Ok so we opened a massive can of worms yesterday with our Cape Map. One of the big questions raised in the multitude of emails we received was whether or not someone from Bourne that lives north of The Canal, is from The Cape?
It’s a mind fuck if you think about it. According to our map they technically are not from Cape Cod, but they went to High School on The Cape, so doesn’t that make them a “Cape kid”?
What if they moved around Bourne? Say they lived north of The Canal until 4th grade and went to Bournedale Elementary. None of this is technically on The Cape. Then they move to a new house in Bourne south of The Canal. They are now “born and raised” in a single town, but not “born and raised” on The Cape?
Is this person a native Cape Codder or a washashore? Remember there is a chance this person never technically set foot on Cape Cod until they were 9 or 10 years old, but they never left their town.
I think we need to establish some kind of committee to deal with this. I for one have to stop thinking about it. It’s making my brain hurt?
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The question is really how old is the Cape? Was it not Cape Cod until the Canal was built between 1909 and 1916? Or has it been the Cape since the receding of the ice age glaciers that formed it? I think the latter. Therefore if we look at Cape Cod as a naturally formed peninsula and not a man made island then we would follow Buzzards Bay (the actual bay, not the village in the town of Bourne) to its northern most point, which is actually in Buttermilk Bay just east of Jeffferson Shores, and draw an imaginary line to the closest point on the northern shore of the Cape, you would end up somewhere around Sagamore Beach or the southern end of White Cliffs. Oddly enough this is also the Bourne (a town in Barnstable County)/ Plymouth (a town NOT in Barnstable County) boundary. So, this being said, If the Cape was not the Cape until the Canal was in place, then all of those people claiming to be the “enth” generation Cape Codders are full on bunk. However, if the Cape is a geographical location, a naturally formed peninsula, then we protect the tradition of generations of Cape Codders and simultaneously include those social climbers from Buzzards Bay, Bournedale, and Sagamore Beach, while still excluding Onset and Wareham. (Not really sure how they can really even claim “Gateway to Cape Cod” since the finishing of Rte 25.) Now, what are we going to do about those folks in Quincy who say, “I’m heading down the Cape…” and we all know they’re just going to Weymouth?
You didn’t square off sagamore beach in the picture! I feel like nobody knows about our quaint beautiful little village. I’ve lived here my whole life and went to Bourne High! Practically lived on the other side of the bridge (cape side) considering most of my friends lived over there. There should be an exception for the other sliver of Bourne, (sagamore beach, bourndale, buzzard’s bay) we are real cape Codders! All communities living right on the water. Raised on the beach and eating fried clams just like everyone else!
What about the slice of Sandwich on the mainland side?