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Historic French Communities Today
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Argentia (ca. 1995) 1995 (?) Argentia, Newfoundland
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In 1904, Petit Plaisance was re-named Argentia by Parish Priest Father John St.John after the discovery of silver deposits in the area (the future Silver Cliff Mine - "argent" being the French word for silver). The name change is also said to be a result of growing tensions between the residents of Little Placentia and Great Placentia.
Then in 1941, the U.S. was given permission to build a base in Argentia. Before the base was built, the community was resettled in Freshwater. The graveyard was exhumed and the remains of those buried there were buried in Placentia. The base was one of the largest naval bases built outside the U.S. during World War II. It was the operational headquarters for ships combating enemy submarines. The base also played an important role during the Cold War.
The Argentia base was closed on October 1st, 1994, after fifty four years of service. Afterwards, all the apartment buildings, the hotel and most of the base itself was destroyed. Today, Argentia is an industrial park, site of the ferry dock between Argentia and North Sydney, N.S.
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Battle Harbour, Labrador 2000 (?) Battle Harbour, Labrador
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Battle Harbour is located between Battle Island and Great Caribou Island off the coast of southeastern Labrador. There is some uncertainty surrounding the origin of name "Battle Harbour"; it may possibly be derived from the Portugese word "batal" or boat.
Battle Harbour's first permanent settlers were fishermen, carpenters, apprentices and servants. With the government-sponsored relocation of the residents and the decline of the fishery in the area, Battle Harbour was turned over to the Battle Harbour Historic Trust. Numerous historic structures, walkways and work areas have been restored or reinstated and a collection of more than 300 artifacts related to the fishery and everyday life are on display. It was designated a National Historic District on August 7th, 1999.
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Black Duck Brook, Newfoundland 2003 Black Duck Brook, Newfoundland
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Black Duck Brook was named because of the many ducks in the area. The first people to settle permanently in Black Duck Brook arrived in the 1840's. Some of the first families to live in the area were the Benoits (1852-1856), the Bosecs (1888), the Buissons and the Felixes (1844) and the Roblets (1870). Black Duck Brook's economy was completely dependant on the lobster fishery until 1904.
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Blanc Sablon, Quebec 2000 (?) Blanc Sablon, Quebec
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Although Blanc Sablon is located in Quebec, it was once within Newfoundland territory and is now just west of the modern Labrador border. It was originally named "Anse Sablon" which means "Sandy Cove". Over time, due to mispronunciation and corruption of the name, it has changed to Blanc Sablon, which means "White Sand". Blanc Sablon did not become a permanent settlement until the 19th Century. It was the principal fishing station on the Labrador Coast with over 300 people residing during the fishing season.
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Bonne Bay, Newfoundland 2003 Bonne Bay, Newfoundland
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Bonne Bay is a small bay located about halfway up the west coast of the island. It is a scenic spot with high mountains and a great view of the tablelands (a mountainous plateau thrust up from the earth's mantle during the collision of the American and European tectonic plates 300 million years ago).
Bonne Bay appears on maps dating back to the late 17th century as Belle Bay, the French word for good or beautiful. Due to the bay's deep, relatively ice-free waters, the area was frequented by French ships who fished the waters at the mouth of the bay.
According to records, English settlement did not appear until the early 19th century. However, the population remained small until the late 19th century when the population started to rise dramatically. This was due to two events: the French followed the lobster fishery north and the herring fishery which was plentiful in and around Bonne Bay.
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Cape St. George, Newfoundland 2003 Cape St. George, Newfoundland
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Cape St. George was founded by a man named Guillaume Robin, from Roche-Derrin, Brittany, after he deserted ship in 1837. Throughout the 1800's, the village's population was composed of deserters. There is some confusion as to where the name "Cape St. George" came from. Some believe it was named in honor of the King of England; others believe that the origin came from the Basque.
