Atlantic Canada's Past Volume Two' 

https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-dr-leslie-e-keeley-gold-cure-institute-for-drunkards

backyardhistory.ca/f/the-second-halifax-explosion

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/canadas-forgotten-siberian-expedition-ollie-winslows-odyssey

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-ghostly-fire-ship-of-the-baie-des-chaleurs

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/trotskys-maritimes-revolutionary-roadblock

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https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-worlds-worst-nazi-spy

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-2-halifax

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/how-his-maritimes-tour-saved-harry-houdini-pt-1-saint-john

Musquash was a thriving community on the Bay of Fundy, boasting several factories, mills, a railway station, and a port. All of that came to an abrupt end when the town was completely destroyed in only a couple of hours one afternoon in 1903.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-forest-fire-that-destroyed-musquash

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https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-real-klondike-kate

Calling itself The Principality of Outer Baldonia, it quickly developed all of the trappings of an independent nation: it had its own currency, postage stamps, its own flag, and a coat of arms boasting on it pictures of a tuna fish, a sheep, and a smiling lobster. 

It soon became “one of the zaniest hoaxes in the history of international affairs.” 

https://backyardhistory.ca/the-long-reads/f/the-nova-scotian-island-that-declared-independence

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/giant-squid-attacks-in-newfoundland

On the cold and moonless night in the winter of 1848, the only ever attempted robbery of the Bank of New Brunswick in Saint John took place.

It was not the least bit successful, and turned into quite the bizarre -but true- night long incident.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/bungling-bank-burglar-gets-stuck-in-chimney

More than 1500 Canadians volunteered to fight fascism in the Spanish Civil War. The only New Brunswicker to join was Emile Goguen.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-pei-banned-cars

In the 1960s a Maritimer achieved Canada wide fame for his talent in gardening. Known as Mr Green Thumbs, this kindly old man put out no fewer than four massive bestselling books on gardening, and ran a popular regular radio show on how to grow plants.

Mr Green Thumbs’ many dedicated fans likely didn’t know that behind the friendly voice and the kindly writing style of the old man, was a devoted lifelong communist who was so dedicated to his cause that soon after the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the communist Soviet Union, the radical gardener went to that new country to see the revolution in action for himself…

One New Brunswick woman became something of a worldwide sensation for her remarkable feats fighting in the American Revolution. She was fighting not for the Americans though, but against them.

Her heroics were completely overlooked and forgotten during that chaotic time, but late her life, the public learned about what she had done decades earlier, and stories of her youthful acts became widely known all over both Europe and North America.

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For several years Saint John’s iconic Rockwood Park –the largest urban park in Canada at the time– was turned into a summer fair grounds based on Coney Island. In the early 1900s it featured rides that had never been seen before like a ferris wheel and merry go around, nightly fireworks, bars and restaurants, and acrobatic performances so daring the daredevil chickened out, but a local waiter stepped in to perform them instead.

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Fredericton’s first European settlement was a French fort, which was attacked and besieged by a fleet from New England.

The story of the battle is kind of like the American myth of the Alamo. A small and beleaguered band of defenders is facing down a vastly larger and better equipped army of invaders. Except in this case they are coming up from what is now the United States.

The invaders have a reputation for massacres, and losing the battle would likely mean death.

However, just before the battle begins, the defenders' spirits are bolstered by a group of famous heroes of their time, who have come to aid the motley crew of defenders in their time of need…

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Dr. George Patterson later interviewed people who lived through what was called Year of the Mice.

The horrors of that year left a mark on those who had experienced it so deep that he found that elderly people that had personally experienced the mouse invasion still used it as a measurement of time. ‘Sixty-two Years After The Mice,’ Dr. Patterson wrote that these had been no ordinary mice:

“They were very destructive and actually fierce. If pursued, when hard pressed, they would stand at bay, rising upon their hind legs, setting their teeth and squealing fiercely. A farmer on whom I could rely told me that having, after planting, spread out some barley to dry in the sun before the door, in a little while he saw it covered with them. He let the cat out among them, but they actually turned upon her and fought her.”

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On July 13th 1933 a reporter for the Moncton Daily Times was rushing towards the newly built wharfs of the tiny seaside village of Shediac. He is trying to make it in time to catch a glimpse of an incredible sight: 24 massive airplanes flying in a giant V formation that were arriving all the way from Italy...

