In Abram-Village, route 11 turns left toward Enmore. Named
for Abraham Arsenault, the first settler in Lot 15. Mr. Arsenault
may have come from Colonel Compton's lands in lots 17 and 19 following
a dispute. This
house,
covered in vines and surrounded by flowers and trees is in Abram-Village.
The
mailbox out
front is itself a landmark and there is no mistaking who lives
there.
A short distance north at Baie-Egmont,
a painted plough points toward some "villas" on the shore. The
road turns inland toward fields and forests at Higgins
Road.
Victoria West with its modest Anglican Church seems to mark the
end of the Acadian region. Perched on the
banks
of a small river which flows into Egmont Bay, Victoria West,
like most places on the Island, derives its sense of community
from a gathering of farms rather than an active townsite.
At Enmore, enjoy a glimpse of
fields
by a small bay and a
farm.
Here the road turns inland toward Mt. Pleasant. Hardly a "mount",
the land here is only slightly higher and drier than much of the
surrounding area. The name, Mt. Pleasant, was selected at a public
meeting in 1862 because of "the mutual concord and aggreableness
of the inhabitants with each other".
Here at km 66 (mile 41.2) we rejoin route 2 and turn left
toward Portage. For the next 18 kms (11.3 miles) the land is
very low and boggy. There are few side roads. Some of the sites
along the way are a private bird sanctuary, a gas station, the
West Prince Visitor Information Centre and a side road to Alaska.
At Carleton turn left on route 14. If you want to take a walk
or try some fishing, proceed straight ahead across the bridge
to the Trout River Enhancement Project. Sponsored by the O'leary
Wildlife Federation, the
Island
Nature Trust and other organizations, the project has enhanced
the fish habitat, developed walking trails and protected the riparian
environment. After your walk, proceed through
Coleman.
The road takes a sharp turn at Brae
(Scottish for "hillside").
The road passes by a number of communities where early settlers
were fond of name changes. Coleman was formerly Brae Station;
Hebron was formerly Indian Point and Milburn was formerly Little
Pierre Jacques on Little Pierre Jacques River. The origin of
the name Milo is unknown. Derby was chosen at a public meeting
on March 20, 1869 to honour Edward George Geoffrey Smith Stanley,
14th Earl of Derby. Derby was formerly Brae East.
At Glenwood (formerly Pierre Jacques), the road takes a sharp
left. On the right is the Glenwood
pond
and fish ladder
At West Point, you must stop in at the West Point Lighthouse.
This is the only fully operational
lighthouse
in Canada which also operates as an inn, museum and restaurant.
The
view
from the top is terrific, with a sandy beach stretching off
in both directions. There are rooms in the lighthouse tower itself
and the Inn is managed by the great-granddaughter of the original
light-keeper.
