Alexander Graham Bell and his family have very strong connections with Cape Breton Island. They bought several properties at Baddeck on Bras d'Or Lake in the 1880s and built a large summer house. There Bell and his wife conducted many experiments with flight and hydroplanes. The first powered flight in Canada took place on the ice on the lake in 1909 by the
Silver Dart. The Bell descendants still own the house and the land although, as might be expected, it has become divided over the years. Parks Canada has built an
excellent museum at Baddeck. There is a replica of the
Silver Dart and both the remnants of the
HD-4 hydrofoil and a replica.
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| The Silver Dart replica |
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| HD-4 remnants. It had been left on the beach at Baddeck until the 1950s! |
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| Replica of the HD-4 |
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| The original engine of the HD-4 is in place on the replica. A straight 12. |
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