EAST LAKE AINSLIE – Walking down the gravel driveway with trailers on both sides overlooking Lake Ainslie, Michael Gillis can’t help but recall the memories he’s made over the years.
As he passes each trailer, the 71-year-old speaks of the owners, highlighting a memory of their time at MacKinnon’s Campground, a facility the Gillis family has owned for the past 50 years.
“We’ve been able to watch a lot of people's kids grow up here at the campground over the years,” said Gillis. “The children have really been a bonus for us, it’s nice to see them grow up and be successful and have families of their own.”
MacKinnon’s Campground, located on Route 395 about 15 minutes from the Trans-Canada Highway in Whycocomagh, first opened in 1970 under the partnership of previous property owner Donald MacKinnon and Gillis.
Gillis moved to East Lake Ainslie from Judique in 1965 after his single mother was hired to care for MacKinnon’s elderly, bedridden mother and work on the family’s farm. It was then Gillis first met MacKinnon.
“He was a warden on the river – they used to have wardens, so he got to meet a lot of people from industrial Cape Breton,” said Gillis, noting there was a time when he was forced to hitchhike back and forth to the campground during his school years.
“He was a great man and he had so much passion for the property and the campground.”
MacKinnon purchased the property in 1967 from his sister and brother-in-law, who prior to the sale were living on the property while operating a convenience store and two to three cabins.
A few years later, in 1970, MacKinnon and Gillis decided to register the property as a campground. At the time, MacKinnon was the primary owner, however, Gillis assisted him with paperwork and the operation.
After six years of success, Gillis approached MacKinnon for permission to build a convenience store of his own, a building still in operation today, to add value to the campground experience for the campers.
“We worked together and operated it – he also worked in the store,” said Gillis, who retired from his full-time job at MacInnis Irving in Inverness in 2008 after 40 years of service.
“I had a full-time job in Inverness at the time, while having the campground always on my mind.”
Gillis later married wife Karen in 1981 and she quickly became an essential person at the campground, doing various jobs to keep the facility maintained as well as the majority of the paperwork behind the scenes.
The Gillis family and MacKinnon remained partners in the campground until 1995 when MacKinnon died. At that time, the property was left in the Gillis family name in MacKinnon’s estate.
“Donald may have socialized more than we did back then, there’s probably a few stories about that,” laughed the 63-year-old Karen Gillis. “He had so much pride in the campground and the campers, he was so proud of what was accomplished here.”
Over the years, the Gillis family has invested in the campground at various levels. They built a hall for social gatherings and dances in 1999 and in recent years expanded the campground adding more sites for trailers.
“We did a lot of upgrades,” said Michael Gillis, the father of two sons. “We’ve done brand-new sewer and electrical to name a few, we always want to make the campground better for the campers.”
MacKinnon’s Campground has 100 onsite spaces for trailers. Among those, 70 to 80 are seasonal campers who leave their trailers at the location year-round. Meanwhile, the campground also has 10 monthly rentals, leaving only 10 spaces available for off-road traffic.
This year marks the 50th anniversary for the Gillis family. The family is disappointed they won’t be able to have the celebration they had hoped for because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’re making the most of it.
“We never really had time to plan anything because we were going to start in March, but then the outbreak happened and we can’t have anything big,” said Karen Gillis, who retired from her job at the Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital in 2017.
“We’re hoping to have a meal of some sort for the campers and neighbours for the anniversary.”
Donnie Robertson of Sydney has been a seasonal camper at the campground for the past 34 years. Prior to that, he camped at the facility on a regular basis.
“The good Lord picked out the best campground owners and the best camping people and put them all at MacKinnon’s Campground,” said Robertson. “There is no other place I would rather be.”
Erica Jessome of Sydney has been a seasonal camper for the past 20 years. She continues to return to the campground each year because of the Gillis family and her fellow campers.
“My parents have been seasonal for years and then when my husband and I had our own first big jobs, we knew we wanted to expand our little family and be at the campground, it was just a quick call to Karen,” said Jessome.
“Mike and Karen have seen my first peddle bike, my first vehicle and now my first child, so I’m definitely happy to be here and happy they could be part of my life at all stages.”
Jessome considers the campground to be her “second home” and a place where lifelong friendships and memories have and will be made.
“We all keep in contact with each other during the winter months – we have our own Facebook group, so we stay in contact,” said Jessome. “It’s like a little community here and we’re all so appreciative of everything Michael and Karen bring to the campground and their love and support.”
Lauren MacDonnell of Inverness has been a seasonal worker for the Gillis family for the past three years. She works at the campground store and has also been a seasonal camper at the facility for close to 10 years.
“There’s no place I’d rather be, it’s a perfect summer job, I have the best hours, the best bosses and see the best people and view, it’s an all-round good time,” said MacDonnell, who will enter her first year of university in the fall.
“I remember coming here as a kid and staying with my friends because my parents didn’t have a trailer – I begged them to get one and they finally did, and we set it up here.”
MacDonnell couldn’t say enough about the Gillis family.
“They’re the best people you’d ever meet,” said MacDonnell. “They’re kind-hearted, they’re very welcoming and super friendly – they treat me like family, I feel like I’m part of their family when it comes to working for them.”
Over the years, the Gillis family have been through some rough times while owning the campground, but not business-wise. Karen had cancer surgery in 2011 and Michael had heart surgery in 2018. Both are recovered and are thankful for good health.
Despite past health issues, the Gillis family has never entertained the possibility of selling the campground, despite having offers over the years from people interested in purchasing the property.
“What would we do with ourselves if we did that?” laughed both Michael and Karen. “We wouldn’t even listen to the offers. It’s not on the market and there’s no plans for it.”
The Gillis family hopes to one day leave the campground to their sons and grandchildren to continue the legacy – but not in the near future, they hope.
Walking back to the campground office, Michael Gillis can only smile as he sees two trucks with trailers parked at the entrance of the campground, waiting for him to show them where to set up for the weekend.
“I never dreamed the campground would still be here after 50 years – the years go by quick,” said Gillis. “I’m happy we’re still going strong and hopefully we’ll be here for another 50 years.”
