Port Saunders, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Port Saunders is a community of 876 located in Newfoundland and Labrador
, Canada
. It had a population of 336 in 1940 and 522 in 1956.
Port Saunders had its real beginning when a ship named the "Modest" under the command of Captain Arnold from Halifax, Nova Scotia
arrived with lumber
to build a lobster
canning factory for "Shurhand & Forest". When completed, the factory was sold to James Singer from Nova Scotia
. He built the first house and was followed by more settlers from nearby settlements who were interested in the lobster fishery. The factory operated until 1960 when it was shut down because it was considered no longer profitable. In addition to the lobster fishery, people began to fish cod and herring. Everyone grew their own garden vegetables. In the meantime, the French Settlers had built their rooms on Kepple Island. They had their own fishing boats and would salt and later dry their fish before sending it back to France. In addition to the cod fishery, they used nets to drag the rivers for salmon which they split and sent back to France.
In 1958, Cyde House built the first fish plant in the area which split and salted codfish. This led the way for further economic development of the town. The following year saw the addition of a general store, post office
, and even a commercial wharf was built.
Port Saunders has a well protected harbour, and relies to a large extent on the fishing industry. There are many fishing stores and wharves lining the harbour side road. The Marine Centre, servicing the large fishing fleet, is open to visitors.
In years past, when boats were the dominant mode of travel, Port Saunders was a major port of call. Evidence of this remains in some of the old buildings on the wharves.
Near the mouth of the harbour is Keppel Island
where the lighthouse guides the harbour entrance. The lighthouse was a kerosene burning lighthouse when it was first built in 1901. The island itself was a Spanish burial ground, and later French settlers built houses on the island. Today, tourists can visit the island and view the lighthouse
.
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...
, Canada
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...
. It had a population of 336 in 1940 and 522 in 1956.
History
The town of Port Saunders got its name when three British war ships returned from Battle Harbour, Labrador. A ship under the command of "Admiral Saunders" came here and Port Saunders bears his name to the present day.Port Saunders had its real beginning when a ship named the "Modest" under the command of Captain Arnold from Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
arrived with lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
to build a lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
canning factory for "Shurhand & Forest". When completed, the factory was sold to James Singer from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
. He built the first house and was followed by more settlers from nearby settlements who were interested in the lobster fishery. The factory operated until 1960 when it was shut down because it was considered no longer profitable. In addition to the lobster fishery, people began to fish cod and herring. Everyone grew their own garden vegetables. In the meantime, the French Settlers had built their rooms on Kepple Island. They had their own fishing boats and would salt and later dry their fish before sending it back to France. In addition to the cod fishery, they used nets to drag the rivers for salmon which they split and sent back to France.
In 1958, Cyde House built the first fish plant in the area which split and salted codfish. This led the way for further economic development of the town. The following year saw the addition of a general store, post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, and even a commercial wharf was built.
Port Saunders has a well protected harbour, and relies to a large extent on the fishing industry. There are many fishing stores and wharves lining the harbour side road. The Marine Centre, servicing the large fishing fleet, is open to visitors.
In years past, when boats were the dominant mode of travel, Port Saunders was a major port of call. Evidence of this remains in some of the old buildings on the wharves.
Near the mouth of the harbour is Keppel Island
Keppel Island
Keppel Island is one of the Falkland Islands, lying between Saunders Island and Pebble Island, and near Golding Island to the north of West Falkland on Keppel Sound. It has an area of and its highest point, Mt Keppel, is high. There is a wide, flat valley in the centre of the island with...
where the lighthouse guides the harbour entrance. The lighthouse was a kerosene burning lighthouse when it was first built in 1901. The island itself was a Spanish burial ground, and later French settlers built houses on the island. Today, tourists can visit the island and view the lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
.