Tag: Yarmouth

Yarmouth (2006 population: 7,162) is a town and fishing port located on the Gulf of Maine in rural southwestern Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the shire town of Yarmouth County. The town is located in the heart of the world’s largest lobster fishing grounds and has Canada’s highest lobster catch.
The townsite may possibly have been visited by Leif Ericson. A runic stone was found at the nearby village of Overton in 1812. It is interpreted by some to have been carved by Ericson, while others feel the markings are natural scratches gradually enhanced over the years. The stone is preserved at the Yarmouth County Museum & Archives. Originally inhabited by the Mi’kmaq, the Yarmouth area was known as “Keespongwitk” meaning “Lands End” due to its isolation being located at the end of Nova Scotia.
The region was visited in 1604 by Samuel de Champlain, who named it Cape Fourchu, and it became a French fishing settlement. In 1759 settlers came to the townsite from Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and there…