John and Cathy in Newfoundland 2013: Ask Us Anything About Archeology in Newfoundland

July 8

As we are increasingly discovering, the best parts of our vacation are impromptu. Today, that was re-confirmed. When we reached the Sandringham-Eastport area at about 2:00 pm, we stowed our bags at the Prints of Whales (I know, it's a bad pun) B&B and set off with an appallingly inaccurate map supplied by the local tourist people (I figure it was made by grade eight students as a class project). We turned left at a stop sign and found ourselves heading to Burnside where we noticed a somewhat decrepit information centre. We weren't even sure it was open but we walked up a few wooden steps and stepped inside to be greeted by an extremely friendly German shepherd dog, who we later learned was called Sugar. It turns out we were the only visitors. At a table in the corner a man was studiously examining rocks. It turns out his name is Laurie McLean, an archeology prof from Memorial University. Once he ascertained that we were indeed interested in what he was doing and what the purpose of the exhibit was, he provided a mini version of Archaeology 101--the Beothuk People and Their Use of Stone Technology to Enhance Their Lives. Every summer since 1989, he and several amateur archaeologists descend on an area called Bloody Bay Cove where there are now 40 archaeological sites used to study the 5000 year Aboriginal occupation of the region by Beothuk. In particular he has amassed a huge collection of stone (rhyolite) implements, particularly arrow and spear heads, and cutting tools. A video showed the art of flint-knapping--the sheering off of narrow shards of very sharp stone. McLean speaks with such enthusiasm that 50 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. Had he not engaged us in conversation, we would likely have stood around for a couple of moments and declared, "Well, this is pretty boring--just a bunch old black rocks and maps." Instead, the experience became one of the day's highlights.

Backtracking a bit: we left the Lancaster Inn about 8:30 am and headed for the Bonavista Lighthouse, a historical site a few miles north of town at the northern tip of the peninsula. It began operation in 1843. The facility consists of a two-storey light-keeper's house wrapped around the circular masonry tower. The actual light fixture came from Scotland. Outward facing shiny brass domes that revolved on a shaft reflected the light. Lanterns supplied with whale or seal oil supplied the light source.

Just down the hill from the light-house there is an imposing statue of John Cabot who was the first European to set foot on this part of Newfoundland--the Vikings arrived earlier as we'll discover at L'Anse aux Meadows.

Back in Bonavista, we visited a scale-sized replica of Cabot's ship the Matthew. It is housed in a newish building, called the Matthew Legacy, which provides excellent and relevant information on Cabot and his voyage. The sailing ship, which visitors can actually board, is sometimes taken into the harbour in the summer. For some reason, it has not emerged so far in 2013. Its last appearance on water occurred in 2009 for a flashy documentary.

Most towns and villages in Newfoundland seem to have museums--some of them are very good; others display artifacts unimaginatively and with no coherent purpose. Ryan Premises, operated as a National Historical Site, is easily the best museum we've seen so far. It examines in a clear and coherent fashion the history of the fishing industry in Newfoundland. The exhibits are attractive, interesting and intelligently arranged. There are media displays, models, films, artifacts and interactive components. The whole exhibition consists of five buildings which catalogues the dominance of the Ryan family in the fishing industry. Described as shrewd and hard-nosed, the patriarch James Ryan became wealthy by controlling virtually all aspects of fishing--from catching cod, salting and drying it on "flakes" and "stages", manufacturing barrels to ship it, etc. His empire also included premises at Trinity, the commercial hub of the area. The Ryan empire extended well into the 20th century.

We followed the Discovery Trail back to the TransCanada Highway where we made good time until we branched off on the Eastport Peninsula where we passed through Sandringham and Eastport on our way to Salvage (pronounced sal - vage --like age). It's a pretty part of the province with scenery resembling Cape Breton. At Salvage we climbed to a lookout point for a gorgeous view of the harbour.

Our B&B in Sandringham is very agreeable. The room is spacious and comfortably furnished, and the hosts Wayne and Ruth are very friendly and accommodating. He gave us directions to Chucky's (an unprepossessing name if there ever was one) for what turned out to be quite a good restaurant. In keeping with the quest to dine almost exclusively on seafood, John ordered Chucky's Seafood Platter which has calamari, shrimp, scallops, lobster and cod.