What makes Ministers Island so special?
We're standing at the end of a gravel road not far from St. Andrews-by-the-Sea in New Brunswick, which has taken us through a forest to the shore of the Bay of Fundy. It's late afternoon, and our car is parked on a small gravel patch. From there, we look across the water to Minister's Island. We were told that the island is only accessible by car at low tide. We want to take a closer look, before and after, so to speak.
Why you need to plan the crossing well
So we drive to the spot from which the island can be reached twice: once at high tide and once at low tide. We want to see if that's actually true. Besides us, there are two other cars parked on this gravel bar. There's no sign of their owners, however. The tide probably doesn't reach this spot. But just beyond the warning signs, the bar slopes down into the water, and there are no signs of a road. On the other side, on the shore of the island closest to us, we can see a small hut. This is probably the checkpoint for access to Minister's Island. Well, we'll know more the next morning.
We return to town and are excited about what the next day will bring.
by courtesy of Minister's Island
Sights on Ministers Island
We want to go to Minister's Island because William van Horne, who is probably not wrongly called the "father of the Canadian railway," had his summer house there.
The Van Horne Estate – Canada’s forgotten railway pioneer
We've encountered Van Horne several times during our travels in Canada. Among other places, we heard about him in Banff, where he was one of the driving forces behind the construction of railway hotels. The Banff Springs Hotel is one of them. These hotels also provided overnight accommodations for early train travelers through Canada. An extremely clever—and lucrative—business idea, as it turned out. In any case, we wanted to find out more about this man and his life, and his favorite place seemed to offer a good opportunity.
How to reach Ministers Island
The next morning, we were told we would be able to drive to the island around 9.00:XNUMX a.m. And so it was. The "road" to Minister's Island turned out to be a stretch of flat seabed. This had been dry for several hours at low tide, allowing vehicles to reach the island via the bumpy gravel road. Susan Goertzen, who was waiting for us on the other side of the island's shore, told us that this stretch of road was the natural floor of the bay. Due to the constant tide changes, it was impossible to cultivate the subsoil by hand. The ebb and flow of the tide brought constant changes that could not be influenced.
Only two residents on Minister's Island
Minister's Island had only two inhabitants: Reverend Samuel Adams, who moved here with his family in 1786. His small house still stands just off the island's shore. Far larger, however, was the property of Sir William van Horne. He bought the island and built his summer house and extensive farm buildings on it. Van Horne spent many months of his life on the island with his family. He was a man of many talents and a true self-made man. He proved himself not only in business, but also as General Manager and later President of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Van Horne had a large residence built where he spent his summers with his family, children, grandchildren, and occasionally friends. One can still sense a little of this man's creative spirit today. He not only painted childlike friezes on the walls of his grandchildren's bedrooms, but he also created landscape paintings that testify to the astonishing skill of this self-taught artist. Unfortunately, after his death, the property was left to increasingly deteriorate. Only in recent years has the province of New Brunswick begun to restore it, refurnishing it with the few remaining original furnishings.
Walks along the coast and through the forest
The bathhouse, where van Horne often retreated to paint, is worth seeing. It's no wonder, given its magnificent view of the Bay of Fundy on one side and St. Andrews-by-the-Sea on the mainland on the other. Below the cliff on which the building stands lies the tide pool. This is a man-made bathing pool that filled with fresh seawater every day at high tide. This ingenious construction provided a supply of fresh water and the daily cleaning of the pool. No staff was required for this. This was done naturally by the changing tides twice a day.
What else you can discover on Minister's Island
The Van Hornes' farm buildings also testify to this man's inventiveness. His ideas flowed into the construction of the stables as well as the breeding of certain cattle breeds. Van Horne showed great interest in the island's agricultural use. This even went so far as to have fresh vegetables and fruit delivered daily by rail from Minister's Island. He did this no matter where he was in Canada. Convenient when you own the railway line, right?
Tips for your visit to Minister's Island
As interesting as a stay on Minister's Island is - one should not forget! The tide comes every few hours and makes the return to the mainland impossible. We were on the island for three hours before the oncoming water forced us to stop our exploration. Too bad we would have liked to hear more about William van Horne and his life. A fascinating man!
Current information about the island can be found on this website.
Travel Arrangements:
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
Getting to Minister's Island:
Air Canada, Condor and Icelandair fly from Germany to various airports in eastern Canada.
Car Rentals:
Cheap car hire - book quickly and easily!
Hotels near Minister's Island:
Hotels in the area around St. Andrews-by-the-Sea* (advertisement) you can book, for example, through our partner booking.com.
Source: own on-site research. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Tourism New Brunswick and the Canadian Tourism Commission for their kind support. However, our opinions remain, as always, our own.
Text: Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline