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History
of Province
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The legend of St. Brendan (believed to
have lived from A.D. 489-577) describes how he left Ireland near the end
of his life to plant the seeds of Christianity in a far western isle.
This legend may have been known by the European explorers, including
Columbus and Cabot, who followed Brendan westward nine centuries later.
Brendan himself apparently believed he was going to rediscover lands
already visited by his predecessors including the early saint Mernoc.
Nobody knows the actual fate of St. Brendan; but near L'Anse aux Meadows
a lichen-covered stone with a mysterious type of writing has been found.
The etching on this stone resembles an ancient Irish or Celtic style of
writing that died out in the fifth or sixth century. The stone's
covering of slow growing lichens proves that the etchings are hundreds
of years old. Legend suggests it may have been chiseled by St. Brendan
the Navigator, the first Irish Saint; but further information is needed
before the mystery of this "Ogham" stone is solved.
The sagas or oral stories of the Norse
tell of Bjarni Herjulfsson, a Viking who was blown off course while traveling
between Iceland and Greenland in 986. His reports of a wooded
coastline were an irresistible lure to the timber-poor Norse. Leif
Erikson, also called "Leif the Lucky," following Bjarni's
route, became the first Viking to land in "Vinland." Here he
built sod houses and established the only known Norse settlement in the
New World around the year 1000. The sagas describe how Leif the Lucky
and later Norse settlers traded and sometimes fought with people they
called "skraelings."
The sagas say at least one child, Snorri
Karlsefni, was born in Vinland before the settlement was abandoned.
Although there are no other records of settlement, it is known that the
Greenland Norse continued to visit Vinland occasionally as late as 1347.
A century later, European fishermen were travelling to Iceland and other
sites with Norse inhabitants. Norse settlements in Europe were another
point of frequent contact. Some historians believe the continued
connection between the Norse and other Europeans helped inspire the
voyages of Columbus and Cabot.
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Historians argued about the location of
Vinland for decades. In 1960, the Norwegian archaeologists Helge and
Anne Stine Ingstad were led to a possible site near the northern tip of
Newfoundland by local fisherman George Decker. Here they found artifacts
that proved this site at L'Anse aux Meadows once held a small Norse
settlement, thus suggesting that Newfoundland was probably Vinland.
L'Anse aux Meadows was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in
1978. A recreation of the Norse sod houses and an interpretation centre
tell the story of these traders, merchants, and adventurers who braved
the North Atlantic in their small open boats ten centuries ago. In the
year 2000, Newfoundland celebrated the passing of a millennium since
these first Europeans arrived on our shores.
Word of Viking travels together with the
legend of St. Brendan may have helped convince some Renaissance
Europeans that the earth was not flat and a new world waited in the
west. Large, seaworthy vessels from the expanding fishing communities of
coastal Europe kept traveling farther from home in search of new
fishing grounds. The Basques were among the first and furthest traveling
fishing people. Some historians speculate that these people
provided maps and reassurance to Columbus in 1492, Cabot in 1497, and
the other early explorers of the New World.
Cabot 500
Cabot's voyage to Newfoundland was the
first historically documented trip of the age to North America and has
long interested historians. In 1997, Newfoundland and Bristol, England
celebrated the 500th anniversary of Cabot's voyage. In May of 1497, John
Cabot (really Giovanni Caboto, an Italian citizen) and his crew of 18 to
20 men, under commission from King Henry VII, set sail from Bristol
aboard The Matthew to discover a western route to the Far East.
Unbeknownst to the explorers of the day, North America was in the way,
so instead Cabot discovered Newfoundland, with its bountiful supply of
codfish. It took The Matthew 35 days to cross the North Atlantic, after
which Cabot and his men spent 30 days circumnavigating the Island of
Newfoundland.
The story of Cabot, his landing at
Bonavista, and his exploration of the "New-Founde-Lande" threw
fuel on the flame of exploration lit by Columbus. In 1500 the Portuguese
explorer Gaspar Corte-Real sailed into St. John's Harbour on St. John's
Day, possibly giving the future city and the sheltered harbour its name.
By this time all Europe's major powers had started their plans for
exploring and exploiting the New World. Corte-Real himself, like many of
the early sailors who followed him, explored the coast before returning
to Europe with Beothuk (native Newfoundland Indian) slaves.
Less than a century after Corte-Real and
Cabot, Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed the Island of Newfoundland in the
name of Queen Elizabeth I, reaffirming British ownership. On King's
Beach, St. John's Harbour, in 1583, he established Britain's first
colonial government overseas. The British Empire was born.
