The Forgotten Princess
She was supposed to be safer than the Titanic ... but as she sailed the waters of the St. Lawrence she sank taking more than a thousand lives with her. It was foggy on the night of May 29th, 1914, when two ships collided in the St Lawrence River near Point-au-Père, Quebec. The Empress of Ireland, carrying 1,477 people on board is said to have sunk in less than 15 minutes after being hit by a Norwegian boat called the Storstad. Though less known than the Titanic, the sinking of the Empress of Ireland remains the largest peacetime maritime disaster in Canadian history.
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Yesterday I was talking to someone about the Pirates of the Gaspe Coast story that I had written, and they asked me if there had been any real pirates on the Gaspe Coast.
And my answer to them was yes, the Coast was a much sought after destination for some of Canada’s most famous pirates. One of the scariest writings about what happened was when they attacked Perce. It was written by Father Jumeau, in 1690 and he was lucky to have lived to tell the tale about the notorious thieves of the sea, who looted and destroyed the small town. So yes there were indeed pirates who sailed through the Bay of Chaleurs! #pirates #pirate #sea #buccaneers #swashbucklers #percé #pirateship #looters #talltales #history #heritage #stories #storyteller #maggiesinn #hereathome #ourstory #gaspecoast #gaspesie #thegaspesianway. Well after many weeks of research and writing, this book is finally done!
I could have never imagined that it would have taken me so long to write but I was taken on an exciting and sometimes arduous adventure to search for the clues for each story. But it is an adventure that I hope to continue as I work towards writing a second volume of the Lost and Buried Treasures of the Gaspe Coast. As I continue to research and write some of the stories about the Phantom Ship and the buried treasure of the Gaspe Coast, I came across a story about a shipwreck near Port Daniel in 1838.
Although it was not a big vessel, it was carrying one of the most valuable cargoes ever shipped out of London, England. There was 40,000 pounds of currency in boxes containing one thousand sovereigns each and it was washed away in the waters of the Bay of Chaleurs. Some was found and accounted for, but much of it disappeared. According to the old stories about the shipwreck, it was said that several of the locals filled their pockets and got rich from the tragedy. And according to some of the folklore, there is still some of the old treasure waiting to be found at Mackerel Point. Which for a treasure seeker could be for sure a very good thing! #treasure #buriedtreasure #losttreasures #shipwreck #secrets #gold #silver #oldstories #phantomships #mysteries #legends #folklore #storyteller #history #hereathome #gaspecoast #gaspésie #tourismegaspesie Jacques de Lesseps was a war hero, an international aviation pioneer and a celebrity. Yet, his tragic story on the Gaspe Coast has often been forgotten in the pages of our past. In 1926 and 1927, de Lesseps photographed the Gaspe Coast often from very low altitudes and he was the first person to see the expansive beauty of the Coast from the air. He is credited with taking hundreds of breathtaking aerial photographs of the Gaspe and several of them were reproduced as postcards in the 1930s. . This week I will be researching and writing about where to find buried treasure on the Gaspe Coast.
When I did the research for the Pirates of the Gaspe Coast, I came across many mentions about pirate treasure that had been buried on the Coast centuries ago. Of course it led me on another adventure to find out more about this place that I call home. And as soon as this story is written, I will add it to the collection here on my website. The Villa Frederick James in Perce is one of the most photographed houses in Canada. It was built in 1900 by the Philadelphia artist Frederick James whose first trip to Perce was in 1880.
Like so many other artists, he found something compelling, about the breathtaking landscapes and he fell under the spell of the sea and the small fishing village of Perce. His beautiful mansion up on Cap Canon overlooks Perce Rock and has inspired millions of visitors from all over the world for many reasons. But it is more than just a house... it is a forgotten love story! You can find the eBook story by clicking this link STORY Hello I'm a storyteller from the Gaspe Coast and I invite you to come along with me on my adventure in the search for the Stories, Legends and Folklore of this fascinating place that I call home.
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StorytellerCollector of the stories, legends and folklore of the Gaspe Coast. Archives
November 2024
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