Grand Bank is a historically rich community. Historical documents indicate there may have been French fishermen in Grand Bank as early as 1640. The French census taken in Newfoundland in 1687 shows "Grand Banc" with a population of 45 - thirty-nine serv ants, two masters, three women and one child. That first community had one church, three houses and eighteen muskets. In 1693 census takers recorded some of the prominent names: Bourney, Commer, Chevallier and Grandin.

In 1713 the Treaty of Utrecht ceded North America to England and an influx of English settlers began. After the French were given St. Pierre many of the English families on the French Island moved to Grand bank. its name most likely came from the high b ank or ledge that extends from Admiral's Cove to the harbour mouth. In July 1765, Captain James Cook moored his ship at Admiral's Cove, came ashore and gathered buds off the small spruce trees on Grand Bank cape to brew beer for his crew for medicinal pu rposes.

From the outset, the life of Grand Bank revolved around the sea, "Cod was King". The fishery was an inshore operation until 1881 when an era of the Bank Fishery began. Merchants built their own schooners ranging from 50 to over 100 tons and at one time t here were as many as six small yards. As the need for larger vessels increased, they bought from Lunenberg and Glouchester.

Dozens of schooners landed their catches in the adequate harbour of Grand Bank; women and men cured the fish on the wide cobblestone beaches. This marked the beginning of increased prosperity for the community and for the next 60 years fleets of wooden s chooners headed for the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Merchants also engaged larger three masted schooners for the local coastal trade and overseas markets.

During the period (1890-1940) Grand Bank, with its fleet of banking and foreign-going ships, earned the distinction of "Bank Fishing Capital of Newfoundland". In 1955 a modern fresh fish processing plant was built in Grand Bank and the schooners were repl aced by modern steel trawlers. Today Grand Bank is the home of shell fishing industry, processing Icelandic scallops and stimpson surf clams.

---

Return to Menu

[an error occurred while processing this directive]