Colorful St. John's: Capital of Newfoundland

To visit modern St. John's is to have a love affair with the past and a happy marriage with the present. St. John's is the oldest English settlement in North America and third largest city in Canada. The people of Newfoundland are special, and this certainly applies to residents of its provincial capital. The population of the Island of Newfoundland-Labrador is only about a half-million, and nearly 40 percent of them live in this greater metropolitan area. Many of the earliest settlers of St. John's came from the English West Country and Southeast Ireland. These origins can still be detected in similarities between the original dialects of each of these regions and the traditional St. John's accent. Thus far, we have traveled to mostly small communities and rural areas. But St. Johns is far different in a cosmopolitan way. There are busy streets and traffic here as well as fine restaurants and expensive food. The downtown area is robust with eager shoppers.

John Cabot was believed to have sailed through the Narrows and into this harbor in 1497. Newfoundland was claimed as an English colony in the name of Elizabeth I in 1583, temporarily captured by the Dutch in 1665, and attacked three times by the French who captured and destroyed its settlements in 1689 and 1707. St John's was retaken each time and re-fortified. British forces used St. John's fortifications during the Seven Years' War in North America, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. St. John's served Allied needs during World War ll by providing an air base for the US Army Air Corps and a harbor for antisubmarine warfare ships to protect against German U-boats. Many gun emplacements are still there along with several underground bunkers used during WW II. St. John's, and the province as a whole, was gravely affected in the 1990s by the collapse of the Northern cod fishery, which had been the driving force of the provincial economy for hundreds of years.[8] After a decade of high unemployment rates and depopulation the city's proximity to rich oil fields has spurred population growth and commercial development. As a result, the St. John's area now accounts for about half of the province's economic output. With its lovely harbor and colorful (“jelly bean”) salt box homes and apartment buildings, it is a photographer’s and artist’s dream. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of St. John's, and the Anglican Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador. The population is mostly divided between Catholic and Protestant.

Our caravan leaders provided a wonderful bus tour of the city our first day there. Gloria decided that she did not want to be on a bus for three hours, so she stayed back at camp. The next day, Jerry replicated the bus tour for her in our Tundra. We visited the Basilica of St. John’s, which is an incredible structure, especially inside. Five Archbishops are buried under the alter in the Basilica--one sitting up per his request. The bus driver had told everyone the day before that if we ever got the chance to see the “Veiled Virgin,” sculpted from marble by Giovanni Strazza in Italy and transported to Newfoundland in 1856, we should do so. It is housed in a convent co-located with the church. The next day, Jerry decided to give it a shot. We walked the steps to the front door with the encouragement of a church janitor, and asked to see the famous work of art. We were quietly ushered through the noiseless, impeccably neat convent halls by a student volunteer who walked us right to the incredible sculpture. We have visited many galleries, including those in Washington, Paris, Rome, and Vienna, but we have never seen anything quite as uniquely magnificent as Strazza’s work of art. The veil in the photo looks like cloth, but the illusion is actually a part of Mary’s face and is of marble. Pope John Paul stood where we stood back in 1984. We are sure that not many of our fellow caravanners saw the Veiled Virgin, so we are most thankful for a humble, enthusiastic janitor that made it possible for us.

Newfoundland’s first colonial government decided to build a series of lighthouses to help ships navigate along its rugged coastline. The quaint, two-story Cape Spear Lighthouse approaching St. John’s first beamed its light in 1836. It guided mariners until Newfoundland became a Canadian province in 1949, and a new lighthouse was built using electricity rather an oil light with reflectors. Fortunately the original lighthouse has been preserved; it was manned by the Cantwell family for generations. We stood here on the most easterly point in North America. Canada begins here or ends here depending on which way you are traveling. It is less than 800 miles to Greenland from this point.

We also visited Signal Hill where the Cabot tower stands. The cornerstone was laid in 1897 to commemorate John Cabot’s landing 400 years earlier and the 65th year of Queen Victoria’s reign. The tower was completed three years later. We climbed to the top for a grand view of St. John’s with its picturesque harbor and colorful structures. It was here on December 12, 1901 that Marconi received the first wireless signal from across the Atlantic Ocean. This achievement revolutionized communications around the world and set the stage for the wireless technology we all enjoy today. In 1933, the Marconi Station at Cabot Tower would allow communications between ships and their business connections and would link Newfoundland with the world. This is our final day of caravan touring. Tomorrow is our final banquet, and then it’s time to board the ferry and leave this awesome island with its lovely, charming people and remarkable history.

TO ENLARGE A PHOTO, LEFT CLICK ON IT; TO MINIMIZE, CLICK REVERSE ARROW TOP LEFT.