Bishop Park

Bishop Park was Established in 1902 by conservationist Samuel Bishop. The park is approximately 10 square kilometres in size and is located near Hantspire, Nova Scotia. The park is known for its rich biodiversity and soil that is ideal for crop growing. It has been the site of research stations and conservation efforts for over a hundred years since its inception. There have been three conservation laboratories and outposts since 1902 with the most recent station, the Hantspire Environmental Research Station, set to close in late 2020. The park was protected by federal and provincial governments environmental protection bodies until 2015.

History

19th Century

Before becoming a park, the area was sparsely populated by farmers. For those who made there way inland this far, they were rewarded with bountiful crops from the rich soil. Due to being far from major villages and cities, there is little known about the early history of the area that would become Hantspire and Bishop Park. Those who lived in the area often did not leave any records of their lives except what remains of their houses and farmland. It wasn't until Lord Hantspire built his home in what would later become the Village of Hantspire that the area became more well known.

The village became briefly infamous due to a string of disappearances near what would one day be Bishop Park. Between 1892 and 1900 over 12 people went missing which created a stir in the nearby communities as word spread. Interestingly, this spread of information led to an influx of settlers to the area, likely due to hearing about the rich land. Most accounts of this time period have concluded that the missing peoples were probably lost to the forest by either animal attack or by falling into streams while fetching water. No bodies were recovered at the time, and no remains have been found even today.

Early 20th Century

See also: Samuel Bishop Outpost and Samuel Bishop

Samuel Bishop moved into the area in 1901 as part of his royal duties. Allegedly, Queen Victoria herself wanted to know more about her colony after hearing about the rich plant and animal life that resided there. He purchased a plot of land outside of Hantspire Village and built a small cabin to conduct research from. As his research progressed he began to send his findings back home but it wasn't until King Edward VII granted him funding for research outpost that he gained any recognition. In 1902, using the funds provided by King Edward VII, Bishop established Bishop Park and hired more researchers to help with his investigations.