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Several cities including St. John's, Newfoundland, lay claim to the
title of "oldest city in North America." While some cities may
boast historic documents slightly older than those of St. John's, there
is no doubt that the most easterly harbour in North America, located
closest to the richest fishing grounds in the known world, was used many
years before any other North American site. This closeness to Europe,
the economic importance of fish, and the rich fishing grounds inspired
fishing families to visit and settle the New-Founde-Lande years before
other North American communities were formed. Settlement in Newfoundland
was originally outlawed; but rather than risk dangerous trans-Atlantic
crossings, the first families preferred to build illegal homes in the
New World.
Life was difficult in the early days of
settlement -- disease and malnutrition were constant enemies of the first
St. John's people. For over a century, the fishery was almost the only
economic activity. But the politics of the emerging European powers
played the most dramatic role in the city's development. In 1665 the
Dutch plundered St. John's, and a second attempt in 1673 was beaten back
by English merchants. Later that same year, the merchants fought off a
squadron of marauding pirates.
Next came a series of bitter battles
between the English and French for control of St. John's and the rest of
the island. In 1696 and again in 1708 the French captured St. John's and
burned it to the ground. After this second defeat, the English rebuilt
the town with stronger fortifications, and garrisons of soldiers were
permanently stationed within its walls. During these days, St. John's was
not the sort of spot one would visit for a family vacation. Brothels and
taverns built for the entertainment of soldiers and sailors were perhaps
the two most common types of buildings.
St. John's was captured by the French for
the last time in 1762, but it was quickly retaken by British troops
sailing from Halifax. After this victory, several strong forts were
built and manned by garrisons of British troops who stayed in the city
until 1871. Most of the old forts are gone, but the flavour of that time
can still be savoured at the Quidi Vidi Battery that guards Quidi Vidi
Village and the Queen's Battery on Signal Hill.
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Signal Hill, with Cabot Tower as its
crown, is probably the city's most famous landmark. Like the city
itself, the hill's history is rich with battles between nations,
ruthless pirates, and trailblazing pioneers. On Signal Hill the last
North American battle in the Seven Years' War was fought. This same hill
served as a landmark for Lord Nelson and Captain Bligh as they made
their marks on history. In 1583, within a cannon-shot of Signal Hill,
Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England -- making us the
first jewel in the British Empire's crown. As early as 1704, flag signals
flown from the hill informed St. John's citizens of approaching ships,
both friendly and hostile. If the hill could speak it would tell of
receiving the first transoceanic wireless message and witnessing the
first crossings of the Atlantic by airplane, including Alcock and
Brown's historic first nonstop flight from North America to Europe,
which left Lester's Field in St. John's on June 14, 1919. And it would
tell countless tales of the fishermen and fishing nations that have
continued through the centuries to seek the protection of the hill and
its harbour from the frequent fury of the North Atlantic. Today, as in
ages past, the hill regularly provides a view of the vessels belonging
to the many fishing nations of the world.
St. John's is also home to the Anglican
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, a national historic site and arguably
the best example of gothic architecture in North America. The
congregation of the Cathedral goes back to 1699 and our Wildland Tours
holiday groups are always impressed by the small museum, the large mass
grave site (up to 8000 souls lost at sea and to the plagues of the early
years), and the resident ghost which we always manage to find. The
Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist, begun in 1841, is also a
national historic site. It sits on the highest ridge in the city,
dominating the view from the harbour, while lights in its towers guide
ships through the narrow harbour entrance.
During 1620 The Mayflower landed at
Renews on the southern shore of the Avalon Peninsula, where it picked up
water and supplies from local fishing families before sailing on to
Plymouth Rock. When these "founding fathers of America"
arrived at their more southerly landfall, they were met by Squantum, an
English-speaking American Indian who had been taught English in
Newfoundland. The story of Squantum is an interesting one. It is
believed he was captured by European sailors and sold into slavery in
Spain. After escaping captivity he found passage in a ship returning to
the New World and made his way to John Guy's colony in Cuppers Cove in
1616 where the Governor's wife taught him English. It was the teachings
and kindness Squantum experienced in Newfoundland that helped inspire
him to aid the ill-prepared settlers of The Mayflower.
