James River JAMES RIVER, Antigonish County
 

A river flowing southeast into the West River and a settlement southwest of Antigonish.

It may have been named after the Rev. James Munro, a pioneer Presbyterian minister who
visited Antigonish in 1797 and was settled there from 1808 to 1818.  It is reported that one
night he became lost in the woods going to Antigonish and sheltered from the bears in a tree
near the stream named after him.Others believe that it was called after three pioneers who
took up land either on its banks or nearby:  James Miller, James Nichols and James MacDonald.

The district was part of the grant of 23,000 acres in 1804 to the Hon. Lawrence Hartshorne,
Halifax business man.  In the winter and spring of 1815 he had a clearing of about thirty acres
made on the farm on which James River Station stands.  This was called the "Big Clearing" or
"An Clerramore."  John Cameron of Lochaber settled in "Clerramore" in 1816 on a farm he
purchased from Mr. Hartshorne.  James Nichols settled on the west side of James River and
James McDonald (Seumas Mor) a native of Strathglass, settled on the lot west of James Nichols place.

By 1898 there was one store and a saw mill and a church.  The school district was formerly part
of Beaver Meadow but now extends to the Pictou line on the west, its boundaries being altered
in 1876 and 1910.

A ready-mix concrete plant was constructed in 1962 to serve the needs of the Antigonish district.

The population in 1956 was 106.
 
 

JAMES RIVER STATION, Antigonish County

A post office south west of Antigonish, so named because the C.N.R. station is there.