To see plenty of photos of the Italian Air Armada's arrival in Shediac check out:

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/when-the-fascist-italian-air-armada-came-to-new-brunswick

In the 1920s two hermit brothers on Grand Manan became internationally famous as the mysterious “Dark Harbour Hermits.”

Hundreds of tourists from the United States and even faraway Europe came to visit them in their homemade shacks on the beaches of the strange and isolated place known as Dark Harbour, where the hermits would entertain the tourists with their art, their poems, and their songs.

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We’re always taught in school that ever since European colonists arrived in what is now Canada, that it was always a colony of either England or France. However, it’s a little-known fact that for a brief time the Maritimes were conquered by the Dutch, and were a short lived colony with a remarkably bizarre history, named Nova Hollandia.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-the-maritimes-were-dutch

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/wreck-and-rescue-of-the-velma

She wrote vividly in a secret diary about her experiences as a patient in the Asylum in the 1880s, which she later published into a book. After her release, she became a high profile and outspoken advocate for reforming how mental health was treated in both Canada and the United States.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/secret-diary-in-the-lunatic-asylum

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/german-agents-bombed-a-new-brunswick-bridge

In the Summer of 1906 The Maritimes were captivated by a strange mystery when two young children disappeared in broad daylight from right in front of their house.

One reporter, who signed her articles simply as The Special Correspondent, went to the tiny village of Cape Tormentine to investigate the disappearances.

The more she learned about the case, the stranger it became, as she met a very unusual group of people, each of whom seemed to be hiding something...

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-creamer-children

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/fighting-for-the-right-to-fight

What does “Fundy” mean? Where does the unusual name for the large bay between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia boasting the highest tides in the world come from? The short answer is that it’s Portuguese, but figuring out what “Fundy” means involves a lost colony, confused explorers, and a perplexing mix up..

There is some surviving evidence of a 1521 Portuguese lost colony in The Maritimes. If true, this would be the first European settlement in the whole continent, even earlier than the much more famous American lost colony of Roanoke. 

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/what-does-fundy-mean

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/the-lost-colony

A car load of four young people -two guys and two girls- were driving home from a dance on a dark and stormy Halloween night in 1930. They were on a dark road going through the woods between the small towns of Richibucto and Rexton on New Brunswick’s East Coast, when they had a bizarre close encounter with a ghost…

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-spectre-of-rexton-bootleggers-dressed-as-ghosts

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/pandemic-1918-how-one-doctor-saved-new-brunswick

For much of its history half of Canada drove on the opposite side of the road from the other half. Ontario and Quebec drove on the right, while British Columbia and The Maritimes drove on the left. When New Brunswick changed sides of the road the year became wryly known as “The Year of Free Beef.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/switching-from-driving-on-the-left-to-driving-on-the-right

In 1882 a teenager was celebrated for risking her life heroically rescuing shipwrecked sailors in a cold Autumn storm.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/oh-my-god-were-saved-by-a-girl-teenager-saves-sailors-at-sea

About an hour southwest of Fredericton is Charlie Lake, named after a mysterious hermit who lived there long ago, alone with his little dog. It was said the hermit was a pirate, hiding from the law, who had buried a great treasure by the lake which still bears his name..

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-pirate-of-charlie-lake

An intricate maze of metal corridors connect the massive buildings far up in Canada's Arctic. It was once the centre of one of the world's leading space research facility. Later it became the center of an international race between Canada and the United States to build the world's first commercial spaceport. The winner would dominate the launch of the race of satellites in the then-upcoming 21st century.

In this very special episode of the Backyard History Podcast, host Andrew MacLean is stranded by airplane engine problems in Churchill Manitoba, encountering polar bears, beluga whales, the northern lights, and discovering the remains of the massive abandoned spaceport.

When he notices an open hatch on the roof, he climbs down a ladder and enters into the murky darkness below...

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One largely forgotten New Brunswick woman led --and won-- not one but two important battles for women's rights in two separate provinces -one on each side of the country; first in New Brunswick and later in British Columbia.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/new-brunswick-woman-wins-fights-for-rights-in-nb-and-bc

Air raid sirens rang out from coast to coast, and an eerie voice announced that Canada was under attack: 14 nuclear missiles were inbound. The sombre voice then went on to tell startled citizens that this was the beginning of a country-wide drill, and that for the next 24 hours Canada would be behaving as if it had just been the subject of a massive nuclear strike. 

The day was November 13th 1961, and for many Canadians this came as a surprise: while there had been some talk of the exercise beforehand, talk was quite different from air raid sirens going off for 3 minutes straight, followed by a voice announcing nuclear missiles were incoming.