The French entered the competition for
the rich marine resources of Newfoundland when they established their
most easterly North American colony at Placentia in 1662 during the
reign of Louis XIV. This first outpost of New France was designed to
counter English expansion in Newfoundland and to serve as a base where
sailors could be trained and fishing fleets protected. From Plaisance,
or Placentia, the French protected the approach to the New World and
established a presence in Newfoundland that continues today with French
ownership of St. Pierre and Miquelon, two islands a short ferry trip
from Fortune near the entrance to Placentia Bay. Cape Spear, just eleven
kilometers south of St. John's, is another site of some significance.
This rocky promontory, which juts out into the North Atlantic, is the
most easterly portion of North America.
Cape Spear is a National Historic Park
featuring one of Newfoundland's oldest lighthouses restored to its 1840
design. The lighthouse was built in the 1830s to assist vessels as they
made their way along the rugged coast of Newfoundland to St. John's.
Following the death of the first lighthouse keeper in 1845, the
government of Newfoundland appointed St. John's pilot James Cantwell as
the second keeper. It is said that a Dutch prince, impressed by the
seamanship Cantwell displayed while guiding the prince's ship into St.
John's Harbour, used his influence to secure the position for Cantwell.
Members of the Cantwell family have tended the light since that time,
and the present light was looked after by a descendant of James Cantwell
until 1996 when technology replaced lighthouse keepers around
Newfoundland and Labrador.
By 1504 French fishermen were using
Ferryland Harbour as a base for their summer fishery. This place was
already known to the Portuguese who had named the harbour Forilon. In
these early days the French and the Basques discovered Placentia and
used its sheltered harbour and stone beach for drying cod. In 1611
pirate Peter Easton terrorized fishermen from his headquarters in
Ferryland. The community of Ferryland was established early in the 1600s
by Lord Baltimore, who went on to found the American city that bears his
name. Lord Baltimore's successor, Sir David Kirke, proved himself a
staunch British Loyalist during the struggle between King and
Parliament. During this dispute, he offered King Charles I a refuge in
Ferryland and prepared a fleet of heavily armed warships so that
together with Prince Rupert of the Rhine they could invade England and
re-establish the monarchy. The beheading of Charles ended these plans,
but as a precaution Oliver Cromwell sent the British Navy to take
Kirke's fleet and remove every gun from Ferryland. Kirke died in 1655
and is buried at an unknown site near Ferryland. The magnificent brick
home built by Baltimore and enlarged into a castle complete with towers
by Kirke was destroyed by the Dutch in 1673 without ever housing the
King for whom Kirke's renovations had been made. The ruins were later
used as a stone quarry by local fishermen, and even today pieces of the
original brick can sometimes be found on Ferryland's cobble beach. Today
a museum celebrates the community's history as does the annual festival
in honour of Baltimore's early colony. New archaeological excavations
are shedding additional insight into early North American history.
Mistaken Point has a fossil bed over 620
million years old that includes some of the rarest marine fossils known.
These fossils and this landform reminded the early paleontologists more
of northern Africa than North America. In the 1980s scientists came to
recognize that eastern Newfoundland actually was once part of the
African continent. When the plates of Africa and North America collided,
there was an upwelling of mineral-rich rock from deep in the earth.
Eastern Newfoundland is the only portion of ancient Africa in the New
World, and the Mistaken Point Fossil Reserve is now considered one of
the most important fossil sites in the world. The fossils found in
Mistaken Point and in a matching bed along the North African coast serve
as important evidence for the theory of Continental drift. For
scientists, these protected rocks continue to remind us of our planet's
ancient biological and geological history.
Argentia Harbour is notable as the site
where Roosevelt and Churchill drafted the terms of the Atlantic Charter.
Today it is a major summertime access point as many travellers take a
ferry between Nova Scotia and Argentia.
The scenic community of Carbonear is home
to a great legend, for it is said the famous pirate Gilbert Pike in the
age of Elizabeth I captured an Irish princess, Sheila Na Geira. This
beautiful princess eventually persuaded her captor to settle down in
Carbonear. Today some citizens of the region proudly claim a heritage of
royalty and privateering, but most descendants of this couple remember
the story of the pirate and his princess as a love story.
In 1866 the "Great Eastern"
landed the first successful Atlantic cable at Heart's Content. Today the
cable station remains in near working order as a "high tech"
museum showing off the best commercial technology of an earlier century.
The community of Trinity was home to the
first court of justice in North America, established in 1615 by Sir
Richard Whitbourne. Trinity was also the site of North America's first
small pox vaccination. Today Trinity boasts a colourful pageant during
the summer months and is popular with lovers of culture from around the
world.
The Gander River has a special place in
Newfoundland mythology. In a land where most people and goods originally
travelled by sea, the Gander River became a rare inland highway used to
move goods between the interior and the coast. The river spawned a
special breed of man with its own unique vessel - the Gander River boat.
