Canada: Nova Scotia

Description of Figure/Doll

Apple head dolls of elderly woman and man in Nova Scotia. She is wearing a pink print dress that is trimmed with white lace. She has a white cap on her head and is crocheting a blanket. Her body is created with fabric covered wire. She has white wool for hair on top of her apple head, and she is wearing wire glasses and knitted white socks. The man is wearing pants with suspenders made of yarn, a print shirt with buttons, and a fisherman’s cap. He is holding a fishing net. He has white wool for hair on top of his apple head, and he is wearing wire glasses. The man has knitted black socks. Tag: “Suttles and Seawinds, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada. NATIVE APPLE DOLL. I was born over 100 years ago on Tancook Island, off the coast of Nova Scotia. My costume is all handmade and is representative of the styles, culture and costumes of the late 1800’s. Handcrafted in Canada.”

Link to higher resolution images at ClipPix

Location: Eastern Canada

Capital: Halifax

Main language: English, French

Currency: Canadian Dollar

Figure/Doll

Construction: apple head, stuffed fabric body

Height in Centimeters: 25

Height in Inches: 10

The Secrets of Oak Island: An Expensive Treasure Hunt

Reading Level: 5.20

Do you believe in pirates and buried treasure? A lot of people in Canada seem to believe. In fact, there is an island off Nova Scotia that is sometimes called the money pit. The legend is that a pirate (perhaps Blackbeard or Captain Kid) hid a lot of gold on Oak Island.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Dorothy, and I live on Tancook Island with my husband, George. Tancook Island is in the Mahone Bay off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. There are about 300 other small isles in this bay. The most famous island is Oak Island.

George works for a boat builder here in Mahone Bay, so he hears all of the stories. Many years ago (1795), a man named Daniel McGinnis was walking on Oak Island when he saw a clearing with no trees. In the middle of the clearing, was a pit.

Daniel went and got his two friends, and they started digging. After two feet, they found slate barrier. Below the barrier, they found a deep shaft. It looked like the shaft was made by men.

They kept digging, Ten feet further down, they hit something made from wood. “Yippee” they shouted, “We’ve found a treasure chest!”

However, when they pulled it up, it was only wood logs. They started digging again, and got down to 25 feet. At that depth, they decided they needed more help. They figured that whatever was buried that deep must be very valuable!

In 1802, Daniel returned with more men and equipment to try again. They dug deeper and found new barriers about every 10 feet. Finally, at 93 feet, they found a stone with strange letters on it. Once again, they celebrated, thinking they found the treasure. But, once again, they were disappointed. The deep shaft was full of water, and there was no way to get the water out.

For the next 200 years, people from around the world spent millions of dollars trying to get the treasure at the bottom of the “money pit.” They brought in fancy equipment, but none of it worked. Instead of finding gold, they found booby traps and channels that fill the shaft with water. Six treasure hunters have died trying to get the treasure.

George and I laugh at all the treasure hunters who spend their money looking for gold. If they only took the time to look around, they would realize that the treasure of Nova Scotia is its beauty. The open sea, wonderful fishing, beautiful birds, and lovely sunsets are all the treasure we need!