Fortune Bay
Fortune Bay () is a fairly large natural bay located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the south coast of Newfoundland, Canada.Canadian province of
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...
.
The community sits on a narrow strip of land hemmed in between the bay and steep hills that rise behind it. Belleoram has a large harbour and shelter from the sea, with the protection of a natural breakwater.
History
Belleoram, a fishing community, had a
fish plant
A fish factory, also called a fish plant, fish processing facility, is a facility where fish processing is performed. Fish factories range in the size and range of species of fish they process. Some species of fish, such as mackerel and herring ...
which closed in 1989. Aquaculture and fish farming are important economic drivers.
Belleoram dates back to 1774. The French used the area and called it "Bande de Laurier." By 1713, the
Treaty of Utrecht
The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...
had forced the French to leave. In 1718, Captain Tavenor sailed around the south of Newfoundland and called it "Belorme's Place." In the 17th century, a French adventurer wintered there for 20 years, and he was the first to name the community Belleoram.
A Dorchester man named Parsons, is said to be the first English settler in Belleoram, followed by another Dorchester man named John Cluett. Other people came from the west of England as servants to the early planters.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population
The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...
conducted by Statistics Canada, Belleoram had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Attractions
The Anglican Church in Belleoram, locally known as the "Cathedral of the South Coast" was built in 1891 and consecrated as St. Lawrence Church in 1901. The Church is representative of
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
, a style of architecture developed in Western Europe between the 12th and 16th centuries.
Visitors can see the John Cluett Heritage House which was built about 1844 and is best described as a "
saltbox
A saltbox house is a gable-roofed residential structure that is typically two stories in the front and one in the rear. It is a traditional New England style of home, originally timber framed, which takes its name from its resemblance to a woode ...
," one of the simplest forms of architecture and common amongst early settlers. The Cluett House, which is over 150 years old, is constructed mainly of original timber. Also, they can attend the Ironskull Folk Festival, which is an annual event held the third weekend of July every year. The festival showcases the area's musical talent and is a collaboration among many Newfoundland artists. The Ironskull Festival takes its name from the mountain located across the harbour. A trail provides visitors with the opportunity to hike to the summit and view the surrounding coastline.
Newfoundland outport
An outport is the term given for a small coastal community in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador other than the chief port of St. John's. Originally, the term was used for coastal communities on the island of Newfoundland, ...