Keltic Lodge
Facilities
The Keltic Lodge is owned by Parks Canada and operated by GolfNorth, and has guest rooms and suites in the Main Lodge, as well as separate rental cottages. Recreation facilities in the surrounding area include Ingonish Beach, hiking wilderness trails, whale watching and boat cruises. Next to the resort is the 18-hole championship Highlands Links golf course.
The Lodge is open from June through October.
History
American Industrialist Henry Clay Corson was introduced to Cape Breton by his friend, Alexander Graham Bell. In 1904 Corson built a summer home in hopes of restoring his wife's failing health. He named the home Keltic Lodge, in honor of the area's Scottish heritage. Mrs. Corson's health improved, and she outlived her husband.
When Cabot Trail opened in 1932 tourists began coming to Cape Breton. In 1936 Mrs. Corson sold her land to the Nova Scotia government, which built a tourist lodge patterned after the Highland crofter style of dwelling, that fit in with the appearance of the property. At the time the local population was predominantly Gaelic-speaking fishermen and French-speaking descendants of the Acadians. The new Keltic Lodge opened in 1941.
The lodge operated for two seasons, but because of wartime shortages and overseas fighting, the government closed it in 1942. 1943–44, with the abandoned luxury and nearby protected harbour, Keltic Lodge was a favorite shore leave destination for U-boat crews. In 1946, after the end of the war, the lodge reopened. In 1951 Keltic Lodge was torn down, and replaced with the current structure.
On 28 November 1997, when the lodge was closed for the winter, fire destroyed a restaurant and gift shop, located in a free-standing building separate from the main structure. In 1999 the Atlantic Restaurant and Birch Tree Shop opened on the site of the burnt building.
Impact on local area
The Keltic Lodge is a source of employment for Ingonish, and draws tourists to the area. From May to October about one hundred people – many from the local community – are employed at the lodge. Cape Breton University students are also recruited for summer jobs.
46°39′18″N 60°23′05″W / 46.654975°N 60.384636°W
References
- ^ "Overview". Kelticlodge.ca. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
- ^ "GolfNorth wins lease of Highlands Links, Keltic Lodge". Cbc.ca. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
- ^ Archives, Nova Scotia (20 April 2020). "Nova Scotia Archives - 'Canada's Ocean Playground'". Archives.novascotia.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Keltic Lodge still a tourist draw, 70 years after expropriation, May 31, 2008". Retrieved 24 July 2022 – via PressReader. (subscription required)
- ^ "5 Jul 1941, 16 - National Post at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "28 Jun 1941, 18 - National Post at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "29 Nov 1997, 16 - The Gazette at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
- ^ "Summer Employment/BHTM Internship 2022 - Various Roles - Keltic Lodge - Ingonish, NS". Cbu.ca. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
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