HMCS Cormorant

Former Canadian Forces diving support vessel docked at Bridgewater, NS. Purchased in 1975 and commissioned in 1978, the vessel remained in service until it was decommissioned in 1997. After some time in Shelburne, NS, the Cormorant was brought to Bridgewater in 2002.

As of January 2011, the ship remains in Bridgewater, NS.

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Public Service Commission Power Plant at Conquerall Mills

I've passed by the former Public Service Commission Power Plant in Conquerall Mills, Nova Scotia thousands of times in my life. For nearly twenty years, I drove by 'the power dam' daily. Over those twenty years, the only thing to change at the dam was the 'For Sale' sign. It has been privately owned for decades and was rumoured to be on and off the real estate market at various times throughout.

The former hydroelectric power plant is situated on the Petite Riviere, or Petite River, at Conquerall Mills. It was the only dam built on the Petite Riviere explicitly for power generation. Operations ceased in 1971. In 1974, the Town of Bridgewater abandoned the dam. The dam was breached in 1977.

I visited and photographed the exterior of the power plant in January 2007 and again in June 2010. In that short span, only the boards covering the windows had changed. The area grows in considerably in the summer months.

Between visits to the power plant I was given a few historical photos of the dam. The photos were courtesy of my father who was scanning a collection of family photos. Among the scans were several newspaper clippings and two very grey photographs. The photographs show the power plant on the day it became operational some time around 1940.

1. Public Service Commission Power Plant on the day it became operational.

2. A second photo from the same day. To the left is my great-grandfather's 1939 Packard.

3. Newspaper clipping, October 18, 1961.

4. Photo from 1961 newspaper.

5. January 2007. To the right is my old 1989 Toyota.

7. June 2010.


8. June 2010.


9. June 2010 - Lumber stored inside the power plant.


10. June 2010 - Looking up inside the power plant.

South Shore Trip

We traveled about 100km on Highway 103 to Bridgewater where we followed Nova Scotia's Lighthouse Route, Highway 331, to the ocean. Along the way we ventured back several unmarked back roads. We knew the road would lead us to the ocean or a gravel pit depending on the side of the road we picked.

After forty-five minutes of gravel pits we chose an ocean drive. The drive through the brush to the ocean was tedious at times but was easily accomplished in the Rav 4. The road ended at an intersection with an old trail called Bear Trap Road. The Bear Trap has not been maintained in many years and large portions of it have been reclaimed by the beach. It is nearly impassible.

At the Bear Trap Road we happened upon two significantly damaged cabins. Destruction can be attributed to major storms including 2003's Hurricane Juan, as well as significant damage done by vandals.

We weren't able to drive any distance on the Bear Trap Road so we turned back toward the 331. Shortly after returning to civilization we experienced car trouble resulting in the procurement of a new battery in nearby West Dublin.

On the return trip to Halifax we stopped at a former hydro electric power plant that has been dormant for decades. We discovered a hole in the front of the building large enough to poke our heads in. I was able to snap a few quick pictures of the interior for the first time.

As expected, the power plant is largely filled with stored lumber.

1. Bear Trap Road


2. Small Cabin - Exterior


3. Small Cabin - Interior


4. Large Cabin - Exterior


5. The former contents of the large cabin found outdoors.


6. Large Cabin - Interior


7. Hydro Electric Power Plant


8. No longer in operation, water now flows freely.


9. Lumber stored inside the power plant.


10. Looking up inside the power plant.

Thanksgiving on the South Shore

1. Demolition of the old South Shore Mall nears completion.


2. Oar mill in Crousetown.


3. The back of the mill.


4. The front of the mill.



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