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/dont-forget-to-tell-the-public-about-the-mock-nuclear-attack

In 1863 a recent Scottish immigrant was wandering through the stark and desolate area above Lake Utopia looking for rocks to build a fireplace when he made an astonishing discovery. When he wiped a thick layer of moss off a large flat stone, he discovered that carved upon it was an intricately detailed human face. Speculation that it was an ancient Egyptian artifact quickly spread..

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-mysterious-lake-utopia-medallion

Amelia Earhart kept her plans to become the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic a secret. But when she arrived in Saint John to refuel and spend the night, the secret was out and Saint Johners were in a wild frenzy to see the famous pilot about to make history…

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/when-amelia-earhart-came-to-the

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-mysterious-isle-haute

The North American lobster is now a staple of high-end restaurants, and a cultural icon in the Maritimes and New England, but this was not always the case.

At one time lobster was considered a paupers’ food, something people were embarrassed to be seen eating because it showed that they were poor. It was fed to prisoners and slaves, used as fertilizers in fields, and feed for pigs.

At one point servants would stipulate in their contracts that they could not be fed lobster, just to avoid having to eat the hated shellfish. 

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/from-pauper-to-proper-the-story-of-lobster-in-the-maritimes

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-history-of-going-to-the-beach

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-first-people-to-walk-across-canada-did-it-because-of-a-bet

At 2pm on July 11th 1910 Campbellton was a prosperous town of 6000 people on New Brunswick’s North Shore. Two hours later it would be completely destroyed in a massive inferno.

But it doesn't break the spirit of the people and they rebuild within a year.

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/in-only-two-hours-campbellton-burned-to-the-ground

Around Maritime campfires we tell the tale of the Dungarvon Whooper – a macabre ghost story of a cook who was murdered for a bag of money, and who haunted the forests making screaming noises that sounded like whoops.

The story was based on actual mysterious incidents around Miramichi in the mid-1800s. In 1896 one Fredericton reporter may have discovered the true story behind those haunting screams. And his true story is even stranger than the ghost story…

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/the-dungarvon-who

One year Summer never arrived in the Maritimes, earning that miserable year the nicknames; The Poverty Year; Eighteen Hundred and Froze To Death, and The Year Without A Summer.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/the-year-without-a-summer

Elizabeth Driscoll was considered the most beautiful young woman in Fredericton. “A very sweet, ladylike girl” wrote famous British author Juliana Horatia Ewing who happened to be in town during the murder, trial, and subsequent riots. "But," Juliana wrote, "Elizabeth’s family has always been a bad lot.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/getting-away-with-murder

A few days before Christmas in 1859 a mysterious stranger was found freezing, but still alive, alone deep in the woods. Disabled from his injuries, he would be murdered to save the town money. Or did he escape death and start a new life?

Coincidentally, around the same time he goes missing in New Brunswick, a mysterious legless man washes up on the beach of Sandy Cove, Nova Scotia. 

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-legless-mystery-man

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/ship-crew-gets-captured-by-u-boat-in-bay-of-fundy-served-lunch

When Oscar Wilde’s tour of the Maritimes was being booked, it was not expected to be a success. Despite being heckled in Fredericton, and reports circulating around the world that he got arrested in Moncton, the tour was a rousing success. Every date was sold out, scalpers were selling tickets outside at outrageous prices, Nova Scotia's Governor gave him a personal tour of Halifax, he received rapturous receptions, extra dates had to be added, and a wave of people began copying his style across the region.

https://backyardhistory.ca/f/oscar-wildes-tour-of-the-maritimes

https://backyardhistory.ca/articles/f/the-electric-city

When you think of the Prohibition Era, the mind immediately goes to famous American gangsters like Al Capone. But The Maritimes were home to our own rum running gangsters, the biggest, most powerful and widely feared gang was “the Madawaska Mob” led by a man who chose the distinctly less-than-intimidating alias “Joe Walnut.”

Joe Walnut was described by his nemesis, Detective William Carr as “Tall and slim, agile as a cat, with thin, cruel lips. His eyes were black as coal, yet slightly protruding, with white bloodshot from constant drinking. He was reported to have a fiendish temper, and few scruples. He was a real adventurer – a relic of the old buccaneering type. There was nothing on earth he enjoyed more than to match his wits against those of the men who represented law and order.”

https://backyardhistory.ca/popular/f/joe-walnut-and-the-madawaska-mob