Its name is probably derived from the fact that it is the landing place for ferries crossing the harbour.
It was the main route for travelers to Upper Canada in the ice-free months until the opening of the Intercolonial Railway in 1876.
The steamship Mayflower carried passengers and freight across the harbour.
[3] A map published in 1879 shows four piers at Pictou Landing, three of them carrying track of the Intercolonial rail road and two of these piers belonging to coal companies.
This Pictou County, Nova Scotia location article is a stub.