Makkovik, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Makkovik is a town in Labrador
in northern Canada
. It had a population of 384 persons in 2001. The main industry is fishing (snow crab) and there is a fishing cooperative.
The population is mainly composed of residents of mixed Norwegian
and Inuit
heritage. Settled by Torsten Kverna Andersen and his wife Mary Ann Thomas who set up a trading post there in 1860, the population gradually increased over the next three decades as European settlers and Inuit established roots in the community, though this territory since time immemorial was used by Inuit. Colonization was assured in 1896 when the Moravian Church established a mission station and residential school there. Both the mission and school were destroyed by a fire in 1948 but the economy was instilled in the 1950s by two notable events. First was the forceful resettlement to Makkovik of 150 Inuit residents of the northern communities of Nutak and Hebron
. Second was the establishment nearby of a radar warning station by the United States government.
) and by boat in summer. Winter travel is by snowmobile
. The community is situated on a sheltered bay in a saddle between two hills. In the lee of the northernmost hill is a large copse of tall spruce trees, which is remarkable given the paucity of tree cover for miles around. Now known as the Moravian Wood, there is a small cemetery in the centre.
encroached in a remote radar base about 15 kilometres north of the settlement. Called Cape Makkovik, it was constructed between 1955 and 1957 and operated until 1961 and was dismantled later in the decade. It was a so-called "gap-filler" in the Pinetree Line
set up to monitor the skies for foreign invaders from the north.
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
in northern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It had a population of 384 persons in 2001. The main industry is fishing (snow crab) and there is a fishing cooperative.
The population is mainly composed of residents of mixed Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
heritage. Settled by Torsten Kverna Andersen and his wife Mary Ann Thomas who set up a trading post there in 1860, the population gradually increased over the next three decades as European settlers and Inuit established roots in the community, though this territory since time immemorial was used by Inuit. Colonization was assured in 1896 when the Moravian Church established a mission station and residential school there. Both the mission and school were destroyed by a fire in 1948 but the economy was instilled in the 1950s by two notable events. First was the forceful resettlement to Makkovik of 150 Inuit residents of the northern communities of Nutak and Hebron
Hebron, Newfoundland and Labrador
Hebron is the name of a former Moravian mission that was the northernmost settlement in Labrador. Founded in 1831, the mission disbanded in 1959. Abraham Ulrikab and his family were from Hebron and they were exhibited in zoos in Europe in 1880....
. Second was the establishment nearby of a radar warning station by the United States government.
Geography
The community lies at the end of a peninsula in northern Labrador about 215 kilometres northeast of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Travel is by air year round (served by Makkovik AirportMakkovik Airport
Makkovik Airport is west of Makkovik, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada....
) and by boat in summer. Winter travel is by snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
. The community is situated on a sheltered bay in a saddle between two hills. In the lee of the northernmost hill is a large copse of tall spruce trees, which is remarkable given the paucity of tree cover for miles around. Now known as the Moravian Wood, there is a small cemetery in the centre.
The other Makkovik
For three years in the late 1950s the United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
encroached in a remote radar base about 15 kilometres north of the settlement. Called Cape Makkovik, it was constructed between 1955 and 1957 and operated until 1961 and was dismantled later in the decade. It was a so-called "gap-filler" in the Pinetree Line
Pinetree Line
The Pinetree Line was a series of radar stations located across the northern United States and southern Canada at about the 50th parallel north, along with a number of other stations located on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Run by NORAD , over half were manned by United States Air Force...
set up to monitor the skies for foreign invaders from the north.