to build a road from John Gavin’s, Lot 3, to Bearisto’s, Lot 3. A road from Charles 
     
     Cannon’s, Lot 3 to Michael Foley’s was authorized at $12.00 and, finally, Richard 
     
     Costain was awarded the sum of $12.00 for work done on a bridge near Rix’s Mill in 
     
     1865. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The Center Line Road in 1863 was only a “Proposed Road”, and except for 
     
     some cleared land along the coast, this area consisted of unbroken forest which 
     
     stretched as far as North Cape. On October 24, 1866, it was reported that bears were 
     
     terrorizing the people and men were organizing hunting parties to kill these beasts 
     
     that roamed close to the settlers. We must sympathize with these people and also the 
     
     young preachers who were sent there to conduct worship services and eventually, to 
     
     erect a new church building. Their personal problems must have been over- 
     
     whelming, and yet, they struggled to support a minister and to build a church. 
     
    
   
   
    
     In 1863, most of the twenty-three families living in Lot 3, supported themselves 
     
    
   
   
    
     with the usual farming, fishing, and the laborious task of clearing more of the tall 
     
     forests surrounding their narrow clearings along the shore. 
     
    
   
   
    
     The September 24, 1866 edition of the Summerside Progress newspaper 
     
     reported that its editor had undertaken a very dangerous trip of exploration 
     
     originating in Summerside and extending as far as Miminegash. According to the 
     
     editor, himself, this most-unusual project was life-threatening and fraught with 
     
     great concern for his well-being and his safe return to the safety of civilization in 
     
     Summerside as it was then known. Written as an editorial feature by the editor on 
     
     September 24, 1866, he states, “Pushed on to Richard Costain’s at Big Miminegash, 
     
     Lot 3. Along the shore are fine farms and the land is so fertile that we are told that it 
     
     was common to have eight crops of wheat taken from the same field in succession. 
     
     (Farmers today are inclined not to believe the remarks about eight crops of wheat). 
     
     The area is thinly settled and is a comparatively new hardwood country.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     While farmers and fishermen carried on their life-supporting activities, other 
     
     settlers in the community had used their energy, imagination, and business ability 
     
     into building lumber mills, grist mills and shops. George Farley of Miminegash not 
     
     only had built and operated a successful mill on this property near Green’s Bridge, 
     
     but he also was engaged in the production of quite large ships near Green’s Bridge 
     
     in Miminegash. In the September 17, 1866 copy of the Summerside Progress 
     
     newspaper, it was reported “that Mr. George Farley is building for Mr. John Yeo, 
     
     Esq. a brigantine, a two-masted, square rigged sailing vessel, of about two hundred 
     
    
   
   
    
     tons to class five years.” 
     
    
   
   
    
     In the same newspaper, it was stated “that Mr. Thomas Rix is building for 
     
     James Duncan, and Company a juniper brig of about two hundred and fifty tons to 
     
     class seven years”. While Mr. Thomas Rix may have launched this ship from West 
     
    
   
   
    
     Point, his normal place of operation in later years was in Little Miminegash (Rose- 
     
     ville) where he, too, operated a mill, additionally. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Some of these facts listed above may tend to provide some insight into the 
     
     physical aspects of the Miminegash area and tell us how the early settlers met their 
     
     responsibilities with hardwork and determination. 
     
    
   
   
    
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