Brigus, Newfoundland and Labrador
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Brigus is a small fishing community located in Conception Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Brigus is home to Captain Bob Bartlett and the location of his residence Hawthorne Cottage.
Incorporated in November 1964, Brigus' first Mayor was Fred Bartlett. The present Mayor is David G. Hiscock. Rev. R. Wells was the first Clergy Mayor elected in the Province.
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[edit] Geography
Located in sheltered bay it has been home to many fishermen and a strategic location in early times. Brigus is located adjacent to Cuper's Cove (modern day Cupids) an English settlement established in 1610 by John Guy on behalf of Bristol's Society of Merchant Venturers.
Brigus is located approximately 80 km west of St. John's, and is accessible via Route 70-A just 18 km from the Trans Canada Highway (TCH).
[edit] History
The name Brigus comes from the Brickhouse which was the name of an old town in England. Brigus' history dates back to around 1612, when John Guy sold half of the Harbour to the Spracklin family. At this time Brigus was mostly settled by people from England, Ireland, and Wales.
Brigus is famous for its sea Captains, it was in 1819 when Captain William Munden built the schooner Four Brothers, the first one hundred ton schooner in Newfoundland.
There were many Arctic Heroes that came from this historic town:
- Captain John Bartlett was an Arctic Hero with the American Explorer Hayes, and also with Admiral Robert Peary
- Captain Sam Bartlett who took his place with Peary
- Captain Robert Bartlett was in charge of the S.S. Roosevelt on the great occasion when Peary claimed the North Pole
- Captain Arthur Bartlett
- Captain William Norman who rescued Admiral Greely
- Captain Isaac Bartlett who rescued Captain Tyson and crew after drifting on an iceberg for 1500 miles
- Captain William Bartlett, known as the Commodore of the sealing fleet in Newfoundland
[edit] Economy
Brigus was a fishing community
[edit] Culture
| Population in 2001 | 784 |
| Population change from 1996 | -13.1% |
| Median age | 41.9 |
| Number of families | 255 |
| Number of married couples | 195 |
| Total number of dwellings | 300 |
| Catholic | 36.1% |
| Protestant | 63.9% |
| Land Area (km².) | 11.57 |
Statistics Canada detail demographics follow link here
[edit] Attractions
- the site of The Vindicator, where the Brigus newspaper was printed at the turn of the century
- the Convent of Mercy, built in 1860
- the Orange Lodge
- Hawthorne Cottage
- The Tunnel through solid rock on the waterfront, built in 1860 under the supervision of John Hoskins, a Cornish miner, provided a deep water berth for the Bartlett sailing ships
- Stone Barn Museum, using all the stone from the original stonehouse
- Jubilee Club, the meeting place of the Merchant Princes of Brigus from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s
- St. George' s Anglican Church, consecrated in 1845
- The Brigus United Church, dedicated in 1875
- The first Roman Catholic Church was built in 1832, and the first Mercy Sisters arrived in Brigus, from Ireland, in 1861
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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