Publisher's Synopsis
Planning a trip to Newfoundland. If yes, this book is for you. It is a totally unique book about Newfoundland and Labrador, a totally unique province. Starting with Abraham's Cove and ending with Zoar, the author has "uncovered" the history behind the origin of 1,001 place names. Not only are communities both large and small included, "water features", such as lakes and rivers along with "terrain features", such as mountains and peninsulas are also covered. In addition, the names of the numerous National and Provincial Parks are also examined. For each place name, the author has attempted to put the name into a "context," be it, for example, historical (such as where the earlier settlers came from or who it was named after) or geographical (such as being named after a particular type of physical feature of the area). Specifically, the Five Ws of place names are examined - What is its name? Who named it? When was it named? Where is it located? Why was it given its name? and if it changed over time, Why was it changed and What is the new name? Tracing the history of settlement and the influence of ethnic groups on where they chose to live, in particular, the English, Irish, Scottish, French, and Portuguese are also examined and how each ethnic group left their "mark" on the naming of places in the Province, names such as Bristol's Hope (English), Ballyhack (Irish), St. Andrew's (Scottish), Baie Verte (French) and Cavo laboradore or Labrador Cape (Portuguese). Again, the focus is on the Five Ws of settlement and the following questions were asked: Who were the first to settle? What is the difference between a settlement and a colony? When (and why) did the French settlers basically get ousted from the island? Where did most of the Scots first settle and Why did they settle in specific areas on the west side of the island as opposed to others who typically settled on the East? In addition, the travels of some of the early explorers, including Columbus and Cabot are examined, along with the work by some of the early surveyors and cartologists, such as Cook and Cormack are examined, among others. In looking at the topology of the land, terms that might not be familiar to those who have never visited Newfoundland and Labrador are identified, and examples given. Water Features such as bights, bottoms, dribbles, gullies, holes, rattles, and tickles are defined, along with Terrain Features, such as brandies, blow me downs, drokes, hummocks, knobs, sinkers and tolts. Communities that are named after such features, for example Barachois Point, Bottomless Pond, Cow Head, Snug Cove and of course, the more recognizable, Joe Batt's Arm and Nicky's Nose are included. A lot of what has been written about NL's place name, has emphasized those place names that bring a "smile to one's face" (e.g., Bareneed, Come by Chance and Dildo), however, the focus of this book is more on trying to find out why such names were chosen, so the history behind the choice of names, such as Gallows Hill, Mistaken Cove and Unfortunate Cove, is explained. All place names have some sort of "history" attached to them; the intent of this book is to examine that history. Part history book, part travel book, it is the hope that the material contained will be of interest to not only Newfoundlanders but as well as to potential visitors to this wonderful province. It is the hope of the author that by reading this book, perhaps more people will consider traveling to this "unique" place, with so many "unique" places, and such a "unique" history. How many places can you visit out of the 1,001?
