Housewives rarely had to look out their kitchen window to see who was passing by, as they could identify the traveler by the distinctive sound of his sleigh bells. The cold temperatures provided another route of travel. In most winters, the bays and harbors would quickly freeze over with enough ice to safely carry the weight of a horse-driven sleigh and its load. However, before the winter routes were safe to use the ice had to be “bushed.” Someone from the area was hired to mark a safe route by embedding Spruce bushes, six or eight feet in height, into the ice. The bushes from Sturgeon Bridge to Panmure Island, Georgetown, and Montague ensured a secure winter route with no fear of getting too close to an open channel or spring-hole. The bushes also prevented people from