Port Morien



Port Morien is a small fishing community in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in the north eastern tip of Cape Breton Island near the rural community Donkin, and the larger center of Glace Bay.

As with much of Cape Breton, Port Morien has a long history. It was first shown on a map dated 1580, where it was called "Baie de Mordienne". The presence of coal in Cape Breton was first noted by Intendant Jean Talon in 1671. It was the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, and the subsequent founding of Louisbourg, which really focused French attention on Cape Breton coal as a valuable and necessary resource. The Fortress of Louisbourg and its inhabitants were in need of a local coal supply, and the closest source was the outcrop at the Baie de Mordienne.

The first commercial coal mine in North America began production at Port Morien (Baie de Mordienne) in 1720. By at least 1724, coal from Port Morien was being traded to Boston in the first officially recorded export of minerals in Canada. In 1725, a blockhouse was built by the French to protect the valuable coal reserves. &nbsp