Charlottetown to Halifax in the Winter of 1867

Harry Holman recently published an account of a wintertime journey from Charlottetown to Halifax in 1867, over two posts: one, two.

While the tale of the journey across the Northumberland Strait is itself harrowing, Harry reminds us that travellers first had to get from Charlottetown to Cape Traverse:

The road was utterly chocked with snow, in many places twelve feet deep, but my driver was an old stager at the work and knew well how to find a track even when there was no trace of a sleigh having passed over the ground before us. We had a splendid horse who worked as if he was aware that the journey had to be done, and that the better he stuck to it the sooner his night’s rest would come. The whole distance is about thirty-four miles by the road, but the devious route we had to follow made the distance nearly half as far again.

About seven o’clock we stopped for supper at a very decent house, which I will call, by courtesy, an inn. Here was good and substantial refreshment for man and beast.

I was pleased to see my driver showed himself deserving of the excellent horse he had, by the great care he bestowed on him ere he thought of even entering the house.

After an hour’s rest and having laid in a good source of caloric, we started in again. The cold was now intense. Notwithstanding that I was buried in buffalo robes. I felt as if dressed in muslin.

I shall never again complain about the interminably long 45 minute drive to Borden-Carleton, and the 13 minute drive over Confederation Bridge, by which we now complete the same voyage.