LABRADOR TOWNS

                                                 Small and Rural

Red Bay was discovered in 1978. At the Discovery Center we saw a 400-year old Basque fishing boat. Mud and the very cold water had preserved it quite well. The Basque people lived at the foot of the Pyrenees Mountains between Spain and France. In the 16^th century Basque whalers fished waters in this area. In 1565 the San Juan sunk in 10 meters of water after breaking loose from her anchor in a storm. Many believe this boat is the San Juan.

Whale oil was a valued prize not only for light, but also for use in paint, varnish, soap, and for lubrication. Of the fifteen ports along the Labrador and Quebec coast that were involved in the whaling industry Red Bay is the best preserved. During the season, May to October, there were as many as 1000 whalers in Red Bay. Today the population is 300. Whaling ended along this coast in 1585 primarily because of the Spanish-English War when many of the Basque ships were destroyed. By the 17^th century the Basque had totally abandoned the Labrador coast.

     Whale boats were 26-feet long. Red ceramic roof tiles were used as ballast in the sea going ships and as the barrels of whale oil were loaded the tile pieces were thrown into the harbor. Our local guide told us she and her friends would find tile pieces and play with them. Little did they know they were playing with ancient artifacts!

In the lower building of the Center another Parks Canada guide showed us a miniature replica of the oil processing system saying, “It took two and a half days to process the oil from a whale. On average a whale yielded 40 barrels of oil. This was the largest whale oil processing area in the world. It was a very profitable business as a barrel of oil was valued at $4-6000 dollars.

     Whalers were after the Right and Bowhead whales because they were slow movers and had a lot of blubber so they floated after being speared. The Right whales are no longer seen in these waters. A whaling crew consisted of 50-120 men and boys who were divided into three groups: officers and skilled sailors, craftsmen seamen, and apprentice seamen. The captain of the ship was in charge of the whale venture and the master was responsible for the ship. The crew was generally not paid but given a percentage of the cargo.

     Once whale oil fueled the 109-foot Amour Lighthouse that is made of local limestone. It is the last lighthouse built before the province joined the federation.

    Steeped in history, the past invades the present and life of so long ago. The island has 5000 miles of coastline. The small population is richly diverse. Colorful fishing villages are scattered along the coast. Goods are delivered to coastal areas in summer by steamer and in winter by small planes or snowmobiles.

     The ferry left L’anse au Clair at 8AM for the Port Au Choix Historic Site. The 18^th and 19^th centuries Port au Choix was a center of French fishing. A 1713 treaty gave Britain sovereignty over Newfoundland. However, the French maintained its right to fish along the French shore and set up shore stations for fish processing, but they were not permitted to settle year round.

     The area has a 5000 year history. In 1967 when a fellow was excavating to build a movie theater in the center of town human bones were discovered. That resulted in a three-year archaeological dig. An ancient cemetery revealed 117 bodies buried in a fetal position. The bodies were covered with a mound of rocks. Also found were 15,000 artifacts. The lead archaeologist was Dr. Jim Tuff.

     Maritime Archaic Indians, who crossed over from Labrador, first settled this land some 5,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of their fully maritime lifestyle comes from L’Anse Amour in southern Labrador, which is also the site of the oldest known burial mound in the Americas. The major Maritime Archaic site discovered so far in Newfoundland is at Port au Choix, 160 kilometers north of Gros Morne National Park. Cooler times brought an arctic folk, the Palaeo-Eskimos to these shores. These people specialized in hunting marine mammals and intensely used whatever resources were abundant. Seals were their most important food, and when seals were scarce starvation resulted. For 16 centuries they hunted these shores, then disappeared.

    There are traces of ancient Indian occupation within Gros Morne National Park at Cow Head and at Broom Point.

See post: Beothuks 5-2--12

LABRADOR

Big but Rural

 

      The MS Apollo is a large ferry and at first we wondered why it was coming into the pier bow first. Suddenly the bow of the ship started to open and I remarked, “The whale is opening its mouth!” After the bus was parked in the ferry’s bowels, a crew member met us to escort us up the stairs to the lounge and then returned to escort those who were using the elevator. The crossing was smooth but it was so foggy and misty that you could hardly see the water from the top viewing lounge. The radar kept rotating and the fog horn blew regularly. There was no hope of seeing an iceberg and we just hoped we didn’t hit one! The crossing of the Strait of Belle Isle from Newfoundland to Labrador takes 90 minutes.

