Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Smith Sound is a zigzag 24 kilometer inner region of Trinity Bay
. This sound
is one of the longest portions of inshore waterways in Newfoundland, located on its north-eastern coast in the Canadian
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
. Bonavista Peninsula
is to the north of the sound, while Random Island
is to the south. The waters that make up the sound is a continuous channel that encircles Random Island, broken only by a narrow channel located at Clarenville
where a causeway was built to provide access to the communities on Random Island. The channel on the south side of Random Island is North West Arm
.
sailed through Smith Sound to explore the region with Sylvester Joe
, a Mi'kmaq guide.
Cormack's account of his travels were published in 1824 and republished in 1856.
Permanent residents settled in during the 1850s through 1870s. In addition to the fishery industry, others were involved in sawmilling and slate quarrying. Towns abounded on both shores. Some changed or merged over the years, but a partial list includes White Rock and Burnt Brook (or "Brickyard"), the site of an 1850's brick plant at the head of Smith Sound, along with British Harbour, also at the head of Smith Sound, but now an abandoned community, as is Popes (or Pope's) Harbour. Other communities included Britannia, Lower Lance Cove, and Petly, (now Petley, Random Island's second largest community, a merger of two original communities of Upper Lance Cove and Aspen cove). George's Brook was settled early on, around 1862, after John Pelley started a saw mill. King's Cove was renamed Milton
in 1910. Sandy Point became Harcourt. Upper Rocky Brook became Monroe. Daniel's Cove became Waterville. Burgum's Cove was renamed Burgoyne's Cove in honor of a British general, John Burgoyne
, who spent time in the area in the late 18th century.
bomber known as The Peacemaker, killing all on board on March 18, 1953, including Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth
. The flight originated in the Azores
and was bound for the plane's home in Rapid City
Air Force Base, South Dakota
, renamed Ellsworth Air Force Base
. The calamity claimed more lives that night when all on board a second plane, a Boeing SB-29 Superfortress from Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
spotted the downed Convair, then disappeared, the plane and crew never seen again.
harvesting industry,
Smith Sound is known for its large Atlantic cod
population. Fourteen year old cod are not unusual here.
scientist John Brattey, CBC
St. John’s news website posted:
Route 232, Smith Sound Road - located on the Bonavista Peninsula, north side of the sound.
Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Trinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...
. This sound
Sound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
is one of the longest portions of inshore waterways in Newfoundland, located on its north-eastern coast in the Canadian
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...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. Bonavista Peninsula
Bonavista Peninsula
The Bonavista Peninsula is a large peninsula on the east coast of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
is to the north of the sound, while Random Island
Random Island
Random Island is located off Canada's Atlantic coast. Part of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, it is located on the east coast of Newfoundland and semi-surrounded by the Bonavista Peninsula on the north and within the confines of Trinity Bay...
is to the south. The waters that make up the sound is a continuous channel that encircles Random Island, broken only by a narrow channel located at Clarenville
Clarenville
Clarenville is a Canadian town on the east coast of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Clarenville was incorporated in 1951 and is located in the Shoal Harbour valley fronting an arm of the Atlantic Ocean called Random Sound....
where a causeway was built to provide access to the communities on Random Island. The channel on the south side of Random Island is North West Arm
North West Arm
North West Arm is a natural arm of approximately 20 miles in length and average of 1 mile wide located on the south side of Random Island at the inner region of Trinity Bay in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador....
.
Early history
The area was visited seasonally by fishermen in the 18th century, and first settled in the 19th century. On September 5, 1822, William CormackWilliam Cormack
William Epps Cormack was a Scottish explorer, philanthropist, agriculturalist and author, born St. John’s, Newfoundland. Cormack was the first European to journey across the interior of the island....
sailed through Smith Sound to explore the region with Sylvester Joe
Sylvester Joe
Sylvester Joe , hunter and explorer, born Baie d'Espoir, Newfoundland, Canada. Joe, a native Mi'kmaq of Newfoundland, was the noted hunter from the south-west coast of the Island of Newfoundland who was engaged by William Cormack to guide him on his trek across Newfoundland, the first European to...
, a Mi'kmaq guide.
Cormack's account of his travels were published in 1824 and republished in 1856.
