Snowshoeing on the Roof: Winter Scenes that Make Our Snowfall Look Like Summer

It's been snowing in St. John's for several days now and I've been hearing quite a few complaints about it. We don't usually get this kind of snow before January or February and with more snow and freezing rain on the way, I think many people are fed up with it.

While you will never, in a million years, get a Newfoundlander to stop talking about the weather (seriously, if you meet a Newfoundlander and can't think of anything to say, mention the weather, we love it) I'm going to point out that this could be much much worse.

So here's a bit of perspective, because it's only December and we could get another 5 months of this, easy.



[A24-98] Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives. March 1912 

On March 11, 1912 an avalanche struck the house of Francis Williams, manager of the Cape Copper Company, in Tilt Cove, NL.  Francis Williams, his thirteen year old son and two servants were killed. His wife and two daughters were rescued. The same avalanche also destroyed the home of Mr. Cunningham, JP, the telegrapher and customs officer. His three year old son was injured and a servant named Emily Day, age 28, was killed.


[A24-99] Courtesy of:  The Rooms Provincial Archives. March 1912 

 Clearing out the driveway got nothing on this:


VA 118-33.7; "After a 'sou wester'; weariness and vexation of spirit" :                    Man shovelling snow from roof. International Grenfell Association. 1908. Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

VA 118-33.7; "After a 'sou wester'; weariness and vexation of spirit" :                    Man shovelling snow from roof. International Grenfell Association. 1908. Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

                     VA 118-33.7; "After a 'sou wester'; weariness and vexation of spirit" :
                   Man shovelling snow from roof. International Grenfell Association. 1908.
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

When you can showshoe on the roof, then complain to me about the weather.

A 43-10; St. John's Snow shoeing on the roof of a house,                  possibly Merrymeeting Road. Date Unknown.                 Courtesy of: The Rooms provincial Archives

                     A 43-10; St. John's Snow shoeing on the roof of a house,
                 possibly Merrymeeting Road. Date Unknown.
                Courtesy of: The Rooms provincial Archives

You've got to really look at this one...

[A 43-9] Train coming through a tunnel cut in the snow [circa 19-]
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives

Below we have a man standing next to fire hydrant that was dug out from under 18ft of snow.


[A 42-51] Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives.

[A 42-51]
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives.





Save the Sea Krait! or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Seal Hunt.

Yesterday, in St. John's, Newfoundland, Sam Simon and Pamela Anderson offered $1 million to Canadian sealers in a hope to “facilitate and achieve a government buyout” program in order to end the seal hunt. Like many Newfoundlanders I was insulted by their audacity and ignorance. They spouted the same old "killing baby seals" argument we've heard over and over again. One that has been outdated for thirty years.

I'm not going to get into the whole debate here, you've heard the pro-sealing side of it before. You know, about how this is not a dying industry and how the seals are in no way endangered. Seals are a significant source of income for thousands of families in coastal communities in eastern and northern Canada with sealing representing approximately 25-35 percent of their total income. Also, the Northwest Atlantic harp seal population is healthy with an estimated population of 7.3 million animals, over three times what it was in the 1970s. Likewise, I won't get into how the seal hunt helped make it possible for the original settlers to stay in Newfoundland all year round, when cod wasn't enough to make a permanent settlement viable, but seal oil was. I won't get into how this is part of our heritage and a mere $1 million buy out is insulting beyond reproach.

Obviously, I support the seal hunt and believe one of the main reasons we get so much flack from groups like PETA and their (in)famous mouthpieces is because seals are so damn cute. Clowns of the sea and all that. With their constantly smiling faces and large round eyes, you can't help but want to hug them. Humans love cute things. It's just science.

