The Dorset Trail

The Baie Verte Peninsula is a land of complex geology and associated mineral deposits that underlie steep, thickly wooded hills. To reach it, continue east on the Trans-Canada Highway past Sandy Lake and Birchy Lake.

This highway is named for the Dorset Eskimos who lived - and quarried - here 1,500 years ago. Even earlier, the Maritime Archaic Indians inhabited the peninsula and may have exploited its minerals. But both the aboriginals and early European settlers came for fish, game, and timber.

On Route 411, pass through Western Arm and on to Westport, which was the first permanent settlement on the peninsula. The forest here is re-growing following a fire some years ago, and the tender young growth makes ideal food for moose. There is a picnic park at the lighthouse, sea stacks, and rocky beaches. Then it's on to Purbeck's Cove, which may have been named for the white marble quarried nearby in 1891. The marble is similar to that found on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset, England. The quarry is accessible by boat.

It's 35 kilometres back to Route 410. A bit further north, partially paved Route 413 branches off eastward toward Burlington, which was at one time the commercial centre of the peninsula, which at that time was called the Burlington Peninsula. There is a picnic site at the Indian Well and the Salmon Trail leads to a waterfall. At the end of the road is Middle Arm, where logging has been the main industry for much of this century.

Head back to Route 410 and continue north to its intersection with Route 412. At the end of this road is Seal Cove and its sandy, boulder-strewn beach backed by forested hills. This is a good place to see icebergs. For the adventurous, you may walk to the top of Bond Lookout for a spectacular view. On the return trip, take unpaved Route 419 to Wild Cove. The road passes through some very rugged and pretty country to the small village.

Then it's back to Route 410 and on to the hub of the peninsula, Baie Verte. This is another mining town that has known the boom and bust of that fickle industry. Asbestos was mined here in an open pit operation between 1963 and 1990. Since the economic lifeblood of the peninsula has been minerals, it's entirely appropriate that this town is the location for the excellent Baie Verte Miner's Museum.

The museum is part of the Visitor Information Centre, and is connected to it by a short 'mine shaft' and its displays. Here you will learn the fascinating story of the many mines that operated in this area. The museum is actually built right over an abandoned copper mine. This Terra Nova Mine, as it was called, operated between 1860 and 1864, and again from 1901 to 1915. Some silver and gold were also mined there. The first rail line in Newfoundland was the five kilometre stretch between the five mine shafts and the dock that operated in the 1860's.

Among the museum's displays are samples of virginite, a quartz-carbonate-fuchsite compound. The fuchsite, or chromium mica, gives the mineral its bright green colour. It is cut and polished and used for decorative purposes. There are displays on mining equipment, minerals, an 1860s miner's lamp, a kid's pit, a gold panning display, models and aboriginal artifacts. Outside is an old locomotive used at a mine many years ago.

For rock hounds and mineral sleuths, the museum provides great detail for further exploration of the many mine sites and mineral deposits on the peninsula. Nearby, you can climb the hill at Rattling Brook for a spectacular view of a waterfall that plunges down into a boiling pool of spray.

North of Baie Verte, at the end of Route 410, is Fleur de Lys and the oldest mine on the peninsula. Actually, it's a soapstone quarry (a protected archaelogical site) used certainly by the Dorest Eskimos and perhaps by the Maritime Archaic Indians. They quarried cubes of this soft mineral from a cliff face and used them to make cooking pots, bowls and seal-oil lamps. They also bartered with other groups. This is now a designated National Historic Site and exhibits can be found at the new Interpretation Center in Fleur de Lys. Lead, copper, zinc, and molybdenum were mined here in the early 1900s.

On the return trip to Baie Verte, you can take a short side trip to Coachman's Cove, which was first settled by English, and later by the French and Irish. A hiking trial on the south side of the harbour leads to a picnic area. Further along the trail, at low tide, you can walk to the lighthouse on French Island. In 1999/2000 a three thousand year old Paleoeskimo site was excavated in the area.

Just past Baie Verte, Route 414 takes you to the northeastern part of the peninsula. Near the junction of Route 414 and 418 is the site of the now abandoned Rambler Copper Mine, which operated from 1904 to the 1990's. Some gold and silver were also mined here. At the end of unpaved Route 418 is Ming's Bight. Geologists are exploring this area for economically viable mineral deposits. There's a small beach, a waterfall, and trails. Ming's Bight was the site of Newfoundland's first gold mine, which operated from 1904 to 1906. Called the Goldenville Mine, it yielded only 158 ounces of the precious mineral. There is a marked trail to the mine site.

Heading east you come to Route 417 and the communities of Woodstock and Pacquet. Woodstock has a small picnic park and an excellent salmon river. On the headland at Pacquet is a park with a magnificent view of the Horse Islands. A copper mine once operated here as well.

Another side trip off Route 414 involves taking unpaved Route 415 to Nipper's Harbour. The most striking natural feature in the community is a rock formation called The Lion, a granite outcrop. There is a Dorset Eskimo site here that is still to be excavated, and two old churches. An aboriginal burial ground is located on an island just offshore.

The next side road is Route 416 to Snooks Arm and Round Harbour. The coastline between Snooks Arm and Nipper's Harbour has a number of abandoned communities, including Bett's Cove, site of the first ore smelter in Newfoundland at the old copper mine there. The mine operated from 1875 to 1885 when a landslide, caused by the removal of ore-rich pillars, ruined the site at the same time copper prices fell. Geologists visit the site for samples of chalcopyrite, iron pyrites. and other minerals. There are also samples of the finest pillow lava in the world in the area. A new gold mine now operates at Nugget Pond near Snook's Arm.

To the north of Route 414 on an unpaved road are Harbour Round and Brent's Cove, a pair of fishing communities. Further east and off Route 414 along an unpaved road is Tilt Cove, where copper mines operated from 1864 to 1917 and 1957 to 1967. A prospector named Smith McKay explored the area in 1857 and noticed that fisherman Isaac Winsor was using a large piece of copper ore for ballast. Winsor showed him where he found it and mining began a few years later. Gold, silver, and nickel were also mined here.

In 1897, one of a series of stamps issued by Newfoundland to commemorate John Cabot's landing 400 years earlier featured the Tilt Cove mine. It is believed to be the world's first mine motif stamp.

The final two communities along this road are Shoe Cove and La Scie. La Scie was first settled by the French and was part of the French Shore. Its name means "saw", which refers to the jagged hills surrounding part of the town.

There are many other places to see off the beaten track on the peninsula, and one of those is back almost to Route 1. It's a bit difficult to spot at first, but there's an old logging road on the east side of Route 410 about two kilometres past the Black Brook Salmon Enhancement Project. About two kilometres from the main road is the spectacular double Black Brook Falls, which plunge over an escarpment to the river valley below.

Visit the Baie Verte Peninsula and enjoy hospitality at its best!