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Nova Scotia Bureau of Information: Oak Island

4/29/2016

10 Comments

 
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Oak Island Treasure Pit Ainslee's Magazine 1899
By Doug Crowell - Blockhouse Investigations
  Sometimes the hours a person spends sifting through the archives produces big revelations or rewards, and at other times some that are not so exciting.  Almost always though, you walk away with a piece of new information.  Such was the case on this week's visit.  We found a document that we had not seen before, which was produced by the Nova Scotia Bureau of Information.  This is a government agency that we were unfamiliar with.   A little research into this agency reveals a few publications issued between 1935 and 1953, so I suspect that this arm of the government of Nova Scotia morphed into something else.  Perhaps Nova Scotia Tourism?
  The document we found at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia (MG1 Volume 1228) was the Bureau's "Re-statement of all locally known circumstances" pertaining to Oak Island in Mahone Bay Nova Scotia.  When you read through the statement you will see that it was written sometime between 1951 and 1953.  It is an interesting look into what the current lines of thought about the island were in the early 1950s, and also just how popular the island was as a tourist destination at that time (even without the internationally popular Curse of Oak Island television show to introduce the island to the world). 

Enjoy the read!
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  One piece of information that I found most interesting was their account of the "original" oak trees.  Though dead, I noted that they were referred to as "Live Oak" trees.  Driscoll, in his much earlier account, almost three decades earlier in fact, also called them Live Oaks.  Here we have two publications describing the trees as Live Oaks, and they had the benefit of seeing them in person.  Perhaps we need to allow that the origin of the trees was less in doubt to those who saw them firsthand back then, than they are to us in the present day, who have no tangibles to work with.  They were almost certainly not native to the area, but it seems that we have to give serious consideration to the idea that they were brought here from further down the North American continent.

We hope you enjoyed this look into the state of affairs on the island some 63 or so years ago.

Goodnight from The Blockhouse! 

10 Comments
Laura
5/6/2016 03:03:16 pm

Mr. Doug Crowell – I enjoy all of these articles and I’m having fun with this mystery. Question - Is there any proof that Live Oak was used on the island in any of the subterranean structures? I haven’t found any citation indicating that tests on wood removed from the Money Pit or other digs on the island have identified the wood by species along with age. I’m assuming this testing has been done (rather recently). I can find some notations that oak logs, oak leaves, acorns were found in the Money Pit, but were they Live Oak? Your comments above have led me to think that Live Oak has not been found in any testing. Can you tell me where to find more information? If I should ask my questions elsewhere, let me know. Thanks. L

Reply
Doug Crowell
5/6/2016 03:21:52 pm

Hi Laura. Glad to hear you are enjoying the mystery. As far as I know, various pieces of wood have been carbon dated, but I have not heard that any of those pieces were tested to determine species or sub-species. John Wonnacott and his colleagues have performed recent testing on various wood samples and are waiting on the results to come back. Soon I hope. There has been much debate over the origin and type of trees the presumed non-native oak trees actually were. Until a sample can be found and tested, the best we have to go on is the statements made by those who saw the trees firsthand. Of course, they may not have had the expertise to give an authoritative opinion. So we can't stamp this part of the mystery solved as of yet. Cheers!

Reply
Laura
5/11/2016 04:09:03 pm

Hi Doug. Thank you for responding. I’m skeptical that Live Oak could have grown to maturity on the island. So finding buried Live Oak might point to something more important than spare ship parts. It’s difficult to make any logic, any corollaries without concrete scientific data. A few of the early treasure seekers didn’t use the most rigorous methodologies (neither would I). Well, I'm not writing anything you haven't pondered before. I’ll wait to hear more on this topic. So much to read and so little time, I have. Unfortunately, my career (the one I get paid to do) keeps getting in the way of my interests. Ha! L

Reply
Veena link
7/22/2016 01:27:04 am

nice

Reply
Gatwick parking south terminal link
5/30/2017 10:25:43 pm

At that time, constructing something is quite difficult.

Reply
airport parking Heathrow link
5/30/2017 11:08:29 pm

Thank you for sharing such a important information regarding to Oak island.

Reply
Elaine
12/17/2017 05:28:31 pm

Were any of the acorns found on the island saved and put in the Oak Island Interpretive Center? Lee Lamb's book, Oak Island Obsession, mentions that the Restalls found acorns and one perfectly preserved Oak Leaf in one of their digs. If an acorn, leaf or even a sketch or photo of what they found still exists, then a botanist might be able to identify the sub-species of live oak tree based on acorn size and shape or leaf size and shape.

Reply
Doug Crowell
12/21/2017 06:41:54 am

Thanks Elaine. Great thought!

Reply
Elaine
12/21/2017 08:52:04 am

If an acorn or leaf still exists, DNA analysis could be really helpful as well. They really should try DNA analysis on the Coconut Fiber too. There is a DNA database with 1322 different species of coconut. Coconut is not native to the Caribbean. The Spanish planted coconuts in the Caribbean after 1500. If the Coconut fiber is older than that, it didn't come from the Caribbean. Coconuts are limited to the tropics and subtropics in areas with plenty of sunshine and water. That limits where they can grow. Finding out where the coconut came from could lead to more information about the people that brought it to Oak Island.

Ellen
1/24/2019 05:45:41 am

Doug, you and Jack have been real heroes lately.

Reply



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    From The Blockhouse
    is published by Blockhouse Investigations and oakislandcompendium.ca
    in Nova Scotia, Canada

    Editors and Chief Correspondents
    Kelly W. Hancock, CD

    Doug Crowell

    Writers
    Jonathan Guy

    Contributing Writers
    John Wonnacott, P. Eng.
    ​Les MacPhie,P.Eng.

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    Linda Rafuse
    Tammy Sloan
    Trevor McFetridge
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    Shawna Goodall

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  • Home
  • Blockhouse Blog
    • Past Blockhouse Blog Articles
  • Oak Island
    • About Oak Island >
      • 10X (Shaft # 29)
      • Artifacts
      • Businesses on the Island >
        • Cabins to Rent
        • Sawmill
      • Fort on Oak Island
    • Books >
      • Our Maritimes
    • Legends >
      • The Legend of Oak Island
    • Theories
    • Ghosts and spirits
    • People
  • Research Archives
    • Les MacPhie Archives
    • Wonnacott - Smiths Cove
  • Investigations
    • Investigative Research
  • Files
    • Documents >
      • Carbon Datings - Oak Island
      • Woods Hole Report - Draft 1996
      • Captain W Thompson Letter - 1863
    • Articles >
      • Magazine Articles
      • Newspaper Articles >
        • 1857 Aug 9 - Liverpool Transcript
        • 1857 Aug 20 - Liverpool Transcript
        • 1861 Aug 29 - Liverpool Transcript
        • 1862 Oct - Liverpool Transcript
        • 1863 Feb 19 - Yarmouth Herald
        • 1866 Sep 4 - Boston Post
        • 1897 Jan 17 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle Sun
        • 1897 Apr 16 - Digby Weekly Courier
        • 1897 May - Truro Daily News
        • 1971 Dec 1 - The Dartmouth Free Press
    • Photos >
      • Oak Island Gallery: a mystery in pictures
    • Maps >
      • Map - Des Barres 1776
    • Members only
  • Chronology
  • About
  • Contact