The Ryan Premises is 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 An environment minister (sometimes minister of the environment or secretary of t ...

located in the town of

Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador Bonavista (2021 population: 3,190) is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, ...

. It is preserved as an example of a large-scale merchant operation in a

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, ...

. The site consists of the proprietor's house, a carriage shed, a retail shop, a retail store, a fish store and a salt store. The staff house, adjacent to but not part of the historical site, is a Registered Heritage Structure. Earlier, the premises also included a larger salt store, a cooperage, a

powder magazine Powder Magazine, Powder House, or Powderworks may refer to: *Powder tower or powder house, a building used to store gunpowder or explosives; common until the 20th century *Gunpowder magazine, a building designed to store gunpowder in wooden barrels ...

, a

telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...

office,

wharves A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths (mooring location ...

fish flake A fish flake is a platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying cod on the foreshores of fishing villages and small coastal towns in Newfoundland and Nordic countries. Spelling variations for fish flake in Newfoundland include ', ...

s, a

lumber yard A lumber yard is a location where lumber and wood-related products used in construction and/or home improvement projects are processed or stored. Some lumber yards offer retail sales to consumers, and some of these may also provide services suc ...

and a

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

History

James Ryan Ltd. was established in the Bayley's Cove section of Bonavista in 1857 where it operated a

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

as well as a retail store. The main operation was relocated to its present location on Bonavista harbour in 1869 and

liquor Liquor (or a spirit) is an alcoholic drink produced by distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar, that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. Other terms for liquor include: spirit drink, distilled beverage or hard ...

was only sold in bulk and the fishery became the main focus. The company bought and sold

salt cod Dried and salted cod, sometimes referred to as salt cod or saltfish or salt dolly, is cod which has been preserved by drying after salting. Cod which has been dried without the addition of salt is stockfish. Salt cod was long a major export o ...

, supplied salt and other materials for the

cod fishery Cod fisheries are fisheries for cod. Cod is the common name for fish of the genus ''Gadus'', belonging to the family (biology), family Gadidae, and this article is confined to three species that belong to this genus: the Atlantic cod, the Pacific ...

, and sold general merchandise. By 1895 James Ryan Ltd exported 100,000 quintals (approximately 5,000,000 kg) of salt cod, approximately 10% of the total for Newfoundland. James Ryan Ltd. exited the fishing industry in 1952 and continued on as a general store until closing in 1978. In 1987, the Ryan Premises at Bonavista were designated as a National Historic Site.

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

took over the property and it was officially opened to the public by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

on June 24, 1997 to mark the 500th anniversary of

John Cabot John Cabot ( it, Giovanni Caboto ; 1450 – 1500) was an Italian navigator and explorer. His 1497 voyage to the coast of North America under the commission of Henry VII of England is the earliest-known European exploration of coastal North ...

's landfall at Bonavista.

References

{{Newfoundland and Labrador parks National Historic Sites in Newfoundland and Labrador Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register 1987 establishments in Newfoundland and Labrador