 |
|
|
- The Move
A video on the resettlement of the Rumboldt family
in 1968.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home  Virtual Exhibits Resettlement La Manche
La Manche
Situated between Tors Cove and Cape Broyle on the Southern Shore and in a small inlet surrounded by high mountains,
La Manche was one of Newfoundland's most picturesque communities. The first permanent settler is believed to have been
George Melvin who arrived there circa 1840 from nearby Burnt Cove. Limited by the amount of land available in the area,
the community remained small, its population peaking at about 54 around the time of Confederation. Although a majority of
residents were apparently opposed to resettlement, the closure of the school and the continuing isolation of the community
prompted some to leave. By 1961 the population had fallen to 25. Others continued to reject the notion of resettlement,
but their resolve gave way in 1966 when a severe storm demolished the community's extensive network of stages and wharves.
The images presented here capture the physical layout of the place - its stages, flakes and wharves around the shoreline - and
also convey a sense of how hard the people of La Manche must have worked to prosecute the fishery from that difficult location.
|
|
|
