From McCallum west, one "runs out" of peninsulas, and when one looks at a map one quickly realizes that this is the most isolated section of the island.

From Channel-Port- aux-Basque one can travel eastward until you "come to the end of the road at Harbour le Cou, from then on you have to travel by ferry but that will only take you to La Poile. Out of Hermitage and Gaultois one can head west to McCallum, Francois, Grey River and Burgeo, where one can "reconnect" with the highway heading to north to Bishop's Falls.

From the Lonely Planet website comes the following: If you have the time and patience, a trip across the south coast with its wee fishing villages - called outports - is the best way to witness Newfoundland's unique culture.

They're some of the most remote settlements in North America, reachable only by boat as they cling to the convoluted shore. An anomaly is Burgeo (population 1460), accessible by an easy road trip; it has an unspoiled, isolated feel, yet offers good amenities for travelers.

Ramea (population 525) is another uncomplicated option. It's an island just offshore from Burgeo with lodging and activities. Other outports along the coast include Grey River, François and McCallum.

Hurry: the villages are dwindling fast as government pressure and lack of employment force residents to relocate to more accessible areas.

McCallum: Originally known as Bonne Bay, it was, as mentioned before, renamed McCallum in the early 1900s to honour Henry Edward McCallum (1852-1919), the 17th resident Governor of Newfoundland. It should be noted that this is not the same "Bonne Bay" as the one on the Great Northern Peninsula.

Who renamed this Bonne Bay, why it was renamed, and when was it actually renamed are all uncertain, but it is safe to guess that it was named Bonne Bay (Good Bay) because the bay gave good shelter as it was protected from the winds by Taylor, Poole and Daniel Islands.

It is known that the harbor was used by fishermen from the Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon as far back as the early 1500s. McCallum's population reached a peak of 190 in the 1960s, and since then it has steadily dropped.

In 2016 there were only 73 residents, a decrease of 20.7% from the 2011 count of 92. The following description, from Wikipedia, describes its isolation from other communities:

McCallum is an isolated community on the southern coast of Newfoundland. It is accessible only by boat or by air, and in appearance and way of life is thought by some to be as close to a pre-20th century community as may be found. McCallum lies in an enclosed harbour and is sheltered between two hills.

The community survives primarily on the fishery. Whaling was also a major industry in the late 19th century. It is also about an hour and a half from the nearest road, in a community called Hermitage.

As a result of resettlement, the community has grown and has taken in people from surrounding communities such as Pushthrough, Muddy Hole, Indian Cove, Lock's Cove, Richards Harbour, and Mosquito.

In the past there was only a muddy or dirt walkway. Today there is a wooden walkway and also two major concrete roads. Walking is still the primary means of land transport around the community. ATVs have become rather popular, however....

The waters around McCallum have been fished since at least the 16th century, however no permanent settlement existed until after the Seven Years' War, after 1816.

When the French gained possession of the Islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the English on the Islands were forced to find new homes, and looked just north, to Newfoundland's southern coast.

Aside from the traditional fishery, there is also a lobster fishery. In recent years there has also been aquaculture in and around the community of McCallum.

The lifeblood of McCallum revolves around the sea. McCallum voted on resettlement in 2015 and 2017 but did not meet the 90% threshold required.

McCallum has a public wharf, a fire department, a bed-and-breakfast, local internet access, a ferry service to Hermitage (where the nearest road is located), and distance education facilities.

There is only one general store, Fudges Store (there were two for many years until Riggs and Sons Ltd. went out of business); the church is St Peter's Anglican, and the school is St Peter's All Grade School.

The school is small with only three students. Distance education is a popular means of education for the high school students (grades 9 to 12).

There has been talk of resettlement for many years, but the current residents appear not to want to move, according to the most recent referendum held on June 1, 2017.

While 59 out of 76 residents said they wanted to leave McCallum, the 17 who opted to stay "carried the day", as Clayton Hunt reported in the Sept. 27, 2019 issue of the Saltwire.

In order to access the moneys offered by the governments (up to $270,000) a majority of 90% must opt to leave. But there is pressure - not only from within the community as well as from without.

The following letter to the editor was recently published in The St. John's Telegram June 26, 2019), written by Maria McMaster, St. John's

"Newfoundland and Labrador has a population of approximately 500,000 people spread over a huge geographic landscape. The province has a ferry program which services many isolated communities all over the province.

The provincial government is spending too much money providing access through road and ferry programs to isolated and remote communities which do not have a strong economic case for continuing as government supported municipalities.

South Coast communities such as Gaultois and McCallum are only accessible by a ferry service which regularly has as few as three passengers."

McCallum, in particular, is an hour and a half from the dock in Hermitage and has only 70 people and three school-aged children.

The [Great] Northern Peninsula, which is predicted to see a 40 per cent population decline in the next twenty years, is also facing the issue of too many unsustainable communities; efforts need to be taken to resettle many of these communities into St. Anthony.

The other reality is that the majority of these communities cannot attract the professionals necessary (doctors, teachers, social workers, etc.) to offer the services needed to upkeep a modern level of service access.

It is not a political expedient conversation to have and the Liberals have been using the rural vote to keep their voter base afloat for decades; however, the cost of up-keeping these communities is not sustainable.

The Opposition parties need to raise these issues and not be complacently silent like the Liberals.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/McCallum