     Labrador is bounded on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south and west by Quebec Province, and is separated from Newfoundland by the Straits of Belle Isle. Labrador is larger but less populated than the better known island. It is remote and undeveloped except for small ports on the coast and a few towns inland.

     Wildlife abounds among the spectacular scenery where culture and heritage is unlike anywhere else in the world. Newfoundland is often referred to as The Rock. Much of the country is considered rural, but a modern vibrant society still retains its Old World charm with a story to be told or a song sung in every bay.

     Labrador is the home of the largest caribou herd in the world. Isolated from the rest of province, it has remained wild. However, Goose Bay has all the amenities of an urban area.

The soil is red and much more plentiful than in Newfoundland. The terrain is different and very green and lush. Larch trees are numerous and the area reminded me a lot of the Scottish highlands.

     Labrador is French meaning arms of gold. In 1520 Fernandez, a Portuguese traveler and landowner, spotted Labrador but did not land. Labrador’s population of 27,000 is spread out over its 300 square kilometers, so the whole area is very rural. Labrador is two and a half times bigger than Newfoundland. The people are proud and self reliant. Innu and Inuit peoples have lived in Labrador for thousands of years and their cultures are rooted in a deep spiritual relationship with the environment.

     Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949 as its tenth province and the seventh largest. Less than one percent of the land is owned by the federal government. The province of Newfoundland is divided into four areas: the beautiful Northern Peninsula where Vikings landed ten centuries ago; the Central and Eastern Regions with their wilderness forests and seaside villages; and the Avalon Region featuring the historic capital of St. Johns.

     The island measures 325 miles north to south and 320 miles east to west and is about the size of Virginia. Mount Caubvick, at 5322 feet, is its highest peak. Newfoundland forms the northern extremity of the Appalachian geological province of North America. Glaciation has left its mark on the area with most hilltops having been scraped bare and many valleys and low-lying areas containing a thick mantle of rocky glacial deposits. The main rivers draining the island are the Exploits, Gander, and Humber. Thousands of lakes, ponds, and bogs are found throughout the province. Many long finger-like lakes have been formed in glacial valleys with the Grand, Red Indian, and Gander lakes being the largest. Newfoundland’s west coast is an endless fascinating natural wonder with cavernous fjords, dense forests, tufted heathlands, ancient mountains from Port aux Bosques in the south to L’Anse aux Meadows in the northern tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula.

     We often saw the Labrador flag flying. The blue, green, and white flag has a spruce twig in the left corner of the white strip representing the five regions and the top three needles represent three peoples, Inuit, Innu and the settlers.

    The people have a good sense of humor and don’t hesitate to poke fun at themselves. They even make s spruce beer, which I guess you either like or hate. The Trans-Labrador highway is only paved in three small spurts. Most of the highway is connected by either dirt road or ferry. We traveled the 55 mile-long section to Red Bay. Caribou are native to the area and 600,000 of them roam the province.

     The Labrador Coastal Drive showed us tundra plateaus, rugged coastal headlands, and valleys thick with fir and spruce forests. Small picturesque fishing villages with populations up to 600 dotted the landscape. The fog lifted and suddenly someone yelled, “ICEBERG!” And sure enough in the distance we could see a big iceberg floating. Actually the icebergs were early that year and most of them had already passed.

      Newfoundland and Labrador form one of Canada’s four Atlantic Provinces. A particular combination of geographical, economic and historical forces has shaped its society. The isolated location, marine environment, work patterns and social relationships developed in a fishing economy and the British and Irish roots of the majority of its people.

     English is the first language of 98 percent of the population. Less than one percent speak French as the first language. There are 4700 Native Americans living in the area.

     The Hudson Bay Company set up an outpost in 1752. Moravian Missionaries arrived in the 1770s establishing the first missions in Northern Labrador. They provided religious, educational and social services to the Inuit peoples. They also traded with them and provided a link with the outside world. In the 1760s England sent a governor to Labrador who soon requested naval help and received 5000 men.