Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
Encyclopedia
Cavendish is a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
unincorporated rural area in the township of Lot 23
Lot 23, Prince Edward Island
Lot 23 is a township in Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is part of Greenville Parish....
, Queens County
Queens County, Prince Edward Island
Queens County is located in central Prince Edward Island, Canada. The county is geographically divided by the Hillsborough River's estuary, a tidal inlet which almost splits the county and Prince Edward Island...
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...
. Its primary industries are tourism and agriculture. Cavendish is the largest seasonal resort area on Prince Edward Island. Population in July and August swells to roughly 7,500.
Geography
Located northwest of North RusticoNorth Rustico, Prince Edward Island
North Rustico is a village located in the northern part of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Canada.It became an incorporated municipality in 1954. The village is known to locals, as well as many others as "The Crick"...
and east of Stanley Bridge in the central part of the province on the north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
History
Cavendish was founded in 1790 by three families who immigrated from Scotland, the MacNeils, the Clarks and the Simpsons. Lacking a harbour, Cavendish was primarily a small farming community throughout the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.Cavendish traces its name to Field Marshal, Frederick Cavendish, Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the 34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot
34th (Cumberland) Regiment of Foot
The 34th Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, formed in 1702 and amalgamated with the 55th Regiment of Foot, into The Border Regiment in 1881.-Early 18th century :...
. It was likely given by local resident William Winter, an ex-British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer, who named the community in honour of his patron.
Author Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery
Lucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
was born in nearby New London during the late Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
,and after her mother's death was brought to Cavendish to be raised in the home of her maternal grandparents, who had a house and small farm immediately east of the Cavendish United Presbyterian Cemetery at the intersection of the Cavendish Road and Cawnpore Lane. Montgomery would also frequently visit her cousins' the MacNeill family, who owned a farm named Green Gables
Green Gables
Green Gables is the name of a circa-19th century farm in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island, Canada. It is one of the most notable literary landmarks in Canada. The Green Gables farm and its surroundings are the setting for the popular Anne of Green Gables novels by Lucy Maud Montgomery. The site is...
located west of the intersection. She would later find work in the community with the federal Post Office Department
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
as a postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
at the Cavendish Post Office. Montgomery's experiences in the community formed a strong impression on her and she would later include much of her experiences in this part of rural Prince Edward Island at the turn of the 20th century in the literary blockbuster Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
and subsequent works.
Prior to Montgomery's writings, Cavendish's primary claim to fame came on July 22, 1883, when the 3-masted world-record holding clipper ship Marco Polo
Marco Polo (ship)
Marco Polo was a 3-masted wooden clipper ship, launched in 1851 at Saint John, New Brunswick. It was named after Venetian explorer Marco Polo.-Construction and design:She measured 184 feet in length, with a beam of 36 feet, and draught of 29 feet...
grounded and broke apart on Cavendish Beach.
Following the critical acclaim of Montgomery's writing, as well as coincident with the increase in vehicle-based tourism throughout North America during the first half of the century, Cavendish began to evolve into primarily a resort community.
In 1937, the Prince Edward Island National Park
Prince Edward Island National Park
Prince Edward Island National Park is a National Park located on Prince Edward Island. Situated along the island's north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the park measures approximately 60 km in length and ranges from several hundred metres to several kilometres in width...
was established along 60 kilometres of the province's Gulf of St. Lawrence shoreline - part of the park expropriation also included the MacNeill family's Green Gables farm. The national park also boasted many of Prince Edward Island's best beaches, of which Cavendish Beach
Cavendish Beach
Cavendish Beach is a Canadian beach in the community of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.Fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this broad natural sand beach stretches for 8 kilometres from the entrance to New London Bay in the west, to the red sandstone cliffs at Cavendish East in the east...
was one of the most popular. To increase the tourist draw to the area, the national park also developed an 18-hole golf course and opened the Green Gables farmhouse for tours. The site of Montgomery's childhood home is also a popular tourist destination.
Subsequent development between the 1950s-1990s saw motels, campgrounds, amusement parks and other attractions, shopping facilities, and bars and restaurants built. During any given week in July and August, the community's population expands as of tens of thousands of tourists flock to the national park and local attractions.
In 1990, Cavendish became part of the Resort Municipality of Stanley Bridge-Hope River-Bayview-Cavendish-North Rustico.
Points of Interest
- Sandspit Cavendish Beach- An amusement park with mini golf, bumper cars, go-karts, kiddie powered coaster, a steel rollercoaster and more!
- Shining Waters Waterpark- A waterpark across the street from Sandspit. It has a steel family coaster, topsy turvy house, kiddie pool, 2 waterslides, and more.
- Cavendish BeachCavendish BeachCavendish Beach is a Canadian beach in the community of Cavendish, Prince Edward Island.Fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, this broad natural sand beach stretches for 8 kilometres from the entrance to New London Bay in the west, to the red sandstone cliffs at Cavendish East in the east...
- A beach in Prince Edward Island National ParkPrince Edward Island National ParkPrince Edward Island National Park is a National Park located on Prince Edward Island. Situated along the island's north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the park measures approximately 60 km in length and ranges from several hundred metres to several kilometres in width...
. - Prince Edward Island National ParkPrince Edward Island National ParkPrince Edward Island National Park is a National Park located on Prince Edward Island. Situated along the island's north shore, fronting the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the park measures approximately 60 km in length and ranges from several hundred metres to several kilometres in width...
- One of Canada's national parks containing Cavendish Beach.