Cape Shore
Encyclopedia
Overview
The Cape Shore is a region on the southwestern portion of the Avalon PeninsulaAvalon Peninsula
The Avalon Peninsula is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland.The peninsula is home to 257,223 people, which is approximately 51% of Newfoundland's population in 2009, and is the location of the provincial capital, St. John's. It is connected to the...
on the island of Newfoundland.
Often confused or conflated with the Southern Shore (a rural district with strong Irish-Newfoundland heritage stretching south from St. John's
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is the oldest English-founded city in North America. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. With a population of 192,326 as of July 1, 2010, the St...
to Trepassey), the Cape Shore is similarly rural and populated by Irish Newfoundlanders, but is geographically distinct. It is named for Cape St. Mary's
Cape St. Mary's
The headland of Cape St. Mary's is located at the southern tip of the south-western arm of the Avalon Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Cape St...
, the southeastern tip of Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay
Placentia Bay is a body of water on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. It is formed by Burin Peninsula on the west and Avalon Peninsula on the east. Fishing grounds in the bay were used by native people long before the first European fishermen arrived in the 16th century. For a time, the...
, celebrated in the famous Newfoundland ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary's.
The Cape Shore begins south of Placentia
Placentia
Placentia may refer to:* Palace of Placentia, an English Royal Palace* Placentia, California, United States* Placentia, Italy* Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada* Battle of Placentia* Placentia Bay, the name of two ships of the Royal Navy...
and continues along the eastern shore of Placentia Bay, rounding Cape St. Mary's to include the St. Mary's Bay
St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
- St. Mary's Bay :St. Mary's Bay is one of many bays in Newfoundland, where bay is taken as a regional subdivision, somewhat along the lines of county divisions...
communities of Point Lance
Point Lance, Newfoundland and Labrador
Point Lance is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 119 in the Canada 2006 Census. It has a nearby beach.-See also:* List of cities and towns in Newfoundland and Labrador...
and Branch
Branch, Newfoundland and Labrador
The Town of Branch is an incorporated community on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and has a population of 309 . It is located on St. Mary's Bay and can be accessed via Route 100 or Route 92. Nearby communities include Point Lance and St...
(because Branch and Point Lance are approximately 40 km away from the next St. Mary's Bay community, North Harbour
North Harbour, Newfoundland and Labrador
North Harbour, St. Mary's Bay, Newfoundland is a fishing community located on both sides of a long, narrow inlet of the same name. While the harbour is open to southwest winds, it is clear of dangers beyond its shores, and is sheltered enough to have been a refuge for many vessels in the past...
, but only 16 km from the largest Cape Shore community, St. Bride's
St. Bride's, Newfoundland and Labrador
St. Bride's is a small town on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland, Canada. Located 166 km Southwest of the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, St. Bride's is a fishing community with a population of approximately 450 persons. The largest codfish ever caught, weighing in at...
, they are included in the Cape Shore despite technically being in a different bay).
History
Although nearby to Placentia, French capital of Newfoundland until 1713 and important English town afterwards, the Cape Shore was largely uninhabited until the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the Placentia merchants Saunders and Sweetman began bringing settlers there from the area around WaterfordWaterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
, Ireland. The river valleys of the Cape Shore are relatively fertile areas suitable for types of small-scale farming, a rarity in Newfoundland, and communities like St. Bride's and Angels Cove
Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove, Newfoundland and Labrador
Patrick's Cove-Angels Cove is a designated place on the Cape Shore of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada. The area was first settled by James Coffey in the early 19th century. James had moved to Newfoundland from County Waterford, Ireland to work at Placentia's Saunders and Sweetman firm...
were originally settled as farming communities, not fishing communities like most settlements in Newfoundland. To this day, commercial sheep, dairy, and vegetable farms are in operation on the Cape Shore.http://www.avalongateway.ca/default.php?display=modWorkplan&do=viewWorkplanElement&wid=14
However, the Cape Shore is adjacent to what were some of the richest fishing grounds in the world, as exhibited in the old Newfoundland saying Cape St. Mary's pays for all (meaning, losses incurred during a poor fishing year could be recouped by a quick fishing trip to Cape St. Mary's). By the latter part of the 19th century, fishing was the main occupation, and continues to be important today, despite the fishing industry
Fishing industry
The fishing industry includes any industry or activity concerned with taking, culturing, processing, preserving, storing, transporting, marketing or selling fish or fish products....
's woes in the last 15 years (including the devastating Atlantic cod
Atlantic cod
The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as cod, codling or haberdine....
moratorium)http://www.avalongateway.ca/default.php?display=modWorkplan&do=viewWorkplanElement&wid=14.
Today, tourism is an important industry. The Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve
Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is a wildlife reserve located near Cape St. Mary's on the Cape Shore, on the southwestern Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland.It is home to one of Newfoundland's largest seabird colonies...
, just south of St. Bride's, draws thousands of visitors every year. Its rolling green hyper-oceanic barrens
Barrens
Barrens may refer to:* Pine barrens, a type of ecosystem found in the Northeastern United States** Pine Barrens , a pine barren in the state of New Jersey...
and meadows drop 400 feet (121.9 m) down dramatic sea-cliffs to the pounding surf below. The bird colony on 'bird rock' is the reserve's largest draw, however.
During the breeding season, it is home to 24,000 Northern gannet, 20,000 black-legged kittiwake, 20,000 common murre, and 2,000 thick-billed murre. In addition, more than 100 pairs of razorbill, more than 60 pairs of black guillemot, plus double-crested and great cormorant, and Northern fulmar nest there.http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/parks/wer/r_csme/
All of these birds nest on or around a 400 feet (121.9 m) high stack of rock, mere metres from the shore. A pleasant 15 minute walk along the coast from the Interpretation Centre's parking lot brings visitors to the observation point, a mere 10 metres from as many as 60,000 nesting birds. It is one of North America's largest seabird colonies, but it is without doubt the very most accessible.http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/parks/wer/r_csme/
Communities on the Cape Shore
The communities of the Cape Shore include:- Little Barasway ('Barasway' is a Newfoundland EnglishNewfoundland EnglishNewfoundland English is a name for several accents and dialects thereof the English found in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these differ substantially from the English commonly spoken elsewhere in Canada...
word meaning barachoisBarachoisA barachois is a term used in Atlantic Canada and Saint Pierre and Miquelon to describe a coastal lagoon separated from the ocean by a sand or shingle bar...
) - Big Barasway or Great Barasway
- Ship CoveShip CoveThere are many small communities called Ship Cove; most are in Newfoundland.*Ship Cove may refer to Botwood, Newfoundland and Labrador* It is also a very small Cape Shore farming community on the southwestern Avalon Peninsula There are many small communities called Ship Cove; most are in...
(home to Spyglass Creamery, a traditional dairy) - Gooseberry Cove (formerly a provincial park; home to a sandy beach popular with locals; praised for its beauty by Rex MurphyRex MurphyRex Murphy is a Canadian commentator and author, primarily on Canadian political and social matters.Murphy was born in Carbonear, Newfoundland, 105 kilometres west of St. John's and is the second of five children of Harry and Marie Murphy...
, originally from the Placentia area, in his book Points of ViewPoints of ViewPoints of View is a long-running television show shown in the United Kingdom on BBC One, featuring the letters of viewers offering praise, criticism and purportedly witty observations on the television of recent weeks...
) - Patrick's Cove
- Angels Cove
- Cuslett (home to the Tramore Theatre, an innovative cultural institution that celebrates and preserves the endangered culture of the Cape Shore)
- St. Bride'sSt. Bride's, Newfoundland and LabradorSt. Bride's is a small town on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland, Canada. Located 166 km Southwest of the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, St. Bride's is a fishing community with a population of approximately 450 persons. The largest codfish ever caught, weighing in at...
(the administrative centre for the Cape Shore, home to several business and a K-12 school, Fatima Academy) - Point Lance (home to a pure white sand beach approximately 1 miles (1.6 km) long)
- Branch, Newfoundland and LabradorBranch, Newfoundland and LabradorThe Town of Branch is an incorporated community on the Cape Shore of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and has a population of 309 . It is located on St. Mary's Bay and can be accessed via Route 100 or Route 92. Nearby communities include Point Lance and St...
Population
According to the 2006 census, Division 1 Subdivision C includes the unincorporated communities from Big Barasway/Great Barasway south to Cuslett. Its population was 185 in 2006 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1001214&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&SearchText=Angels%20Cove&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=.St. Bride's had a population of 386 in 2006 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1001228&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&SearchText=St.%20Bride's&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=. Point Lance had 119 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1001225&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&SearchText=Point%20Lance&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=, and Branch had 309 http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1001219&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&SearchText=Branch&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom=.
Thus, it is possible to estimate the population of the Cape Shore as 999 people in 2006. This is an 11% decline from 2001, when the sum of these 3 towns and one census subdivision was 1,117.
See also
- St. Mary's BaySt. Mary's BaySt. Marys Bay is a bay located in western Nova Scotia, Canada, in Digby County.A sub-basin of the Gulf of Maine, the bay's southeastern shore is formed by mainland Nova Scotia, while its northwestern shore is formed by the Digby Neck, Long Island and Brier Island.The bay bifurcates the two...
- Cape St. Mary's Ecological ReserveCape St. Mary's Ecological ReserveCape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve is a wildlife reserve located near Cape St. Mary's on the Cape Shore, on the southwestern Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland.It is home to one of Newfoundland's largest seabird colonies...
- Irish NewfoundlandersIrish NewfoundlandersIn modern Newfoundland , many Newfoundlanders are of Irish descent. According to the Statistics Canada 2006 census, 21.5% of Newfoundlanders claim Irish ancestry...
- Newfoundland IrishNewfoundland IrishNewfoundland Irish is an extinct dialect of the Irish language specific to the island of Newfoundland, Canada. It was very similar to Munster Irish, as spoken in the southeast of Ireland, due to mass immigration from the counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary, and Cork.-Irish settlement...