Introduction to History of Newfoundland
The first inhabitants of the region now called Newfoundland and Labrador were Indians who probably reached the area around 5000 B.C. Archeologists believe that Norsemen visited the area about 6,000 years later. Remains of a Viking settlement dating to about 1000 A.D. were discovered in 1963 on the northernmost shore of Newfoundland island near the village of L'Anse aux Meadows. The site may be that of Leif Ericson's Vinland, as told in the Norse sagas.
For many years, Newfoundland and Labrador were simply called Newfoundland. The name Newfoundland comes from the English explorer John Cabot, who in 1497 landed on either the island or the adjacent mainland. His report on the abundance of fish quickly brought French, Portuguese, Spanish Basque, and English ships to the Grand Banks cod fisheries. Fishing settlements grew up on the bays and harbors of Newfoundland's southeastern (Avalon) peninsula. The fishermen found the island inhabited by Beothuks (Indian for “Red Men"), nomadic Indians who painted themselves with red ocher.
Colonization Efforts
St. John's, one of the large fishing settlements, was occupied in 1583 by Sir Humphrey Gilbert. He claimed Newfoundland for England, making it the first English colonial possession.
The first colony was founded by John Guy, in 1610, on Conception Bay. The next colony was established in 1618 at the head of Trepassy Bay by Sir William Vaughan. Other settlements were made on the shore of Trinity Bay and on the east coast. In 1622 Sir George Calvert (later Lord Baltimore) was granted a charter for the southeastern peninsula, which he named Avalon. His settlement was at a place known as Ferryland. He and his colonists soon moved to Virginia, however, and in 1637 David Kirke, given a grant for all Newfoundland, established a new colony at Ferryland.
All of these colonies eventually failed, although some settlers remained in the area. Under the Western Charter, issued by Charles I in 1634, the master of the first English fishing ship to arrive in a harbor each year served as “admiral” of the harbor, with power to rule by decree over all settlers and fishermen in the area. The “admirals” had no interest in the welfare of the settlers and often treated them harshly, discouraging further settlement of the island. For almost a century Newfoundland had no government other than the Charter. Settlers were also often attacked by the French, who recognized Newfoundland as the key to control of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and maintained a settlement at Placentia after 1662. Later the English settlements were also raided by the Dutch, and in time all the colonists were dispersed.
Growth and Development
English fishing companies, seeking to stifle competition, in the mid-17th century convinced the English Parliament to prohibit settlement near Newfoundland's eastern coast. The permanent population of the island at the time was probably about 350 families. Nonetheless, the number of residents grew steadily, because ship masters often abandoned their fishing and processing crews in order to carry back more cargo.
By the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 France ceded Newfoundland to Great Britain, but retained fishing rights in certain areas. Britain set up a civil government for the island in 1728. When the French gave up Canada in 1763, the Labrador coast was granted to Newfoundland. (It was transferred to Quebec Province in 1774, returned to Newfoundland in 1809, and the boundary readjusted in Quebec's favor in 1825.) The Treaty of Paris (also called Treaty of Versailles) of 1783 continued France's right to fish on the west coast.
Sealing began along the east coast in the 1790's. Shore fishing, in contrast to fishing on the banks, developed during the same period, and Newfoundland became highly prosperous. With a steady stream of immigrants from the British Isles, the population increased from about 10,000 in 1785 to 60,000 in 1830. For more than a decade a small group of Newfoundlanders, led by William Carson and Patrick Morris of St. John's, petitioned Britain to give Newfoundland colonial status. It was finally granted in 1824. The colony was given representative government in 1832. In 1855 Newfoundland became a fully self-governing colony. It voted against confederation with the Dominion of Canada in 1869.
Decline and Recovery
For much of the 19th century the economy, based primarily on cod fishing and seal hunting, thrived. In the last quarter of the century, efforts were made to broaden Newfoundland's economic base, by developing agriculture and mining. Valuable minerals, including iron ore, were discovered in Labrador. A cross-island rail-road, from St. John's to Port aux Basques, was begun in 1881. Then, in the early 1890's, Newfoundland suffered several economic setbacks. A fire destroyed most of St. John's in 1892. In 1893 the market for salt cod declined, and in 1894 there was a series of bank failures.
During this period of economic troubles, Newfoundland sought aid from both Britain and Canada, but neither country would provide significant economic assistance unless Newfoundland would surrender some control over its internal affairs. The negotiations with Canada failed when Canada refused an appeal by Newfoundland to join the Confederation on its own terms. As a result, many Newfoundlanders were left with considerable bitterness toward the Dominion.
By the beginning of the 20th century economic recovery had begun. The fishing industry revived; the railroad had been completed (1898); and an important industry—the manufacture of pulp and paper—had been established.
Three significant territorial issues were resolved in Newfoundland's favor in the 20th century. In 1904 France renounced its right to cure fish on Newfoundland's western shore. In 1910 the Hague Tribunal settled, in favor of the Newfoundlanders, an old dispute with the United States over offshore fishing rights. A part of Labrador that had been the object of dispute between Quebec and Newfoundland was awarded to Newfoundland in 1927 by the Imperial Privy Council.
The worldwide economic collapse of the 1930's wiped out the export markets upon which Newfoundland's economy depended. Because of its financial difficulties, Newfoundland gave up self-government and returned to colonial status in 1934. During World War II, defense expenditures, mainly by the United States, bolstered the economy. In 1949 Newfoundland, including Labrador, became Canada's 10th province. Leading Newfoundland into the confederation was Joseph R. Smallwood, the province's first premier, 1949–72.
The new government encouraged such industries as pulp and paper manufacturing and food processing, often with financial assistance. In the early 1960's the Evacuated Communities Act provided aid for families moving from the smallest and most isolated communities to more populous areas, in order to centralize the population and ease government administration tasks. Growth of the pulp and paper industry, introduction of quick-freezing for the preservation of fish, discovery of new mineral deposits, and the development of manufacturing stimulated economic growth in the 1970's.
In 1979 oil was discovered off Newfoundland's coast. In 1990 an agreement was reached between Newfoundland, the federal government, and a group of oil companies to jointly develop the oil field. In the 1990's, there was a major decline in the fishing industry as the number of fish in coastal waters decreased. In 2003, cod fishing was banned in the Atlantic Ocean northeast of Newfoundland and Labrador, further causing tens of thousands of fishers to lose work.
Canada's Parliament officially renamed the province Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. The province had formerly been called simply Newfoundland.