Bonavista Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Bonavista Peninsula is a large peninsula on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
.
The peninsula runs 85 km northeast from a 19 km wide isthmus
and measures between 15–40 km in width. It separates Bonavista Bay
in the north from Trinity Bay
to the south.
, immediately north of Clarenville
. Continuing east the peninsula's south shore includes the communities of Trinity
and Catalina
ending at its easternmost tip at Cape Bonavista
. The north shore of the peninsula includes the communities of Bonavista
, Summerville
and Musgravetown to Port Blandford
.
The highways servicing the Bonavista Peninsula are Route 230
, Route 233, Route 235
, Route 237
, Route 238
, and many local roads. The Newfoundland Railway
also had a branch built from Clarenville to Bonavista, later called the Bonavista Subdivision by CN Rail
's Terra Transport
division. It was abandoned in 1984, four years before the railway's mainline was abandoned across the island.
explorer John Cabot
is reported to have landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497 claiming this part of the New World for the King of England.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
The peninsula runs 85 km northeast from a 19 km wide isthmus
Isthmus
An isthmus is a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas usually with waterforms on either side.Canals are often built through isthmuses where they may be particularly advantageous to create a shortcut for marine transportation...
and measures between 15–40 km in width. It separates Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay is a large bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It opens directly onto the Atlantic Ocean....
in the north from Trinity Bay
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Trinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...
to the south.
Geography
Starting at the Trinity Bay side it commences at the northeastern part of the bay at Shoal HarbourShoal Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
Shoal Harbour is a small community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, linked to and under the same Municipality of Clarenville.-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
, immediately north of Clarenville
Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Clarenville is a Canadian town on the east coast of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Clarenville was incorporated in 1951 and is located in the Shoal Harbour valley fronting an arm of the Atlantic Ocean called Random Sound....
. Continuing east the peninsula's south shore includes the communities of Trinity
Trinity, Newfoundland and Labrador
Trinity is a small town located on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland and Labrador.The harbour at Trinity was first used by fishing ships around the 16th century. The Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real is said to have named this place because he arrived here on Trinity Sunday in 1501. It was settled by...
and Catalina
Catalina, Newfoundland and Labrador
Catalina is a community located on the eastern side of the Bonavista Peninsula, in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. Catalina adjoins the union town of Port Union, the town built for and home to the Fisherman's Union Company established by Sir William Coaker.The name of the town is purported by...
ending at its easternmost tip at Cape Bonavista
Cape Bonavista
Cape Bonavista is a headland located on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.It is located at the northeastern tip of the Bonavista Peninsula, which separates Trinity Bay to the south from Bonavista Bay to the north.The nearby town of...
. The north shore of the peninsula includes the communities of Bonavista
Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bonavista is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5 square...
, Summerville
Summerville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Summerville is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
and Musgravetown to Port Blandford
Port Blandford, Newfoundland and Labrador
Port Blandford is a town in eastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division No. 7 on Clode Sound. The population in 1940 was 539 and 631 by 1956.According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:*Population: 580...
.
The highways servicing the Bonavista Peninsula are Route 230
Newfoundland and Labrador Route 230
Route 230 is the main Bonavista Peninsula Highway, commencing from Route 1 at Thorburn Lake, about 10-15 kilometres north of Clarenville and proceeding all the way to Bonavista at the end of the Peninsula....
, Route 233, Route 235
Newfoundland and Labrador Route 235
Route 235, commonly called the Bonavista Bay Highway or Road, branches off from Route 230 at about the midpoint between Lethbridge and Port Rexton...
, Route 237
Newfoundland and Labrador Route 237
Route 237 is a bypass road linking Catalina, Trinity Bay with Newman's Cove, Bonavista Bay .There are no other communities along this highway and no other highways intersect it....
, Route 238
Newfoundland and Labrador Route 238
Route 238, though short, has two slightly disjointed components : the Elliston Road and the Cape Bonavista Road .- The Elliston Road :...
, and many local roads. The Newfoundland Railway
Newfoundland Railway
The Newfoundland Railway was a railway which operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of , it was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America.-Early construction:...
also had a branch built from Clarenville to Bonavista, later called the Bonavista Subdivision by CN Rail
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
's Terra Transport
Terra Transport
Terra Transport was the name for the Newfoundland Transportation Division, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian National Railway , created in 1979 as a means to organize the company's operations on the island of Newfoundland.-Background:...
division. It was abandoned in 1984, four years before the railway's mainline was abandoned across the island.
History
This peninsula contains some of the oldest settlements on the island of Newfoundland, particularly the towns of Bonavista and Trinity. EnglishKingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
explorer John Cabot
John Cabot
John Cabot was an Italian navigator and explorer whose 1497 discovery of parts of North America is commonly held to have been the first European encounter with the continent of North America since the Norse Vikings in the eleventh century...
is reported to have landed at Cape Bonavista in 1497 claiming this part of the New World for the King of England.
Economy
The communities and towns on the Bonavista Peninsula are in a slow decline as the importance of the fishing industry decreases. Geographically isolated from major population centres, the provincial government has been attempting to diversify the local economy; most notably in tourism where the region is blessed with spectacular landscapes adjacent to the ocean.Communities
- Shoal HarbourShoal Harbour, Newfoundland and LabradorShoal Harbour is a small community in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, linked to and under the same Municipality of Clarenville.-See also:* List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Burgoynes CoveBurgoyne's Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorBurgoyne's Cove is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- Trinity
- Port RextonPort Rexton, Newfoundland and LabradorPort Rexton is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 690 in 1940, 449 in 1951, 454 in 1956 and 351 in the Canada 2006 Census. The town is part of a group of communities known as the Trinity Bight....
- MelroseMelrose, Newfoundland and LabradorMelrose is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador.In 2005 Melrose was amalgamated with Catalina and Port Union to form the town of Trinity Bay North....
- Port UnionPort Union, Newfoundland and LabradorPort Union is an interesting and historical community on the east side of the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland Canada.William Coaker founded the town as the base for the Fisherman's Protective Union in 1917....
- CatalinaCatalina, Newfoundland and LabradorCatalina is a community located on the eastern side of the Bonavista Peninsula, in the province of Newfoundland, Canada. Catalina adjoins the union town of Port Union, the town built for and home to the Fisherman's Union Company established by Sir William Coaker.The name of the town is purported by...
- Little Catalina
- EllistonElliston, Newfoundland and LabradorElliston is an incorporated fishing settlement situated on the Bonavista Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada. Incorporated in 1965, the town of Elliston was once called Bird Island Cove and it is composed of a number of communities, North Side, Noder Cover, Elliston Centre, Elliston Point, Porter's...
- BonavistaBonavista, Newfoundland and LabradorBonavista is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5 square...
- Newmans Cove
- Knights Cove
- Kings CoveKing's Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorKing's Cove is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 121 in the Canada 2006 Census. In 1940 it had a population of 345 and in 1956 it was 262. The Post Office was established in 1851. Its founder was James Aylward from Keels. Who was born in...
- KeelsKeels, Newfoundland and LabradorKeels is a small community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, located about 3 kilometers from Duntara. Its population is about 70. The earlier population figures show it had 372 in 1940 and 206 in 1956....
- Tickle CoveTickle Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorTickle Cove is a settlement located north west of Catalina. The first postmaster was John Maloney. The population was 115 in 1951.-See also:*List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador...
- Open HallOpen Hall, Newfoundland and LabradorOpen Hall-Red Cliffe is a designated place in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-History:Open Hall was settled around 1770 by Joseph Batt. Joseph Batt held a fishing room in Greenspond in 1769, however he moved from there to Open Hall in the next year...
- Red Cliffe
- Plate Cove EastPlate Cove East, Newfoundland and LabradorPlate Cove East is a small community located in Bonavista Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. It is part of the federal electoral riding of Bonavista--Gander--Grand Falls--Windsor....
- Plate Cove WestPlate Cove West, Newfoundland and LabradorPlate Cove West is a village located west of Catalina. The first Postmistress was Catherine Jane Walsh.The population of Plate Cove West is approximately 174 residents as of 2010. Most residents are employed buy the local fish plant or as fishermen...
- SummervilleSummerville, Newfoundland and LabradorSummerville is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- PrincetonPrinceton, Newfoundland and LabradorPrinceton is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- Southern BaySouthern Bay, Newfoundland and LabradorSouthern Bay is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- CharlestonCharleston, Newfoundland and LabradorCharleston is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- Sweet BaySweet Bay, Newfoundland and LabradorSweet Bay is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- LethbridgeLethbridge, Newfoundland and LabradorThe community of Lethbridge is located from Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador along Route 234, on the Cabot Highway, to Bonavista, and has a population of roughly 900....
- BloomfieldBloomfield, Newfoundland and LabradorBloomfield is located on the east coast of Newfoundland, approximately 230 kilometers from the capital city of St. John’s and approximately 95 kilometers from Bonavista....
- Musgravetown
- Cannings CoveCanning's Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorCanning's Cove is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador....
- Bunyans CoveBunyan's Cove, Newfoundland and LabradorBunyan's Cove is a settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador.Bunyan's Cove is located in a small cove on the south side of Clode Sound, about 15 minutes from Port Blandford on Route 233....
- Port BlandfordPort Blandford, Newfoundland and LabradorPort Blandford is a town in eastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is in Division No. 7 on Clode Sound. The population in 1940 was 539 and 631 by 1956.According to the 2001 Statistics Canada Census:*Population: 580...