Sable Island in Black and White by Jill Martin Bouteillier was a charming history of life on this long Nova Scotian sandbar at the turn of the twentieth century. The author tells the story of her great aunt Trixie, who took most of the photos used in this book. Trixie Bouteillier moved to Sable in 1885 at the age of five with the rest of her family when her father was appointed island superintendent. Her photos captured the wild horses, shipwrecks and rescues, eroding landscapes, harvests and buildings that were part of her life for twenty years.
At age 87 Trixie returned to Sable and found her memories buried in sand or worn down by the relentless wind. Nothing stays the same on Sable, as buildings and lighthouses had to be relocated to escape the encroaching drifts. Even the island’s narrow Lake Wallace, where Trixie used to row and skate, filled in with the ceaselessly blowing sand.
Some of Trixie’s photos, with the captions, are below:
