Dining and Social
Our restaurant is named after John Alexander Douglas McCurdy (1886 Baddeck - 1961 Montreal), close associate of Alexander Graham Bell. McCurdy flew his plane Silver Dart into history on February 23, 1909, over the frozen waters of the Bras d'Or Lakes. The first powered flight in the British Empire, this made him one of the world's aviation pioneers, at the young age of 22.
On that clear cold day, the Aerial Experiment Association, led by its founder Alexander Graham Bell, made its way across the frozen surface of the lake at Baddeck. The small group of determined men who had the foresight to realize the potential commercial and military importance of aviation had not gathered in New York, London or Paris, but right here in Baddeck.
Many of the villagers had gathered to watch, somewhat skeptically, as preparations were made on the frail-looking bi-plane sitting on the ice before them. Based on a spoke-wheeled tricycle, the plane had its engine mounted directly behind Mr. McCurdy's seat, with the propeller further back still. Controls were located at the front and back of the fuselage. Mr. Bell, looking on with his wife from their sleigh, probably wished he were at the controls. But this was work for younger men.
The engine roared to life, and once it was warmed up, the machine rolled forward across the ice, finally lifting itself free to the roars and cheers of the small crowd, then flying safely for half a mile in the sky above them.
Mr. McCurdy went on to pilot the first great ocean flight from Key West Florida to Cuba in 1910. He established a pilot training school in Toronto and played a lead role in training pilots for World War I. Among his many accomplishments throughout his life, J.A.D. McCurdy served as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia from 1947 to 1952. He was a great Canadian and we salute him!
Silver Dart Lodge is named after the famous plane that took that first historical flight over the Bras d'Or Lakes. We recommend that while in Baddeck, you visit the Alexander Graham Bell Museum to learn more about this remarkable achievement.
