Who are Archie and Isidore?
The hotel name pays homage to each of our late maternal grandfathers; two caring, hard-working gentleman who we didn't have the opportunity to meet. It is our hope that they would be proud of what we were able to accomplish.
We strive to offer the best guest experience and showcase our home, Cheticamp, Nova Scotia.
Basil and Mathieu
Archibald MacFarlane MacDougall
Archibald MacFarlane MacDougall was born August 20, 1920 to Daniel MacDougall and Margaret (MacFarlane) MacDougall in Sydney River, Cape Breton. He lived his entire life in Sydney River on property granted to his grandfather, Archibald MacDougall and Sarah (Matheson) MacDougall who came from North Uist, Scotland.
Archie left school at a young age and decided to walk in his father’s footsteps. This path would lead him to a career of building and carpentry, a passion that he and his father both shared. When the call came, he represented his country by serving in the Navy on Supply Ships in the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. After returning home from the war he built his first home next to his original family home. This would be the first of many homes he would build in the Sydney area.

In 1947, he met Shirley Boutilier at an Easter Dance and told his friends he was going to marry her. He kept his word and they married on October 25 of that year. He continued building homes and working with his carpentry trade until 1951 when he started work at Sydney Steel as a carpenter. In his spare time he continued to build cabinetry. In the mid 60’s, after a lay off from the Plant, he started a contracting business with his best friend Artie MacPhee. Together they built many homes in the growing Ashby area.
He was community minded and was a founding member of the Sydney River Volunteer Fire Department for which he volunteered until he became sick. He loved Christmas and especially loved dressing up as Santa when the fire department held their Christmas party for the children of Sydney River. He was a friend to all who met him and always lent a helping hand to anyone in need.
In the early 70’s, he and his brother Ray decided to develop the MacDougall property as a subdivision. The land was subdivided into over 100 lots. This included Kenwood Drive, Elkin Street, MacDougall Heights, Conn and Damian Street.
He loved to play a good game of 45’s or Tarabish and could be found at the Fire Hall with his buddies. In 1967 he and Shirley opened The Corner Dairy on Perry Lewis’ Corner. It became a popular meeting place in Sydney River. Many topics were discussed around the old pot belly stove in the back of the store.
Archie was a hard worker, true gentleman and a family man who would do anything for his family, especially his two daughters. He wasn’t much of a traveler but talked about travelling to Scotland when he retired. When he did travel it was always by train or car. He wasn’t a fan of flying. He loved to drive around Cape Breton Island and most Sunday mornings an outing was planned to some backroad farm to visit friends or relatives. In 1972, when his first granddaughter was born in Toronto, he made the trip by himself to meet her. It would be the only grandchild he would meet. He died May 8, 1975 at the age of 54.
Isidore Patrice Cormier
Isidore Patrice Cormier was born in Cheticamp October 14, 1915 and died June 13, 1991. Like many in his generation, he left school after grade 6 to provide for his family.
He served as a merchant marine during the Second World War. After the war he was a man of nature and could often be found in the woods. He loved picking berries and one of his favourite hobbies was salmon fishing. Working in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park as a labourer was a natural fit for him to provide for his wife and children. Never one to be idle, after retiring from the Park after 20 years of service, he then took on part time work filling in for bartender at the Legion and lighthouse keeper on Cheticamp Island. His wife, Marie Louise Lefort, was a well known rug hooker. The couple made rug making kits to sell to sell to tourists to share the craft with tourists that passed through Cheticamp. He would make the hooks and he fabricated a turning wheel of sort, to make balls from the skeins of wool. The pair also went to night school together and earned their grade 10.
Soup was a favourite (especially a traditional Acadian Fricot), but his favourite food was potatoes. Not many days went by where he didn’t eat them 3 times a day. He loved playing cribbage solitaire and would regale his grand daughter Alyssa with his patois ARC EN CIEL and pound the table when he got a good score.
He loved the television show, The Golden Girls, and you could be sure to find him right after lunch watching The Price is Right. He would be there with his pencil and little notebook adding up how much money was paid out each day. He loved driving as was seen with all the trips we did after supper going for drives in the park and Sunday afternoons.
Every night after supper he would sit at the kitchen table to read his paper while the radio would be softly laying in the background. He would turn it up a bit for fiddle tunes and it would only take 3 or 4 notes when he would say with a smile on his face, "that’s my brother Joseph playing". He was very proud of his baby brother.
He was a fairly quiet man who most definitely didn’t like heated arguments. When he found himself in the middle of debate, he would politely find a way to excuse himself, his silence often spoke for him. He was a fair, kind, independent thinker who loved his family and community.