Permanent residents settled in during the 1850s through 1870s. In addition to the fishery industry, others were involved in sawmilling and slate quarrying. Towns abounded on both shores. Some changed or merged over the years, but a partial list includes White Rock and Burnt Brook (or "Brickyard"), the site of an 1850's brick plant at the head of Smith Sound, along with British Harbour, also at the head of Smith Sound, but now an abandoned community, as is Popes (or Pope's) Harbour. Other communities included Britannia, Lower Lance Cove, and Petly, (now Petley, Random Island's second largest community, a merger of two original communities of Upper Lance Cove and Aspen cove). George's Brook was settled early on, around 1862, after John Pelley started a saw mill. King's Cove was renamed Milton
Milton, Newfoundland and Labrador
Milton is a small former logging community on Smith Sound, Trinity Bay, on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Situated on the shores of the inner reaches of Smith Sound the community is on Route 230-A, which starts at Clarenville and continues to the...
in 1910. Sandy Point became Harcourt. Upper Rocky Brook became Monroe. Daniel's Cove became Waterville. Burgum's Cove was renamed Burgoyne's Cove in honor of a British general, John Burgoyne
John Burgoyne
General John Burgoyne was a British army officer, politician and dramatist. He first saw action during the Seven Years' War when he participated in several battles, mostly notably during the Portugal Campaign of 1762....
, who spent time in the area in the late 18th century.
1953 Nut Cove tragedy
On the north shore of Smith Sound, across from Britannia, lies Nut Cove, the site of a slate quarry run by three brothers, William Carberry, George Carberry and Jubal Carberry, 1850-1900. Approximately 100 years later, it became better known as the inclement-weather crash site of an American Convair B-36Convair B-36
The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" was a strategic bomber built by Convair and operated solely by the United States Air Force from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 was the largest mass-produced piston engine aircraft ever made. It had the longest wingspan of any combat aircraft ever built , although there have...
bomber known as The Peacemaker, killing all on board on March 18, 1953, including Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth
Richard E. Ellsworth
Brigadier General Richard Elmer Ellsworth was a United States Air Force commander during the early part of the Cold War. Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City, South Dakota is named in his honor.-Early life:...
. The flight originated in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
and was bound for the plane's home in Rapid City
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of South Dakota, and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek on which the city is established, it is set against the eastern slope of the Black Hills mountain range. The population was 67,956 as of the 2010 Census. Rapid...
Air Force Base, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, renamed Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base
Ellsworth Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota just north of Box Elder, South Dakota....
. The calamity claimed more lives that night when all on board a second plane, a Boeing SB-29 Superfortress from Harmon Air Force Base in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador
Stephenville is a Canadian town in Newfoundland and Labrador on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland....
spotted the downed Convair, then disappeared, the plane and crew never seen again.
Industry
In addition to its jellyfishJellyfish
Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...
harvesting industry,
Smith Sound is known for its large Atlantic cod
Atlantic cod
The Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, is a well-known demersal food fish belonging to the family Gadidae. It is also commercially known as cod, codling or haberdine....
population. Fourteen year old cod are not unusual here.
2003 frozen cod mystery
In April 2003, thousands of dead cod, a weight of approximately a quarter-million pounds, washed up on the shores of the sound within a few days, called an ecological disaster, prompting scientific research into the cause. After an interview with DFOFisheries and Oceans Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada, frequently referred to as DFO , is the department within the government of Canada that is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs in support of Canada's economic, ecological and scientific interests in oceans and inland waters...
scientist John Brattey, CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
St. John’s news website posted:
Brattey says the water remains the coldest that the department has ever recorded in the area, and some fish will continue to die. He says tests show some of the cod have an anti-freeze protein, while others don't. Otherwise, the dead cod appears to have been healthy up until it was instantly frozen by contact with ice crystals. Brattey says the organs of the dead cod are frozen solid, even though the flesh of the fish is pliable.
Tourism
Route 232, Smith Sound Road - located on the Bonavista Peninsula, north side of the sound.
- The scenic Smith Sound Trail - located at Brittania.
External links
- Photos- from nvo.com
- Photos- from infonet.st-johns.nf.ca
- Map- from infonet.st-johns.nv.ca
- Government report on the April 2003 cod incident- Oceanography Committee, ICES/GLOBEC Working Group
