Prior to European colonisation the area of present-day Summerside was part of
Mi'kma'ki, the traditional lands of the
Mi'kmaq people. The Mi'kmaq called the area Eptek, meaning "Hot Place" and occupied the area seasonally as a summer hunting and fishing ground. In 1765 Samuel Holland surveyed Prince Edward Island and divided it up into sixty seven lots, with the area around Bedeque Bay falling into
Lot 17. The first colonists in present-day Summerside were a
United Empire Loyalist named Daniel Green and his wife Martha Oat. Who were granted land on the North shore of Bedeque Bay. The small community in this area became known as Green's Shore, named after Daniel Green. Throughout the rest of the 18th and early 19th centuries Green's Shore remained a small agricultural village. The area's main economic centre was the community of Bedeque. In 1840 Joseph Green, the youngest son of Daniel Green established an inn near Green's Shore called Summer Side House. Its name referencing the warmer weather of the island's South shore compared to its North. It is from this inn that the community of Summerside eventually took its name. In the early 1850s
Joseph Pope moved his wooden shipbuilding operation from Bedeque to Summerside due to the deeper waters on the North shore of the bay. This kickstarted a shipbuilding boom in the area. From the 1850s to the 1890s Summerside grew into a thriving port. With several shipyards opening up along its waterfront, and a
railroad connection to the port was established in 1871. In the 1890s the wooden shipbuilding industry collapsed due to competition with steam ships, and the town's economy began to focus on agriculture. Fox farming continues on Prince Edward Island to this day. The island's foxes served as the foundation stock for the global fox fur industry. All domesticated foxes today descend from foxes bred in Prince Edward Island, and most foxes on the island descend from the domesticated farm population. In 1934 the town of Summerside built its own municipal airport to try and bolster its local economy. This airport operated until
RCAF Station Summerside was opened in 1941. RCAF Station Summerside operated throughout the
Second World War training pilots from across the
British Commonwealth. The base was briefly closed in 1946 but resumed peace time operations in 1947. The base became an integral part of Summerside's economy. With a large population of military personnel living in the city. A housing development called Slemon Park was built in 1949 to house them. The base was renamed CFB Summerside in 1968, after the
unification of the Canadian Armed Forces. At the same time, the amalgamated Summerside annexed portions of the Community of
Sherbrooke and the Lot 17 township. Becoming Prince Edward Island's second incorporated city, after the provincial capital of
Charlottetown. == Economy ==