Twillingate

Twillingate is a town of 2,121 people located on the Twillingate Islands ("Toulinquet") in Notre Dame Bay, off the north eastern shore of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The town is about north of Lewisporte and Gander. Incorporated on September 30, 1965, the town of Twillingate includes such localities as Back Harbour, Bayview, Durrell, Gillard's Cove, Jenkins Cove, Manuel's Cove, and Wild Cove. The Twillingate Islands provide an excellent sheltered harbour and easy access to the rich fishing grounds nearby. Twillingate Island is connected to mainland Newfoundland via the Walter B. Elliott causeway as part of Route 340. The town is also one of the oldest ports on the island. It was a historic fishing community, but because of the decline of the fishing industry, its economy now relies more on tourism. The earliest known people to inhabit the area were the Maritime Archaic, who occupied the area 3,500 years ago in 1500 BC. The Maritime Archaic people were later supplanted by the Beothuk, and possibly the Dorset Inuit, who occupied the area until the arrival of European settlers. The French had been fishing in the area, possibly as early as 1500, but the first European settlers did not arrive until the 17th century. The European settlers were mostly fishermen and their families from the West Country in England. The native Beothuk managed to survive until the early 19th century in small numbers near Twillingate and the mouth of the Exploits River. As the population grew, Twillingate became an important fishing community. It was a busy trade and service centre for Labrador and the northern shore fisheries for more than two centuries. One of the most prominent historical events that happened in the history of Twillingate was the arrival of a local newspaper – the Twillingate Sun. The Twillingate Sun served the Twillingate district from 1880s until the 1950s. The Sun was a robust and professional newspaper that not only covered local and provincial news, but also international news as well.