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St. Anthony Region
The following profiles cover the area at the tip of the Northern Peninsula.
St. Anthony
St. Anthony was visited by explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534 and it was already established as a summer fishing room by the French. This continued until the 1800's, when it is believed the area was permanently settled by the Patey and Simms families. The first census was taken in 1857, and it showed a population of 71, due to residents moving from the East Coast and the migration to the French Shore. St. Anthony became the largest year-round community in the area with a population of 139 in 1891. In 1900, Dr. Wilfred Grenfell chose St. Anthony as the site for a hospital to serve northern Newfoundland and eventually moved the headquarters of the International Grenfell Association there. In 1927, a marine railway and a drydock were built, but St. Anthony still was an important fishing town. In the 1930s, a salt fish plant was constructed by A.H. Murray and Company and in the 1940's one of the province's first cold storage fish plants was built by Job Brothers. An American radar site was built there in 1951 and by 1962, 250 American servicemen were stationed in St. Anthony. It was incorporated as a town in 1945. St. Anthony was connected by road to the rest of the province. Along with an increase in population due to the resettlement program, the community established itself as the major service for this area. In the 1970s, tourism began to be an important industry for the because of the near by L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park and its connection with Sir Wilfred Grenfell.L'Anse aux Meadows
The community was named L'Anse aux Meaduses (Jellyfish Bay) by French migratory fishermen and its spelling and meaning was later corrupted by the English. The area has also been inhabited by the Maritime Archaic Indians, Dorset Eskimo and Proto-Beothuk. The area gained international attention in 1960 when Helge and Anne Ingstad excavated a Viking settlement here. L'Anse aux Meadows was declared a National Historic Park in 1968 and a World Heritage Site in 1978. The first census was taken in 1874 and showed 57 settlers but after this, the population declined and by 1921 only 15 people remained. In 1924, a cod oil factory opened and a cannery in 1930 but both ventures failed. Tourism and fishing are now the economic main stays of the community.St. Lunaire-Griquet
The area was used by Breton fisherman as early as 1534, when they were visited by Jacques Cartier. The first English settlers arrived in 1849; the Pateys at St. Lunaire and the Hills at Griquet. The first census was taken in 1857, and it showed a population of 22 at St. Lunaire and 28 at Griquet. In 1874, the population had risen to 174 residents. This increase was due to families moving to the area to fish. By 1935, there were 500 residents there and the community became a service centre for the smaller communities around it. It was incorporated as a town in 1958. With the establishment of the L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, tourism has become the primary industry.Ship Cove
The community is spread out over 4km and includes Onion Cove, Western Head, Little Harbour, Tucker's Cove, and West Road. The first settlers of the area were Abel Decker and Henry Beaupre (Beaufield) and family in 1873 at Onion Cove. The first census was taken in 1901 and showed a population of 35 with 15 more settlers at Western Head.St. Anthony Bight
The community was known to the French as St. Mein Bay. It was a fishing station for the French, but was less favoured by them than near by St. Anthony. By the mid 1800s the French fishery was declining in the area and English settlers moved to St. Anthony Bight. The first inhabitant was J. Macey, who was probably a "gardien" of the French premises there. Most of the residents of the community descend from Henry Pilgrim, who moved to the area in the 1850's from Carbonear. In 1873 there were 41 settlers in the community and by 1891 there were 56. After this the population grew more slowly because of the out migration of young people to nearby St. Anthony.St. Carol's
The community, which has also been known as French Bay and St. Charles, is the closest to the fishing grounds of the north. The community was once the site of a minor fishing station for the French. The first settler is believed to be John Ireland. The first recorded settlers were David Hopkins and George Richards.Raleigh
Incorporated as a town in 1973, Raleigh was formerly known a Ha Ha Bay, which is probably from the French "haha", a boundary or fence which could not been seen until closely approached. This describes how nearby Burnt Island appears when looking at it from the sea. The present name was adopted in 1914 in honour of Sir Walter Raleigh. The Basque probably fished here and it was known to the French who fished from Quirpon. The area was being used by the English in the mid-1800s and the first permanent settlers of the community were William and Emily Parmiter in 1871. In 1874 there were 21 residents of the town and by 1934 there were 184. The fishery provided and provides most of the income to the town, but sealing, lumbering and subsistence farming also took place.Quirpon
The name of the community comes from its resemblance to the harbour of Le Kerpont near St. Malo, France. The spelling of the name of the community has varied: Carpon, Carpunt, and Karpoon and it is pronounced to rhyme with harpoon. The community has the most northerly sheltered harbour on the island portion of the province. Jacques Cartier may have visited the harbour and it was one of the centres for the French fishery on the French Shore. Captain James Cook charted the area. The community was one of the earliest sites for a meeting between the Inuit and the Moravian missionary Jens Haven, in 1764. In the 1800s English fishermen began to come to the area to fish. One of the first permanent English settler was Fred Pynn, who was a "gardien" of the French premises there in 1872. The first census was taken in 1857 and showed a population of 69. Until the 1880s French fishermen outnumbered the Newfoundland fishermen in the area. During this time the community became the last stop for vessels on their way to the summer fishery on the Labrador coast. By the 1920s this fishery had come to a halt and the community became a base for the resident inshore fishery. When the road was completed to the community in the 1960s, 47 residents relocated to nearby larger areas and by 1970, the residents of the settlements of Little Quirpon, Fortune, and Jacques Cartier Island had resettled there.Noddy Bay
The community was named by Captain James Cook for the Atlantic fulmar, which nods its head in flight. This area was once a nesting place for these birds. The bay is also known as Baie aux Mauves (Mauve Bay), which is the French name for these birds. The first known English settler was Thomas Spelt, who arrived around 1774. In 1786 he was ordered to leave the community by French who controlled the area. More English settlers came to the area in the mid-1800s to fish and seal. The first census in 1869 showed a population of 34 and the population did not rise above 50 until after Confederation. In addition to fishing, people subsistence farmed and kept some small livestock. In the 1960's a road was built to connect Noddy Bay to the other communities in the area.Great Brehat
The name of the community, which is pronounced "braha", probably originates from the name of an island off the coast of Brittany. Great Brehat was reported as a fishing station on the French Shore as early as the 18th century. The first census was taken in 1857 and showed a population of 30. These settlers were most likely "gardiens" hired to take care of the fishing stations during the winter. This was a popular practice in the fishing rooms along the French Shore. In the early 1900s, a co-operative store was established for the community under the guidance of Sir Wilfred Grenfell. It later became a private enterprise. Between 1956 and 1961, residents of Little Brehat were resettled to Great Brehat. The people of Great Brehat resisted resettlement and demanded a road to the community, and in 1971 a road link was established to other communities on the Northern Peninsula.Cook's Harbour
The harbour was called Bay au Vaire by the French, but the name was changed to Cook's Harbour for and possibly by Captain James Cook after 1764. The harbour was used by Cook as one of his anchorage places along the shore when surveying the coast. It was also one of the last stops for supplies before going to the Labrador fishery. The area was fished by both the French and the English because it was close to the Labrador fishing grounds and to the path of the annual seal migration. The first census of the community was taken in 1869 and it showed a population of 43. It was still used as a base for the migratory fishery by English fishermen until the late 1800s, the French had abandoned the area long before this time. By 1951 nearly 300 people lived in the community, most of these moved there from other areas to fish. Catches from smaller communities were brought there to be distributed to St. John's. Most residents are employed by the fishery, while some log or work in sawmills seasonally. The community was served by coastal steamer until the early 1970s when a road was constructed connecting it the rest of the coast. The town was incorporated in 1956.