Bass River, Nova Scotia

Colchester County, Nova Scotia

45°24′N 63°46′W / 45.400°N 63.767°W / 45.400; -63.767 Bass River is an

Maritimes of Canada. It is shares the name of the river located there, that flows into Cobequid Bay

Location

Bass River is located along an approximate 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) stretch of

Cobequid Hills to the north. The community is centred at approximately 45°24' North, 63°46' West. Most of its residents live along or just off of the Trunk 2, the Glooscap Trail. Bass River's jurisdiction is thought locally to extend north from the bay approximately 5 km to include Upper Bass River and Hoeg(')s Corner, east to incorporate Little Bass River

(which includes the areas Edgewood and Saint's Rest), and south to include Birch Hill and King's Rest.

Population

Bass River has a population of approximately 300 permanent

residents. The number of residents increases in summertime by 20 to 40 per cent with the influx of those with cottages

in the area.

The region suffers from

Canadian Forces

being common destinations.

Name

The community is named after the small river, Bass River, which runs south from its source in the

Cobequid Hills at Upper Bass River, through the village center, and out to Cobequid Bay

.

Industrial heyday

At its height,

manufacturer Dominion Chair Company employed 40 to 70 workers at any one time from the late 19th century to February 1989, when fire destroyed most of the company's operating facilities. Shipbuilding took place in two locales, at Saint's Rest, site of the (no longer in use) village lighthouse, with the building of the brig 'Jos. Howe' in 1867, and between 1884 and 1918 in Little Bass River with the construction of a further seven wooden ships (Hemeon, 1987). Bass River timber was famously also used to build staging used in construction of the Empire State Building

.

Other former industry included

silica mining. In the early 20th century, there was a bank and a hotel

located in the village. The population then was two or three times what it is now.