Write up:

"Pictou County, Birthplace of New Scotland

Centrally located on the North Shore of Mainland Nova Scotia, Pictou County is home to some 50,000 inhabitants who share over 1100 square miles (almost 3,000 square kilometres) of some of the most beautiful and varied landscape to be found anywhere.

Originally setled in 1767 by a small group of colonists from Pennsylvania, the county was more significantly influenced by the wave of predominantly Scottish immigrants that followed the arrival of the ship Hector on September 15, 1773.

These immigrants and their descendants quickly established themselves as an industrious, creative people, and their influence on the Pictonian Hritage has not gone unnoticed.

Local History as recored the first steam engine and the first pouring of steel in Canada, as well as the largest steel forging press in North America. Along the East River, the Samson walking trail follows the road bed of the first railway in Canada, while at Stellarton, traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway passes over the site where Pictonian coal miners once worked the face of the thickest seam of coal in North America.

The success story of Pictou County can be largely attributed to its diversity. The dense forest cover was the base for a thriving lumber and shipbuilding industry, which later expanded to include pulp and paper; the fertile soil led to the establishment of an important agriculture and livestock sector, and fishing becames a way of life along the shores of the Northumberland Strait. Pictou County fish products, such as lobster and herring, are shipped to markets worldwide. 

The discovery of coal and iron ore led to the development of a world class steel industry which today includes shipbuilding, the manufacture of railroad rolling stock, and custom made industrial components. Other manufactureing has included wool and textiles, rubber, electronics and construction materials to name only a few.

Education and Public service have been part of the Pictonian tradition since pioneer days, and today the country boasts schools and facilities second to none, and the Pictonian landscape is speckled with small, but conspicious memorials, attesting to the achievements, both national and international, of her naitve sons and daughters.

The landcape itself is a blend of natural beauty which includes rocky coastline and sandy beaches; forest covered hills and winding river valleys.

It is rolling farland, with rustic buildings, picturesque fishing villages, and quiet country roads.

It is also modern highways, industrial plants, shopping malls, and residential subdivisions.

It is changing everyday, and yet, hasn't changed in over two hundred years.

It is vibrant, and it is unique.

It is Pictou County."

DM Photo Cabinet, Drawer #2, Folder 23