Ingonish facts for kids

Ingonish

Location in Nova Scotia

Ingonish Harbour

Ingonish is a popular place to visit in Victoria County, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada. It's known for its beautiful scenery and fun activities. The people who live here mostly work in fishing or tourism. You can find many cool places like Cape Breton Highlands National Park, the Keltic Lodge hotel, a place for downhill skiing, and a public golf course called the Highlands Links.

Ingonish's Past: A Look at History

The name "Ingonish" might come from either the Portuguese or Mi'kmaq languages. A French explorer named Nicolas Denys visited this area in the 1600s. He noticed that Ingonish was a good spot for French fishing boats. Even though the coastline was rough, the fishing was excellent.

The Mystery of the Old Bell

In 1854, some local farmers were plowing a field when they found something amazing! They discovered an old Acadian chapel bell. It had a special message carved into it.

The message on the bell said: "For the parish of Ingonish I have been named by John Decarette and Francis Urail, Godfather and Godmother. The founder Huet made me in the year 1729."

This bell was huge! It was almost as big as a flour barrel and weighed 586 pounds. Sadly, it was later sold and lost. In another part of Ingonish, people also found the remains of a second church. They even found a small French cannon, like ones found in Neil's Harbour.

Early Fishing Days

In 1749, a report was sent to the Board of Trade by Captain Smith. He said that 48 large fishing boats (schooners) and 393 smaller boats (shallops) were fishing near Ingonish. At that time, about 300 people lived in the community.

Before the late 1800s, a mineral called Mica was also dug up (mined) in the area.

Ingonish's Weather: What's the Climate Like?

Ingonish Beach

Ingonish has a type of weather called a humid continental climate (Dfb). This means it has all four seasons with warm summers and cold winters. It gets a lot of rain and snow, more than almost anywhere else in Canada! On average, it gets about 69 inches of precipitation each year.

Rain and Snow Patterns

The wettest months in Ingonish are from November to January. During these months, it can get over 7.3 inches of rain or snow each month. June and July are the driest months, but they still get about 3.5 inches of rain.

Ingonish often experiences big rainstorms and sometimes major floods. This usually happens two or three times a year, often in February, August, and November. For example, on November 23, 2021, the area received a huge amount of rain. It got between 260 and 292 millimeters of rain in just 19 hours!

Winter and Spring

Winters in Ingonish are long, cold, and very snowy. In December and January, it can snow almost every day. This is because of "sea-effect snow showers" that blow in from the unfrozen Gulf of St. Lawrence.

From October to April, Ingonish also gets intense storms called nor'easters. These storms come from the U.S. and bring strong winds and lots of snow. As winter goes on, the water around Ingonish freezes. This makes spring arrive later than in some other places.

Summer and Fall

Even though spring is cold, summer arrives quickly, usually in mid to late June. The summers are beautiful, with many warm and sunny days. In summer, the weather changes to a warm southwest wind. This wind blows down from the Cape Breton Highlands, making it even warmer and drier.

The water around Ingonish gets warm very fast in the summer. The ocean temperature can reach about 21 °C (70 °F) in August. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Ingonish was 37.7 °C (100 °F) on August 10, 2001. The coldest temperature was -28.0 °C (-18 °F) on January 18, 1982. Weather records have been kept in Ingonish Beach since 1950.