Blanc Sablon
Visitors read about the prehistoric aboriginal people who lived along the Blanc Sablon River
Blanc Sablon is located at the coastal border of Quebec and Labrador. It has a history far older then its Old French name, which describes the white sandy beach of its shoreline. Along the banks of the Blanc Sablon River are the remnants of aboriginal sites dating back 8000 years. They are now a National Historic Site as one of the earliest human habitations in the region. The river has always provided good fishing; its salmon run attracted seals, which in turn brought aboriginal and European hunters to pursue them. In all seasons, the river was a route to and from the Labrador interior, used by the Innu and their ancestors, as well as European fur trappers and hunters.
From the very beginning of the European cod fishery in the 1500s, Blanc Sablon was a harbour for fishing vessels from France, Spain, Portugal, Basque country and England. By the early 18th century, New France concessions had fishing stations at Blanc Sablon and nearby Ile au Bois to exploit salmon and seal fisheries as well as cod. The station changed from French to English hands at the end of the 18th century and was eventually bought by the St. John’s, Newfoundland firm of Job Brothers.
Like many of the communities in the Labrador Straits, permanent settlement grew slowly in the early 19th century when station shore workers and artisans began over-wintering as part of their contracts. Fishermen from around the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Britain’s Channel Islands saw the possibility of their economic improvement and began moving in as well. The arrival of the Job Brothers firm, anglicized the community, but nearby Lourdes de Blanc Sablon has remained primarily French. Today is the bigger of the two communities.
For over a century Blanc Sablon was a principal shipping depot for the fishing families on the Lower North Shore who depended on trading ships from Quebec to bring staples for dry goods.
Blanc Sablon Photos : ( Click each for full size )
Labrador's earliest people, and the many centuries of those that came after them, were attracted to the area's sea mammals
Seal hunting on the ice was a dangerous business for Innu and settlers alike as this 19th century illustrations suggests.
Blanc Sablon : Greenly Island
Greenly Island, just off the shore from Blanc Sablon was originally named Isle des Ouaiseauix or Isle of Birds by Jacques Cartier in the early 16th century. In 1928 Greenly Island became the unplanned landing site for the Bremen, a German Junker W33 monoplane making a third attempt to fly non-stop from Europe to North America. On April 12, the plane left Baldonnel Field in Ireland with the idea of reaching New York non-stop. Unfortunately it was blown off course to Labrador. After 36 hours in the air, short of fuel and not sure of his location, the German pilot landed at Greenly Island. He and the crew were met by the surprised lighthouse keeper. Although they had not made it to New York, their flight was recognized as the first non-stop transatlantic east to west flight. During the landing the plane was wrecked. It was eventually disassembled and never flown again.
For many years the island has a lighthouse to assist ships through the dangerous waters of the Strait of Belle Isle. Now much of the island is a nesting ground for puffins and razorbills and is part of the Brador Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
Photos : ( Click each for full size )
Bremen monument and lighthouse buildings
Detail of Bremen monument