[1] The centre of the village (where a bridge crosses the West River) is about 10 km up-stream from the town of Pictou.
Emigrants from the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland settled the valley of the West River in 1776.
Before coming to Pictou County, they had attempted settlement on Prince Edward Island, but they left after experiencing a difficult winter of near starvation.
[2][3] Anthony MacLellan donated land for a cemetery (on the east side of the West River) in which he was buried in 1786.
[2] The farming community along the West River developed into a village, partly due to the prosperity of the timber trade.