44

Placentia is known as the old French capitol of Newfoundland. While it's name is sometimes said to have originated with the French name Plaisance or "Pleasant Place", it was probably named "Plazienca" by the Basque who visited the area long before the French ("Plazienca" is said to mean "a harbour within a womb of hills").

The Basque settled the area in the early 1500's, building the first church on the island. In the 1600's the English and French began to vie for control of Placentia because the harbour offered protection from the elements, it had excellent beaches to dry cod, and was easily defendable if it was attacked.

The French started a colony in the early 1660's and began to fortify the area due to England's growing interest. The French both resisted English attacks on Plaisance and used the settlement as a base from which to attack the English capital of St. John's. However, the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht forced France to cede Plaisance (and all it's other North American holdings) to England.

45

Point Amour Light House
2000
Point Amour, Labrador

46

The tallest lighthouse in Atlantic Canada stands in Point Amour. It was built in 1857 and is now a Provincial Historic Site. The lighthouse itself is still in use today. The buildings surrounding the lighthouse have been restored to the1850's period and are used to display exhibits on maritime history.

47

Port au Choix, Newfoundland
2003
Port au Choix, Newfoundland

48

Port au Choix is a community on the west coast of the Great Northern Peninsula. The area has a long history of settlement, dating back thousands of years to the Maritime Archaic Indians. In the eighteenth century, Europeans visited the area frequently and it soon became the main French fishing station on the west coast. Fishing crews had to contend with shallow water conditions, so long bridges were built out to deeper water, allowing boats to land their fish. Beach flakes were also the main means of drying fish.

A significant permanent English settlement appeared in the area during the nineteenth century. By the mid 1800's there was a small settlement at Port au Choix. The English hunted seals and fished salmon and herring while the French fished for cod. Later, the French would try their hand at the lobster fishery but their influence and presence was on the decline.

49

Quirpon, Newfoundland
2000
Quirpon, Newfoundland

50

Quirpon is a community on the extreme northeastern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula. The earliest fishermen to arrive in the area in the 16th century named this area Quirpon because of its resemblance to Le Kerpont near St. Malo, France. The rich fishing waters in the area made Quirpon one of the centers of the Petit Nord fishery, even though ice in the Strait of Belle Isle kept the fishery from opening early in the spring. In 1763, Captain James Cook surveyed the area and in 1764, one of the first meetings took place here between Moravian missionaries and Inuit people. In the mid 19th century, English settlers started to appear. As the French influence in the area started to wane in the late 19th century, Quirpon took on another role as a supply station for schooners planning to cross the strait to Battle Harbour. Even as late as 1891, the French still had two fishing stations in the area but this was to be short-lived as the French lost all fishing rights in 1904.

51

Red Bay Harbour
2003
Red Bay, Labrador

52

Located on the Southern Labrador coast, Red Bay is a fishing station whose harbour is sheltered by Saddle Island. The community gets its name from the reddish cliffs along the shore. Between 1550 and 1600, Red Bay was the site of a major Basque whaling station called Buttes. Sixteenth century whaling was certainly risky which can be shown by the number of shipwrecks in the area. A Basque ship named San Juan was lost in 1597 near Red Bay and is one of the oldest and best preserved shipwrecks north of the Caribbean - making the area a National Historic Site.

53

St. Anthony, Newfoundland (2003)
2003
St. Anthony, Newfoundland

54

St. Anthony started as a seasonal fishing station for French and Basque fishermen in the early 1500's. Built around a well-protected harbour, it remained principally a French station up until the mid 1800's. At this point, the French allow a few Newfoundland fishermen to settle as long as they guarded the French fishing rooms during the winter and fished only by hook and line. Today, the town of St. Anthony is a major service center for the Great Northern Peninsula.

55

St. Lunaire, Newfoundland
2000
St. Lunaire, Newfoundland

56

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.

57

West St. Modeste, Labrador
2003
West St. Modeste, Labrador