Icelandic Settlement Site

Icelandic settlement at Lockeport

The town of Lockeport is situated about 200 kilometers west of Halifax. It was first settled circa 1760-61 by families from the northeastern states of the United States. Among the first to arrive at Ragged Islands, as it was known then were Josiah Churchill and Jonathan Locke, M.D. The town derived its name from the Locke family.

In the 1800s the town flourished with its fishery and West Indian trade. A lighthouse was built at Gull Rock at the entrance to the Harbour in 1853. The town is connected to the mainland by a causeway which runs the length of Crescent Beach. The town now has about 750 residents. Fishing is the main industry.