Coxheath | |
|---|---|
  Coxheath inNova Scotia | |
| Coordinates:46°6′59.62″N60°15′2.05″W / 46.1165611°N 60.2505694°W /46.1165611; -60.2505694 | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Nova Scotia |
| Municipality | Cape Breton Regional Municipality |
| First settled | 1790 |
| Founded by | Captain William Cox |
| Population (2011)[1] | |
• Total | 2,333 |
| Languages | |
| • English | 98.9% |
| • French | 0.8% |
| Time zone | UTC-4:00 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-3:00 (ADT) |
Coxheath is a community in theCanadian province ofNova Scotia, located north of theSydney River in theCape Breton Regional Municipality onCape Breton Island. The community is home toRiverview Rural High School, asecondary school with approximately 900 students inGrades 10-12[2] and Coxheath Elementary.[3]
After the fall ofLouisbourg in 1758, Captain William Cox was left in charge of English soldiers inSydney. In 1796 Cox obtained a grant of 1300 acres of farmland along theSpanish River where he had been living since 1790. English soldiers cleared the land, built a house, stable and barns. They then set up agrist mill and a road was built from his farm to the mill. Captain Cox lived on the farm with his wife and ran a successful grist mill and dairy farm. He named the land Cox's heath before returning to England in 1809.[4]
James Boutilier fromSt. Margarets Bay, Nova Scotia ran a coal shipping business carrying coal fromSydney Mines toHalifax, Nova Scotia. He purchased Captain Cox's land for £300 in gold. Threebrigantine ships sailed up Spanish River in May 1811 carrying the Boutilier, Lewis, and Andrews families, who settled in Coxheath. The grist mill was turned into asawmill when wheat became difficult to grow. It was used in a ship building and repair business run by the Boutilier and Andrews families in the mid-1800s. Around 1850, several Scottish families began to settle nearBlacketts Lake. By the turn of the 20th century, the original land of Captain Cox was divided into 25 separate farms. The farms provided the main supply of farm products for the residents of Sydney.[4]
Copper was reported in the Coxheath Hills north of the current Coxheath Road in 1875 by theGeological Survey of Canada. Underground copper mines were developed in the Coxheath Hills during two periods, from 1881–1889 and 1928–1930.[5]: 69 These copper deposits are part of theLate Precambrian CoxheathPlutonic-Volcanic Belt underlying the Coxheath Hills and Spruce Brook.Molybdenum was discovered in the area by Mariner Mines Ltd. in 1964, and the system was subsequently described as a low-gradeCu-Mo-Auporphyry deposit.[5]: 70
In 2023 a report was posted by Nova Copper Inc to the resume earlier attempts to explore, re-open and plan to greatly expand the century-old copper mine for copper and other metals.[6] An organization of Coxheath residents and volunteer supporters have taken notice and are working inform the public of these plans. Concerns surrounding the impact on the environment, water supply and infrastructure have been noted. The expanded scale of the newly proposed mining operation as well as significant growth and proximity of population are also key concerns. Efforts continue to echo the concerns to local and provincial government.[7]