Bonne Esperance

I am pleased I had the opportunity to meet Francisco as the work he is doing, along with the exposure Garland is bringing to the area, may one day bring St. Paul’s River into national heritage status. To be part of that is worth celebrating!

Bonne Esperance is now the name of the municipality that encompasses the fishing villages of St. Paul’s River, Old Fort and Middle Bay.

The focus of the current explorations is the island of Bonne Esperance, southeast of St. Paul’s River. This is where the original Whiteley Fishery was located. I realize now we cruised about a mile from it the day we left the area.

These are the notes I received from Francisco:

”This model is a reconstruction of the old fishery owned by William “Bossy” Whiteley (you can see the big ‘W’ in front of one of the buildings) on Bonne Esperance. It was an important enterprise started in 1855 and lasted until the 1940s (although Whiteley died in 1903). Whiteley was the inventor of the cod trap which allowed the development of the fishery, and after his death, his sons continued with the business but with several economic difficulties. 

What you can see on the model are the old wharf, offices, storage buildings, and the wooden structures used for salting codfish. Whiteley's residence with the red roof is at the back. 

The next two photos show the original house and the wood remains of the house today.  

My research focuses on this 19th-20th century industrial fishery of Bonne Esperance, and also on a guano (fertilizer) factory located in Factory Point, in the Ile de la Demoiselle (better known as Caribou Island).

I am using UAV photogrammetry and 3D modeling for mapping and surveying these places to understand their historical development. I am also interested in studying the local community's relationship to this historical heritage. The research falls under what is known as the 'archaeology of the contemporary past'.”

If our stay in the area had been longer, it would have been interesting to visit the sites with Francisco. Now all we can do is stay in touch and wait for the news that interest in the area, funding and institutional support has taken hold and Francisco and Garland can be rewarded for their hard work in sharing this historic project with the world.

All photos and exploration details were provided by Francisco Rivera. Thank you.