Boyd's Cove, also known as Boyd's Harbour, is a
local service district and
designated place
A designated place (DPL) is a type of community or settlement identified by Statistics Canada that does not meet the criteria used to define municipalities or population centres. DPLs are delineated every 5 years for the Canadian census as the ...
in the
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 ...
that is near
Lewisporte
Lewisporte is a town in central Newfoundland, Canada, with a population of 3,288. It is situated in Burnt Bay which opens on to the Bay of Exploits. Lewisporte has a deep water port and related facilities that serve many communities in the r ...
. There is an interpretive centre dedicated to the earlier indigenous
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 ...
settlement at this location.
History
Boyd's Cove was first settled by the
Beothuks
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 ...
in the late 18th century. During the summer months, the people lived by the cove in wigwams built over shallow excavations in the ground. As well as more traditional activities, the group scavenged metal items left behind at French and English summer fishing camps, and refashioned these for their own use.
Although these indigenous people didn't interact with European traders as much as most native peoples, some of the Beothuk were killed by encroaching settlers, and researchers have concluded that the group later died out partly because of exposure to disease and partly because of starvation, which in turn was caused both by the resulting poor health and by limited access to resources after European settlement.
A settlement at Boyd's Cove was later established by the Freake, Newman and Robinson families from
Fogo Island in the late 19th century. Settlers also came from the Change Islands to settle at the cove, on the mainland. At first Boyd's Cove was a logging and fishing community; later it became a producer of turnip, carrot, potato and hay in the
Notre Dame Bay
Notre Dame Bay is a large bay in Newfoundland, Canada. To the south it adjoins the Bay of Exploits.
The name, French for '' Our Lady Bay'', dates to at least 1550, and is possibly a French translation of an earlier Portuguese name.
Trump Islan ...
area. Because of its sheltered location on the shoreline, the village often hosted residents from the more exposed fishing villages in the winter.
The rugged landscape and climate meant that survival there was often a struggle; with the nearest hospital in Lewisporte, NL, nearly 1½ hours away by horse in the 1920s and 1930s, medical care was often unavailable. If there was a serious illness, such as tuberculosis, residents would have to go to St. John's.
Geography
Boyd's Cove is in
Newfoundland within
Subdivision G of
Division No. 8.
Boyd's Cove is located in the North Shore Forest ecoregion.
The shoreline is sheltered by nearby large islands.
Route 340 passes through Boyd's Cove, then crosses a causeway on the way to
Twillingate
Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands ("Toulinquet") in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is about north of ...
.
Demographics
As a designated place in the
2016 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada, Boyd's Cove recorded a population of 183 living in 90 of its 131 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2011 population of 190. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2016.
Attractions
The nearby Beothuk interpretive centre hosts educational activities, book launches and ceremonies, and includes Gerald Squires' bronze statue, "The Spirit of the Beothuk".
;Archaeological site
A major
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 ...
archaeological site at Boyd's Cove was excavated by Dr.
Ralph T. Pastore of
Memorial University of Newfoundland.
in the early 1980s. The site is now home to the Boyd's Cove Interpretation Centre. Archaeological evidence revealed that Boyd's Cove has been occupied intermittently for about 2000 years. Beothuk pit houses dating from the late 17th or the early 18th century have yielded stone tools lying nearby European artifacts. These tools helped to establish a link between the Beothuk and their prehistoric ancestors. Faunal analysis indicated that the site was occupied at least from late winter to fall, and that the Beothuk relied on both marine and land resources for their subsistence. The site was designated a
National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being ...
in 1995.
Government
Boyd's 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 Bruce Mercer.
[
]
See also
*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 ...
* List of designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador
*List of local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador
The Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador has 175 unincorporated communities that are designated as local service districts (LSDs) for the purpose of providing water, sewer, fire, garbage, street lighting, animal control, and/or road ma ...
References
Boyd's Cove - The Canadian Encyclopedia
External links
Community information
Travel NL
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd's Cove, Newfoundland And Labrador
Populated coastal places in Canada
Designated places in Newfoundland and Labrador
Local service districts in Newfoundland and Labrador
National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador