The
Captain Cook Trail
ROUTE 450
CORNER BROOK TO LITTLE PORT
Corner Brook is the hub of Western Newfoundland and has a population of approximately 25,000. The Tourist Chalet which
is located on Confederation Drive provides a wide variety of tourist information, maps and brochures.
Corner Brook has three major shopping malls: Valley Mall, Millbrook Mall and Corner Brook Plaza, as well as two shopping
areas on Broadway and West Street. There is also a wide selection of accommodations.
From the rolling hills of the 18 hole, par 67 Blomidon golf course, the visitor can take in a panoramic view of the City and
Humber Arm.
The Captain James Cook Monument, which is located on Crow Hill, and marked by a circle on the above photo, is a
National Historic Site with an impressive vantage point for a breathtaking view of the City and Bay of Islands through which this
tour will take you.
This is the beginning of the Captain Cook Trail.
JOHN'S BEACH:
This community's beginning was in the early 1800's and was named after a Mr. John who was one of the first settlers on the
beach. John's Beach was the site of the first Anglican Church in the Bay of Islands, built by Rev. U.Z. Rule in 1866. As you can
see from the picture this setting was very accessible for our early settlers who were fishermen. Being located on the water front
gave all the settlers from around the bay the service they needed.
FRENCHMAN'S COVE :
One of the most scenic communities along the Captain Cook Trail is Frenchman's Cove, located at the foothills of the
Blow-Me-Down Mountains. Frenchman's Cove offers a great view of Guernsey Island, known locally as "Weebald" jutting up
from the ocean.
The community received its name from the first settler, a Frenchman named Prosper Companion.
When the first settlers landed in Frenchman's Cove, the Bay of Islands had a plentiful supply of fish and quickly grew into a
major fishing port. Today as you enter Frenchman's Cove you can see fishing boats of all sizes tied up at the public wharf. This
cove is almost directly across from Woods Island and during the summer many people travel back and forth by boat between
these two points.
LARK HARBOUR :
Named after another one of Captain Cook's Ships, the H.M.S. Lark, Lark Harbour is the sister community of York Harbour.
From the top of Murrin's Hill, as you enter Lark Harbour, the view of this community nestled between the harbour and the
mountains is unforgettable.
The community was incorporated in 1974 and includes Bottle Cove and Little Port. The Blow-Me-Down Provincial Park is the
pride of York Harbour and Lark Harbour, offering both long and short hiking trails and an observation tower. Governor's
Staircase (stairs in a cave) is an especially interesting attraction.
The Blow-Me-Down Park also features: 28 excellent campsites; 30 day use sites; washrooms with showers; a Laundromat;
and a recreational vehicle dumping station.
BLOW-ME-DOWN MOUNTAINS :
These Mountains are a geologist's de-light and are snow capped until mid-summer. The waterfalls and cliffs in this picture
provide a perfect setting for the photographer.
According to legend its unusual name was given when Captain Messervey, who was a short fellow standing just 4'2", sailed his
ships into the Bay of Islands. Upon seeing the magnificent mountains, he prayed that they wouldn't "Blow-me-Down".
After a short distance you will cross Blow-Me-Down Brook. On a hot summer's day this area is well populated as there is an
excellent swimming hole a short distance up the brook.
After passing Blow-Me-Down Brook Bridge, at the top of the hill, there is a beautiful Nature Trail. This boardwalk trail,
known as BLOW-ME-DOWN, is 5 kilometres long and leads to many water falls and natural swimming holes. For those
wishing to go for a short walk, a 15 to 20 minute trek will bring you to an area by the brook that is breathtaking in beauty. The
trail also provides one with an opportunity to see many plants, wild roses, blueberries and partridgeberries. The PITCHER
PLANT, which is Newfoundland's official flower, can be commonly seen along this trail.
PARTRIDGEBERRY:
The Partridgeberry is a North American trailing plant of the madder family, having evergreen leaves, fragrant white flowers
and scarlet berries. These berries can be found on most mountains in the Bay of Islands area. Whether you try partridgeberry
pie or partridgeberry grunt you are in for a real treat.
HOME OF THE BASQUES:
The Basques are a group of people who live in the Pyrenees Mountains, on both sides of the border between France and
Spain. It is too often forgotten that the western shores of Newfoundland were once known as "La Cote Des Basques" (Home
of the Basques) and that many of the places named along this rugged coastline are in Basque origin. When Basque fishermen
started coming to the West Coat about 400 years ago no other Europeans had used the fishing grounds on the western side of
the island. The names the Basques first gave to the areas where they established fishing stations were in most cases adopted
later by the French and English fishermen. They can still be found on modern maps.
Although Jacques Cartier named various capes and harbours on the West Coast during his exploration of the Gulf in 1534, his
place names were never adopted by fishermen and were entirely superseded by the Basque names.
Governor's Island in York Harbour was a popular fishing station for Basque and the later French fisheries. Sword Point, agravel spit on the southwest side of the island was known as a particularly good place for drying fish. This island was not,
however, the only part of the Bay of Islands used by the Basques, nor was cod fishing their only occupation.
Seal Island, adjoining Governor's Island, is a name that adds weight to the report of Captain Duhaldy. In 1714, that there was
an abundance of seal' in the Bay of Islands, which at the time was called "Les Trois Isles" or "The Bay of Three Islands". We
know that Basques took considerable quantities of sealskins back to their home port where they were used by shoemakers for
making boots and other type of footwear.
The three largest islands in the mouth of Bay of Islands can be seen from far out at sea and are the reason for the bay's original
name, even though there are really many more than three islands. Cook called them Guernsey, Tweed and Pearl when he
surveyed the coast nearly two and a half centuries later.
Barkham, 1989
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