It's often just a chance remark that sets me off on a search for more information and so it was today that I started off looking for more information on the abandoned outports of Newfoundland. First a short bit of history (very short). When Newfoundland became a province of Canada in 1949 the new government took a long look at the more than 1200 isolated villages nestled in the nooks and crannies of the rugged coastline of "the Rock". Faced with the rising costs of providing services to these tiny hamlets - most of which were accessible only by boat - the provincial government and then, later, the federal government offered money to the residents to be relocated to "growth centres" nearby. Entire populations were moved including, in some cases, their houses. But many outports remain as ghost towns now; dilapidated and rotting. Yet the mystery of these places still attracts people and, especially, kayakers. People with the means to get to the more isolated outports, some of which still have houses with beds, furnishings, and old newspapers, in them. The names are quaint and original; Ming's Bight, Indian Burying Place, Tilt Cove and until the 1950s they were home to families who lived and worked - worked the cod fishing grounds and the mines, mostly - their entire lives in tiny communities with no electricity, running water, or schools. Children were often sent off to school in fishing boats piloted by relatives and, when the weather turned foul in the winter, stayed home to learn as best they could. This is a fast-growing sea kayaking adventure grounds and the capitol city, St. John's, has numerous kayak touring companies which are specializing in taking tourists out to see the abandoned outports. And in the summer some of the outports are not entirely abandoned. Former residents, now retired, have returned to live in their childhood homes when the weather is good. And apparently the weather can be quite good in some parts of Newfoundland in the summer. Paddlers can even find B&B's in some outports. Just don't expect much from Indian Burying Ground. For some outport residents the move was a godsend, for others it was a tragedy. Many outport residents were so poor that they couldn't afford to move any more than what they could carry to their new homes. Others moved entire houses across the ice in winter or on barges in the summer. Whatever they thought of the move, the stories are poignant and moving. If you want more information google "newfoundland abandoned outports". The web site www.ezc.ca has a wealth of information about some outports and their history (although the photos didn't work for me). What an adventure to take a modern version of an ancient design and travel back in history. Craig Jungers Not much to do when the snow is calf-deep in... Moses Lake, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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