These men plied the waters and came to memorize the hundreds of chutes,
boulders, and rapids that turned each river journey into an adventure.
Today there are outfitters who can arrange adventures on the Gander
River. And there are still Gander River men, with their Gander River
boats plying their way through the challenging waters of this
world-class river system.
Fogo, on Fogo Island, is held to be one
of the four corners of the earth by members of the present-day Flat
Earth Society. It is also home to a spectacular natural amphitheatre,
which every year is the site of the Brimstone Head folk festival.
Twillingate, called the capital of the
north, is the site of fabulous iceberg watching situated as it is in the
heart of notorious "Iceberg Alley." Here you can watch whales
frolic among the icebergs and enjoy some of the world's tastiest
seafoods. Many Arctic expeditions had their starts in Twillingate, and
in Brigus, a scenic community in Conception Bay.
The west coast of Newfoundland is known
for timber, delightful salmon rivers, and its ruggedly beautiful
mountains. It is believed by many that in June of 1534, Jacques Cartier
was the first European since the Vikings to have explored this coast of
the Island of Newfoundland, although this claim was disputed by
Sebastian Cabot. Labrador, the mainland portion of the Province of
Newfoundland, was described by Cartier as "the land God gave to
Cain" because of its barren coastal areas. It is home to two
distinct groups of native people, the Innu and the Inuit. During the
late 1500s, Basque whalers plied their trade off the south coast of
Labrador. The Basques may have been the first Europeans since the
Vikings to discover North America, but the tale of those first fishermen
and explorers has been lost in time. What is certain is that during the
early 1500s the Basques were the first people to send large fleets to
the New World. Following their own centuries-long tradition of
harvesting the sea, they travelled north exploiting the rich fishing
grounds and looking for other opportunities. After dramatically reducing
east Atlantic whale populations, they travelled across the Atlantic to
what is now Red Bay; and by 1550 they had established a major whaling
enterprise that took in much of the Labrador and Gulf of St. Lawrence
coast. At its peak over 1000 men worked on the Red Bay site harvesting
bowhead, right, and perhaps other whale species in order to supply oil
to the lamps of an increasingly prosperous Europe.
Red Bay was the site of the largest
16th-century industrial complex in North America. Today it has been
declared a National Historic Site, and archaeologists continue to study
artifacts from several shipwrecks from the period 1550-1600. Red Bay is
viewed as the first World Whaling Capital. An interpretation centre at
the site features the story of Red Bay, information on the whale species
that were either reduced or made extinct because of the whaling effort
there, and artifacts left behind by the Basques whalers over four
centuries ago.
Labrador is also home to major mining
enterprises at Labrador City where iron ore is mined for the North
American automobile industry and Voisey's Bay where one of the world's
largest nickel deposits has been discovered.
Further north are the Torngat Mountains,
which rival the Rockies as they rise 5000 feet up from the icy Labrador
Sea in a tangle of rock, mineral, and glacier. The Torngats include
Mount d'Iberville, Canada's highest peak east of the Rockies and south
of the Arctic Circle. This 5419-foot peak was named for the French
officer who twice burned all of Newfoundland's major towns to the
ground.
Labrador in winter features great
snowmobiling and skiing. One of its most famous events is the Labrador
400 International Sled Dog Race, the longest and most challenging sled
dog race in eastern North America. This 400-mile race, together with a
shorter 100-mile race, starts the second Sunday in March and follows a
spectacular overland route between Labrador City, Churchill Falls, and
Wabush.
Cape Bonavista may be the first portion
of North America sighted by non-Viking European eyes. Four miles south
of Cape Bonavista lies the historic old town of Bonavista. This busy
fishing community is one of the province's largest towns. It once
rivalled St. John's and Boston for the title of fishing capital of North
America. In 1704 the town was one of the few English communities to
repel the French invasion force. In 1722 Canada's first Church of
England school was built in this community. As if to protest this
religious influence, it is said the devil himself one time came to the
nearby community of Keels, leaving behind his mysterious footprints.
The community of Indian Bay draws its
name from the Beothuk Indians, who used to travel the area's beaches
harvesting from the area's rich abundance of seafood. The red coloured
Indian artifacts and fishing equipment reported by Cabot were likely
from the Beothuk who were known to cover themselves with red ochre and
to frequent the coastline.
Oldest British colony, independent
country, youngest Canadian province - Newfoundland and Labrador
rightfully takes its place in the centre of North American history.
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