NLS Lifestyles & Labrador

Boats were the main mode of

transportation because most of the

settlements were along the coastline of

Newfoundland.

In the second half of the 19th century

they started using steam-powered

vessels instead of sail boats.

Bogs, rocks and hills made it difficult and

dangerous to build roads.

They believed that building roads would

relieve poverty and make it more

accessible for agriculture.

The first road was a carriage road linking

Portugal Cove and St. John’s.

The first automobile came here in 1903.

In Labrador, during the winter they used

dog sleds and snowshoes.

Some people would travel by

horseback.

Telegraph system allowed news from all over the province to be spread and personal communication enhanced

Radio system also allowed for news to be spread and church services sent to shut-ins and allowed better communication with Labrador

Some places would put out newspapers to inform everyone about what was happening in other parts of the province.

Education was greatly controlled by religion

In 1901 the literacy rate in NL was 64% and 783 schools

In the 1920 we

established a dept of

education, circulating

libraries and NLs 1st

college

Mosquito School House, 1998

The Aboriginal people knew a lot about

the environment around them. They

used local herbs in teas, sweating and

fasting to cure different illnesses.

Eventually they stopped using their

traditional ways and started using

Western procedures.

Onion Lily was used to wash infected

skin.

When Aboriginal people became in

contact with Europeans illnesses started

to increase and varied. They came in

contact with new illnesses such as

influenza, measles, small pox and more.

The permanent settlement on the island

led to resident doctors setting up

practice. But as the population

increased they needed to set up

hospitals to accommodate the colony’s

needs.

Grace Maternity Hospital

The earliest known military hospital was

opened in Placentia in 1662. But it

accepted civilian patients when they

had the time and space to take them.

The first civilian hospitals were opened in

the 19th century but most of them were in

St. John’s.

A lot of the residents were unable to go

to the hospitals due to distance or

money so they used folk medicine such

as: baking soda for heartburn and

cornstarch for bed sores.

Wilfred Grenfell visited Labrador and

Northern Newfoundland. While he was

there he set up a string of

hospitals and nursing stations.

He also sent a medical ship

to isolated communities.

More details later ...

The smaller places outside St. John’s got

a private industry or charitable group to

establish hospitals.

In 1920 a nursing committee called

Newfoundland Outport Nursing And

Industrial Association (NONIA) was

formed. It brought in nurses from

England to station in rural communities.

The first post (net loft) was opened in

Rigolet in 1836 because Simon

MacGillivray was in competition with D.R.

Stewart.

In 1838, they decided to open another

one in the Hamilton Inlet region.

The first use of the net loft was to

connect with the salmon fishery.

The HBC owned all the fishing gear and

would lease it to families for 1/3 of their

salmon catch.

The staff were mainly people from

Scotland, Newfoundland and Quebec.

But, they had some Norwegians, planters

and Inuit for when they were really busy.

They were responsible for repairing

fishing gear and distributing it to the

families.

Wilfred Grenfell arrived at Labrador in 1892 to investigate living conditions among local fishers. He spent the summer sailing the Labrador coast aboard the medical ship Albert.

He was shocked by the poverty and absence of medical help. So he spent the next year raising money at St. John's and England to establish regular health-care services in Labrador.

Grenfell returned to Labrador the

following summer with two physicians

and two nurses. They opened a hospital

in Battle Harbour and started to build

another in Indian Harbour. They got a

second medical boat, the Princess May,

to help coastal communities.

Grenfell wanted to improve living conditions for people in Labrador and northern Newfoundland.

He hoped that by promoting education, agriculture, and industrial development they could make residents more self-reliant and create alternative sources of income.

He opened schools in St. Anthony, Cartwright, North West River, and Muddy Bay. He also helped send good students to colleges in the United States, and provided adult education in carpentry and weaving.

He opened orphanages at St. Anthony and Cartwright.

He opened a series of co-operative stores which he hoped would help the settlers to escape the truck system.

There was a contradiction as to who

owned parts of Labrador; Newfoundland

or Quebec.

Many resources were on this land and in

1927 a meeting in London resulted in a

ruling in Newfoundland’s favor.