Aspen Cove is a small fishing community in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

, Canada. Formerly called Aspey or Apsey Cove, Aspen Cove was named for the presence of aspen trees in the area. It first appears in the 1857 ''Census'' as Apsey Cove with a population of thirteen, all dependent on the salmon fishery. By the 1870s more families moved to Aspen Cove for the cod and lobster fisheries. In the 1921 census the population had reached 104 and the economy had changed from salmon, fur, and agriculture to cod, lobster, and lumbering.''

Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador ''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'' is an Encyclopedia commissioned by Joey Smallwood to capture the people, places, events and history of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Smallwood's view on the purpose of the encyclopedia was ...

History

The first recorded census of settlers in this community is in the 1857 census with thirteen inhabitants of one family whose living depended on the salmon fishery. According to local belief, from oral tradition, the first settlers of Aspen Cove discovered remains of a

Beothuk The Beothuk ( or ; also spelled Beothuck) were a group of indigenous people who lived on the island of Newfoundland. Beginning around AD 1500, the Beothuk culture formed. This appeared to be the most recent cultural manifestation of peoples w ...

encampment on the shores of the cove. The first settler was from Fogo, a Robert Shelly (later Shelley) born at

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

who originally came to settle at Barr'd Islands. The first postmistress was Edith Tulk. ;Church history From 1857 to 1874 all the inhabitants at Aspen Cove were

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

. However, once

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

was introduced in Aspen Cove, many people either turned to Methodism or more Methodists moved there. By 1902 a Methodist school-chapel was built; a new church was built in 1964. In the 1950s there were also some

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

living in Aspen Cove, but the population was mainly

United Church A united church, also called a uniting church, is a church formed from the merger or other form of church union of two or more different Protestant Christian denominations. Historically, unions of Protestant churches were enforced by the state ...

Geography

Aspen Cove is in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

within Subdivision L of Division No. 8. Located in the mouth of

Hamilton Sound Sir Charles Hamilton Sound, which has been shortened to and is more commonly known as Hamilton Sound, is a body of water on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland, between Fogo Island and the mainland to the south, and including (fro ...

between

Carmanville Carmanville is a Canadian community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. History Carmanville, on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland, was first settled by John Day, from Twillingate, and his family. The Day family trapped otter and f ...

to the west and

Musgrave Harbour Musgrave Harbour is a town and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. History Musgrave Harbour is a fishing community that was originally named Muddy Hole. The name was changed in 1886 in honor of Governor An ...

to the east, the community is situated in the only protected area behind a small headland on the northwest side. It is believed that the name is derived from the

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

trees that were once abundant in the area.

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2016 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Aspen Cove recorded a population of 178 living in 80 of its 101 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 220. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.

Government

Aspen Cove is a local service district (LSD) that is governed by a committee responsible for the provision of certain services to the community. The chair of the LSD committee is Steven Tulk.

References

External links