Pictured Above: Cuteness personified
[A 3-5] Young seals, ca.1910-12
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

So my argument to these two "advocates" is that they instead offer this money to help a not-so-cute animal get a second lease on certain existence. Take the axolotl, for example, a salamander that can regrow its limbs. Or better yet, the sea krait, a very squishy looking poisonous sea snake. These animals actually need help, but will you see public service announcements shot with a fish eye lens focusing on these guys? No, no you won't. You know why you won't see public service announcements shot with a fish eye lens focusing on these guys, but will see SO many cute, adorable seal videos that tug at your heart strings? Because there are a shit ton of seals to get thousands and thousands of hours of footage of! The axolotl and sea krait are actually endangered, so you know, not so easy to find.

Pictured Above: Not-so-cute
The axolotl

Anyhoo, I could go on and on, but you get the picture. And speaking of pictures, here's a few Christmas cards that use images of the seal hunt. Happy Holidays!

[A 18-24] Hoisting pelts aboard, ca. 1900
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives



[A 18-14] Sealers Breaking Ice Jam, ca.1900
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

Nurse Storr Prepares for Surgery

VA 118-44.5; "E. Storr, game for any function": Mission nurse Eleanor Storr prepared for surgery Date of creation: [1908]  Eleanor Storr was a trained nurse, licensed midwife and apothecarist who was supervising nurse at St. Anthony from 1908-1912. Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

VA 118-44.5; "E. Storr, game for any function": Mission nurse Eleanor Storr prepared for surgery

Date of creation: [1908]

 Eleanor Storr was a trained nurse, licensed midwife and apothecarist who was supervising nurse at St. Anthony from 1908-1912.
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives 

Nurses have been an integral part of patient care in Newfoundland and Labrador since European settlement began. Before the 1920s, there were few professional nurses working in outport Newfoundland. Several organizations tried to remedy this issue by recruiting nurses outside Newfoundland and funding their placement in rural communities. The first of these was the Grenfell Association, which had been recruiting nurses from Great Britain and North America since the 1890s, to work in remote communities in southern Labrador and northern Newfoundland.

A 7-186. Answering a Hurry Call.
Nurse and [doctor?] crossing over dory to get to larger boat called Water Bear. Dry dock in background.
Date of creation: [1930]
Courtesy of; The Rooms Provincial Archives

In 1934 the Commission of Government established a district nursing system, recruiting nurses and posting them to remote communities where they worked with little supervision or medical support. These nurses were responsible for maternity cases, school health, nutrition, child welfare and other community health needs. A second nursing service, the Public Health Service, was created in 1937, and the two services combined in 1941. Many of these nurses were stationed in cottage hospitals, but many others worked on their own without the support of a doctor or extensive medical facilities. After Confederation, funding increases, old age pensions, family allowances, and health insurance allowed better access to health care and increased the need for trained nurses.

For more info on nursing in Newfoundland check out the Intangible Cultural Heritage nursing collection on MUN's Digital Archive

Babies in the Flower Beds

Here's a sweet and simple post featuring a picture I thought was very cute. This picture is entitled Four Empy Baby Cots and comes with the following description:

Item consists of Four cribs, the "Flower Cots", labelled Scotch Thistle, Pansy, Snapdragon, and Wild Rose; babies are not visible; cart with bassinette to weigh babies to right.



VA 104.28.1 "Four Empy Baby Cots" [192-]
International Grenfell Association photograph collection
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives

And They're Off!! A Look at the Folks Behind the Scenes of The Royal St. John's Regatta

The Royal St. John's Regatta is the oldest organized sporting event in North America. It has been a part of Newfoundland history for 185 years. The first record of an organized event is in 1818, but rowing matches were common among ships crews in St. John's Harbour since at least ts the 1700's.

These days, the Regatta draws crowds of up to 50,000 people annually to the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake. With all the excitement of the races, food and games of chance, we may forget that organizing an event like this takes a lot of time and effort from many dedicated people. Here's are a few archival snaps of some of the people behind the scenes at the Royal St. John's Regatta.

[1.502.025] Bob Sexton Prepares Racing shell at Lawrence's Carriage Factory, Gower Street: for annual Regatta on Quidi Vidi lake. Sexton was a master boat builder. [190?]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives



[1.502.008] Judges Boat at Regatta, Quidi Vidi [before 1900]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

 

[1.502.065] St. John's Regatta Committee [1906]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

[1.502.001] St. John's Regatta - Quidi Vidi: Item consists of The earliest photo of the St. John's Regatta known to exist. The photo was taken at the head of Quidi Vidi Lake and shows what appears to be six boats lined up at the stakes and awaiting the firing of the starter's gun. Note in particular the two figures in the foreground and to the right of the photo. Apparently a bet on the outcome of the race has taken place, and is being sealed by a hand-shake. [ca.1880]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

 

All Around the Garden...in Your Nicest Dress?

Okay, so these ladies most likely aren't wearing their Sunday finest to do yard work, but can you imagine mowing the lawn in this get up?!

Update: I found out that it was a very popular trend at one time for women to dress up and pose while "working" on the land. They simply did it for the photo op! 

A51-115; Woman with Lawnmower
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

And I'm pretty sure I'd die from the heat if I had to make hay in a full dress (with crinoline) along with a fancy hat and gloves. I think from here on out whenever I go berry picking or do some work in the garden I won't take for granted that, as a woman, I can now comfortably wear pants and shorts!

A12-122; Women Making Hay at Ross's Farm, Quidi Vidi [before 1910]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives



E6-7; Women Making Hay at Ross's Farm, Quidi Vidi [before 1910]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

Remembering Beaumont-Hamel: A Letter from the Trenches

Today Newfoundlanders remember the advance at Beaumont-Hamel, fought on the opening day of the Battle of the Somme on July 1, 1916. The intent that day was for the Allies to destroy the Germans' defenses, including the lines of barbed wire protecting their trenches. However, the battle did not go as planned for the Allies and the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Final battle figures revealed 233 men from the Regiment dead, 386 wounded, and ninety-one reported missing (and later assumed dead). Only 110 men from the Regiment remained unscathed after the battle. The casualty rate for many battalions was over fifty percent; for the Newfoundland Regiment, it was eighty-five percent.


A 12-7; Memorial Day Parade, St. John's [July 1, 1924]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives.

The following is an excerpt from a letter published in the Evening Telegram on July 28, 1916,written by Sergeant Arthur Herder (service number: 0-61/1863), who went over the top with the Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel. Herder, a lawyer from St. John’s, enlisted at the age of 33. While he survived Beaumont-Hamel, he was later killed in action:

As to the Regiment, it was magnificent. Every Newfoundlander ought to be proud of it. Its fighting spirit was splendid – that was to be expected; but the most astonishing thing was the absolutely perfect steadiness of the men, or rather boys, for I verily believe it was the youngest regiment, all through, in the Army. We had practiced the attack for about ten days, even to the minutest detail. Every private was instructed over and over again as to just what was expected of him. When the day came, the men carried out their order to the death, or till they were so wounded they could not proceed further. Moreover, they carried them out exactly, under a perfect hail of fire, machine guns, rifle, shrapnel and high explosives, not only from the front but on both flanks. The 1st Newfoundland regiment did very well, and we ought to all be proud of it.



Hoops and Pails: Water carriers in Newfoundland and Labrador

Memorial University's Department of Folklore and the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador are hiring a researcher to work on their “Traditional Knowledge of Springs and Wells in the St. John's Area” project. The project is designed to map locational information and to collect oral histories about wells, springs and natural water sources within the St. John's Area. I work with the Heritage Foundation and while we're waiting for our hire, I thought I'd do a little bit of research on water supplies in the province.



VA 92.236; Getting Water at the Spring: Woman with young child filling water barrels [1932]
The Rooms Provincial Archives

I also work a part time job at The Rooms Provincial Archive and on slow days I like to familiarise myself with our collections by researching various topics. I started my search on wells and springs by searching "wells", which gave me lots of hits, but mostly for the surname. Then I tried "spring" and got way too many hits for the season. Finally I tried "water supply" and voila!

I found lots of great stuff for HFNL, but I also found some neat pictures of a tool I'd love to learn more about. The item (pictured below) is a hoop and bucket combination for carrying water. I'd like to find out why the hoop was used. Did it help with balance? Did it make the buckets feel lighter and easier to carry? Was this just used in Newfoundland and Labrador or was it a common tool for carrying water? If you can lend some insight, feel free to get in touch.

MG 158-170.2; Carrying Water. [Aug.1920]
The Rooms Provincial Archives

VA 110-28.5; Water Carrier: Man with hoop and pails for carrying water [1930]
The Rooms Provincial Archives

VA 110-28.7; Water Carrier: Woman carrying water with hoop and pails [1930]
The Rooms Provincial Archives



VA 22-27; Hoop Method of Carrying Water: rear view of woman with hoop carrying water on a road lined with wooden fences.



The Loom Room

A 62-97; The Loom Room, St. Anthony. Women working on weaving loom and mat hooking frame.  [1906]
Courtesy of The Rooms Provincial Archives

I love traditional crafts and have been very interested in weaving lately. I'd love to learn how to use a loom like this!

Mutt I hound you with these doggone pics?

When I began this blog it wasn't my intention to focus so much on archival animals, but they are so darn fun and cute, I just can't resist!

A 6-151; Esquimaux dog [husky], Nain, Labrador. [1914]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

 

As you may guess from that adorable fellow pictured above, today's entry will feature some of man's bestest buddy. Although I'm a notorious crazy cat lady, I do have a soft spot for these fuzzy-wuzzy squee-worthy companions.


 

VA 94-37.2; "He'll accept a substitute": Physician bottle-feeding puppy [before 1940]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

 

A 52-5; Two unidentified sailors (possible sentries) pose on Royal Canadian Navel dock [1939-1940]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

A 6-127; Newfoundland Dog: "Bull" [before 1946]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives
 

A 2-80; Two Newfoundland dogs with pup  [C.19??]
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

 

 

 

Baby Buns and the Best Puppy Name in History

Here's an assortment of photos I came across today-enjoy! :D

VA 117-49.1
"Portrait of elderly resident, Israel" c1930
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

I found this great picture while working at the archive this weekend, but the story that goes along with it is even better:

This old boy (Israel) was out hunting one autumn with several others and they bedded down for the night among some scrubby trees growing along a stream. During the night they were disturbed by some queer noises and Israel donned his big rabbit-skin cap and went out to investigate. A big snowy owl out foraging for food saw the rabbit skin moving among the bushes, thought it was still on the original owner and letting out a blood-curdling skriek, swooped down and clutched the cap. Israel let out a similar shriek, rushed back to camp and dived under the blankets and not till they showed him the owl's feathers near his old cap the next morning could they convince him that it was not the devil himself who had attacked him.


Check out this super cute baby bun!! I could devote this entire blog to archival animals.

VA 1-15 "baby rabbit held in man's hand" 1938
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

I post this next picture not for the content but because that dog quite possibly has the best name I have ever heard ever: "Megalosaurus", which  is a genus of large meat-eating theropod dinosaurs of the Middle Jurassic period. For some reason the fact that the dog's owner's name is "Dr. Little" somehow makes it all the more silly. 

VA 105-25.1 "Dr. Little and Megalosaurus" 1912
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives

And to round out these awesome animal photos- a man wears a dead rabbit like a tie! 

"How do I look Jim? I wanna look good for Fanny at the box social at the lodge tonight."

"I dunno Alfred... better put on a couple more...for good luck" 

A 8-25 "Two hunters with rabbits" date unknown
Courtesy of: The Rooms Provincial Archives