Entry Island's people, Magdalen Islands, Quebec

Entry Island, part of the Magdalen Islands in Quebec is one of the prettiest little islands.  It is quiet and laid back.  The residence are kind, warm and welcoming people.  They mostly do fishing as there is little to do on the island.  They have a nice post office and an eatery for some groceries or fish and chips.  My cousins are on the island and it's lucky when I can get away to visit them.  They always make a person feel welcome.  The people on Entry Island are all English speaking.

The picture below is looking at Entry as we got closer to it.  Once your boat docks in Grindstone, you have to take a private boat across to Entry.  It's about 1 1/2 hours.  Entry looks so small when you look across the water but as you get closer, it becomes a large looming island, rising up from the water!  Her impressive appearance fills you will anticipation.  What will I see or do?  On the private boat, we met other cousins going home to Entry.  They were in PEI or visiting on the main islands.

The Magdalen Islands are a series of islands joined by sand dunes.  There is a large salt mine on the main island that goes miles underneath the ocean.  I couldn't imagine going down there and I hope those people make rich money, because they deserve.  I don't like going underground so miners have my full respect!

This picture captures all of Entry Island and the long beek of land is where the Dickson home is.

Here a little clearer picture, but it was raining all the way over.

The Entry Island Museum has this paper on display when Britain declares war on Germany.
Many Entry men signed up willingly for all three wars WWI, WWII, Hong Kong and the Koren war.

Many Entry boys never made it home and some suffered the worst kind in POW camps. Those who made it home,
were never the same again.  How could they?  Starved, beaten, no water, no medical, tortured and abused.
These brave solders have their name on the Honour List of Lest We Forget which is in the Church on Entry Island.

The Island boys didn't hesitate to sign up to join wars, they were glad to do it and were proud of it!

This old grave stone is my gr uncle Allen, my grandmother's brother.  He was the eldest of the children.
He was ice fishing one day and fell through the ice and drowned.  His father, Bill Dickson was never the same.
Allen was only 16 yrs & 10 months old. The next oldest was Lucy Ida.  She was only 15 yrs & 10 months when she died of a severe cold.  She is buried with her parents.  That made my grandmother Elizabeth the eldest child.

Entry Island looking towards that long beek I mentioned where the Dickson old home was but is now torn down.

The old grave yard is mostly covered by tall grass and weeds.  We had quite the time getting up there.  It's located up on a hill.

Entry Island houses

Beautiful old country homes on Entry

This is looking down the road from our cousins house on Entry.

Entry Island grave yard.  The church sits to the left.  There are graves all around the church which over looks the ocean towards the main island.

This was my gr grandfather, Bill Dickson & gr grandmother Jane (Chenell) and their 2nd child Lucy Ida (some say it's Ida Lucy.  It was chilling to be actually in their presence.  They died before I was born but I have a lovely picture of them here.  Grandma Jane looks so much like my sister Judy, it's uncanny! Bill was a strong man with large hands but was much shorter than his wife Jane.  They say he would sing like a bird; he was the island's vet; he could dance a good gig and when he heard the sounds of a baby crying, he would go in the home and take the baby and gentle get it to sleep or to settle down.  He was a quiet man but when he called his children for dinner, his voice would carry way across Entry to the wharf where the kids usually played and they would hear him.  These stories were told to me by old Bahan (Bain) Chenell in 1995.

The dark green is where the old graveyard is and that is Big Hill in the distance.

Entry Island graveyard and you can see the main island in the background.

Donald was Bill and Jane's son and his gravestone shows the love felt for this warm and quite man.

Entry graveyard and church.  The people take very good care of their deceased loved one's graves.

My grandmother Elizabeth Harris Dickson (some say her nick name was Lizzy).  She had long raven black hair which she wore in a long pony tail as she ran across the fields with the wild horses.  She loved horses.

I hope you enjoy my pictures and stories of Entry Island.  I have more but I'll post another time.  One of my followers who lived on the Island for 7 years send me an email of some stories about old Bahan.  I'd like to wait to include his picture when I post that story.

Thanks again
Debbie