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Conche, Newfoundland 2000 (?) Conche, Newfoundland
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Located on the eastern shore of the Great Northern Peninsula, Conche is a fishing community on the sheltered south side of the Conche Peninsula. It was speculated that the name Conche is possibly derived from the French family name Chibon or Chiban or from an abbey in Normandy named Conches. Local tradition maintains that the settlement is named for the conch, a shellfish in the area, or from the shape of the peninsula which resembles the shellfish. For centuries, Conche was used as a seasonal French fishing station. From 1713 to 1904 Conche came within the boundaries of the French Shore and it was a major site of the French Shore fishing activities. The last French fishing rooms were abandoned in 1867 but the French fishermen continued to frequent the area until the French Shore was abolished in 1904.
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Croque, Newfoundland (2003) 2003 Croque, Newfoundland
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A small fishing village south of St. Anthony on the east side of the Great Northern Peninsula, Croque, or Croc, as it was once known by the French, is situated at Épine Cadoret inlet on the northwest shore of the bay known as Croque Harbour. Croque Harbour is long, narrow and curving towards its head, in a shape somewhat like a hook. The settlement may take its name from this physical characteristic. "Croc" means boat hook in French. With easy access and an almost completely landed-locked harbour, Croque was one of the principal fishing stations on the French Shore. From the 1600's to the 1800's, the French came to Croque for the summer fishing season. In 1640, Croque was pronounced the place of registration for all ships fishing the Petit Nord. Once the fishing season was over, they sailed back to the European markets and their homes in France.
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Forteau, Labrador 2003 Forteau, Labrador
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Forteau was a service centre for the Labrador Straits Fishery. When translated, the community’s name means "Strong Water" perhaps because of the strong tides in the area. There has been evidence that the Maritime Archaic Indians had settled here in 5560 B.C. Later, the Basque used this harbour as a whaling station. In 1757, the French built a garrison in the area. Forteau was used by Europeans because of the good fishing grounds and the seals’ migratory path which passed through the area.
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Grandois – St. Julien’s, Newfoundland
2003 Grandois - St. Julien's, Newfoundland
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From the mid 17th to the mid 19th century, Grandois and St. Julien's were known as separate communities and were used extensively as migratory fishing stations by French fishermen out of the Breton Port of St. Malo. Together along with neighboring St. Julien's Island, the three communities accounted for 15% of French activity on the shore.
The communities were used as French summer fishing stations as late as 1848. However, by 1874 the French had moved their operations further north, abandoning the communities.
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Griquet from Camel’s Hump (ca. 1999) 1999 Griquet, Newfoundland
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Located near the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula, St. Lunaire-Griquet is a municipality about 20 km northeast of St. Anthony. The first English settlers at St. Lunaire-Griquet were likely guardians, who oversaw the French fishing premises during the winter months and were in return permitted to fish on grounds reserved for the French. By 1872, there was no longer a French presence in the area.
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Labrador City 2000 (?) Labrador City, Labrador
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Located near the Quebec border in Western Labrador, on the shores of Little Wabush Lake, Labrador City is a mining community of approximately 8600 people. The Labrador City area, also known as the "Iron Ore Capital of Canada", was first mapped in 1894 by Albert Peter Low, a Canadian government geologist. Although a body of iron ore was discovered in 1936, it was not until 1958 that development of the mining operations in the area began. In 1959, construction of a town site commenced and by 1960, 1200 people lived in the area.
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L'Anse Amour, Labrador 2003 L'Anse Amour, Labrador
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L’Anse Amour was originally named "Anse aux Morts", which means "Cove of the Dead", because of the many shipwrecks and deaths that occurred in the area. By 1820, this cove was a fishing and sealing station used by the Europeans that settled in the area.
Over time, the name had changed to "L’Anse Amour" which means "Cove of Love". L’Anse Amour is also a National Historic Site because of the discovery of a Maritime Archaic Indian burial mound that dates back to 5000 B.C.
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