Glooscap First Nations Band Chief Shirley Clarke

Glooscap First Nation is named after the legendary hero of the Mi’kmaw. The Glooscap First Nation community was formed in the early 1800s in conjunction with the Micmac Missionary Society. Silas T. Rand settled in Hantsport in 1855 with the hopes of encouraging the Indians to settle closer to him. Although he had no intention of remaining there, he wrote to the society stating that there was 450 acres available to purchase for £ 375, and that it would be an ideal location for a reserve. This spot was surrounded by woodland, but was close enough to town limits that they could make a living in the marketplace. On February 6, 1907 this land was transferred to his Majesty the King for use as an Indian Reserve for the Indians in the Province of Nova Scotia.

When Annapolis Valley Band was created, there were 160 residents residing on two communities that were nearly 30kms apart (one near Hantsport, Nova Scotia and the other near Berwick, Nova Scotia). As time went by, those residents living in the territory near Hantsport (which is now Glooscap) felt that they did not have adequate service delivery and felt that a separation from Annapolis Valley was inevitable. In June of 1984 the two communities were separated and Glooscap became the 13th Mi’kmaw Band in Nova Scotia. Originally known as Horton, the name was officially changed to Glooscap in 2001.

In 1992, Glooscap hired C.J. MacLellan & Associates Ltd. to prepare a community development plan to ensure an orderly development in the short and long term. The plan considered alternatives for creating a community atmosphere around a core development of common user facilities. It was intended to help make the reserve a more attractive place to live. Following the completion of this plan, Glooscap Band completed infrastructure that was necessary and followed the development plan. For the purposes of preparing the community development plan, the Band provided design scenarios for future growth. The Band Council stated that there was available funding for a minimum of 1 to 2 houses per year. However, the Band would prefer to see 2 to 3 houses per year. The only access to develop able property is over a paved road approximately 1000 metres in length leading from Bishopville Road. The Bishopville Road is a paved secondary highway. Otherwise the reserve is surrounded by undeveloped privately owned lands. The main traffic route, Highway 101, through the northern portion of the Annapolis Valley, is 5kms from the Reserve.

In 1992, a second access road alignment was proposed between Bishopville Road and Reserve land. The optimum alignment for this road required the acquisition of a strip of land 20 metres in width and 100 metres in length. Within the past year, the Band Council acquired this much needed land in order for this second access road to be built. The benefit of the second access road is for emergency situations (i.e. the existing road is impassable road due to road maintenance, gas station fire, etc) and to allow for a more organized traffic flow.

Source: glooscapfirstnation