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Lake Brothers
Sept 1964
Oderin, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, Canada


Credits:
Elizabeth Lake

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Note: 2 separate entries from the personal journals of Matthew Lake Sr.

The Beach Pond

The Beach Pond has changed a great deal over the centuries, the Beach rocks washing in through Lance Cove Gut with the southerly storms and the north westerly winds with its seas piling the beach rocks high and extending the beach towards Castle Island. In the 15th and 16th centuries legend has it there was only a foot path between the pond and the salt water. It's also believed there is an opening between the pond and the salt water the bottom of the pond is about level with low water yet no water comes in or goes out. Any water above a high tide will come through the beach rocks, it may have been a dry dock of some kind or a safe harbour for small boats. Whyt it was planked with Black Oak is also a mystery, in 1967 a core sample was taken and found to be black oak. They tried to pump it out but the pump would get clogged with mud and it became too expensive, so they gave up on the venture. Legend still has it Peter Easton's pirates gold is buried beneath this black oak... Who knows...

For some reason Peter Easton is associated with this pond perhaps because of the black oak plank. This wood only grows in South America and Easton was known to plunder all up the American Coast. Legend has it Peter Easton's boat and another pirate boat faught a battle on Oderin Banks, Easton's boat one the battle. By this time a storm from the south was raging they had another anchorage and more treasure buried in Cape Roger Harbour. This boat crashed on Cape Roger Head, one of the crew scaled the cliff he was hanged from a tree leaving the name Gallow's Harbour. It's believed he told of the beach pond and its treasure trying to save his own life. Local divers have found the ship the water is to deep to work, Peter Wakems Treasure Book on buried treasure described the Beach Pond but omitted the name of the island your guess is as good as mine, maybe with new technology someone will tell us. It's against the law to interfere with these sights.