At the time of Valentine Gill’s survey of Shubenacadie Grand Lake, much of the Nova Scotian hinterland was undeveloped and did not have permanent settlements.

The Shubenacadie Canal Waterway used seven beautiful lakes and the iconic Shubenacadie River to link the Halifax Harbour to the Minas Basin. As he was surveying it, Valentine Gill could not help but notice the magnificence of Grand Lake, which is the largest of the seven: