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A small village of such houses presented a comfortable looking sight, and housed probably happier families than they would had they been marble halls.
– John Morgan, former resident of Burnt Head¹
Houses in Greenland once hugged the shoreline. Many had small kitchen gardens nearby, in which the vegetables that would sustain families throughout the year were grown. Family names included Newell, Dawe, Hussey, and Whelan. Residents had close ties to nearby Brigus and there were paths over the hills connecting the two communities. One of the roads leading to Brigus was called Barren's Road.²
You can make a short cut and go from here to Brigus, you know the road is not any good anymore but it was then. Walk over in about twenty minutes, you could go from here to Brigus.
– James Bishop Dawe, former resident of Greenland²
The nearest doctor, a Doctor Gill, lived in Brigus and Greenland residents had to walk over the hills if they needed medical advice. As well, there were a few merchants in Brigus who would outfit men for the Labrador fishery. Some men would sign on with a Mr. Greenland or a Mr. Hiscock, both Brigus merchants, and get necessary supplies for the Labrador fishing season from them.
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| Family and friends crowded into a small boat offshore from the community of Greenland, in the background. Photo courtesy of Ira Butler. |
In 1935, 23 people lived in Greenland. Not long after, people began moving away from the community to begin new lives elsewhere. Several reasons have been given for the slow abandonment of Greenland (and the other communities along the Burnt Head Trail: Morgan's Cove, Noder Cove, and Deep Gulch3). Former residents indicate that the opening of the American naval base in Argentia (1941) offered some men regular employment and they moved their families to be closer to their work.
Similarly, the Labrador fishery drew men seasonally to the waters of Domino Run (near Spotted Island, Labrador). Eventually it seemed more feasible to move closer to the fishing grounds and avoid the long trips and the time away from family.
There has also been speculation that nearby Cupids, which had been connected to electric power, appealed to residents wishing for modern conveniences4. By the end of the 1940s, all Greenland residents had left.
4 Tammy Mason, "Life in the Abandoned Settlements of Cupids," August 31, 1998, Cupids Historical Society, Cupids Legacy Centre.