A History of The Land In 1766 Prince Edward Island was surveyed and divided into 67 lots of twenty thousand acres each by Samuel Holland . Canoe Cove , situated on the Northumberland Strait , is mostly in Lot 6 5. When I was a girl, many years ago, Lot 6 5 was always included in our mailing address. Lot 6 5 fell by ballot to a Mr. Wright and a Mr Owen . A small part is in Lot 30 which went to a Mr. Murray . The Land Purchase Act did not come into force until 1873 so it can be assumed that the settlers who came before then rented their land from these men, more likely their agents, as they were absentee landlords. The settlers would set about clearing the land and building temporary log homes using the trees that they cut down. Trails were blazed from one place to another by cutting notches in the trees at eye level. In later years when better roads were built they followed these winding trails and that is why you see some of those beautiful, meandering roads yet on the Island. They were never intended for speeding automobiles but for a leisurely ride in a horse and buggy. These were the only roads for a hundred years or more. Crops were sown initially using very simple implements. One implement used in the Highlands, before the settlers came to Canada was a primitive shovel type tool and perhaps that is what they used when they came here. Livestock, which would have been very scarce, was obtained and the settlers were able to make a living. Even though the living would be scanty at first it would be better than what they had back home.