ODERIN ISLAND:

Located in western Placentia Bay, about 30 km northeast of Marystown. Oderin was originally settled by the French who considered it an important fishing post and had fortified it against the English.

The following excerpt from Wikipedia gives a brief history of the island:

The name was originally Audierne, named after a town in France.

In 1712, the French authorities in Placentia ordered all the buildings and fishing premises to be burned or destroyed, in part to deny to English the use of the site but also as retribution against the local French merchant Lafosse who had deserted to and collaborated with the English.

This did not happen, however, as English Captain Tavener's second report indicates that Lafosse's abandoned wife was still present in May 1718 and running a prosperous operation.

After the Treaty of Utrecht, the English established an outpost on the island and this became an important trade and fishing center. Shipbuilding was also an important industry on the island even though there were no local sources of wood.

Wood was cut on the Mainland portion of the Burin Peninsula in places like Rushoon, Bay D'Leau and Baine Harbour and brought to Oderin.

In 1802 the population had reached 235 comprising mostly English settlers.

The Poole merchant firm of Spurriers had operations there but went bankrupt in 1830. By 1836 the population had dropped to 133. Spurriers' business was eventually taken over by Furlong Bros., Irish merchants from New Brunswick.

During this time period to the middle of the 19th century the island saw an influx of Irish Roman Catholics. Many of the original English settlers moved to their wintering areas on the Burin Peninsula and established permanent year round communities.

As a result, the Irish became a majority of the population....

Oderins importance as a commercial center waned at the end of the 19th century and the community gradually declined in the 20th century.

In 1898 it had a population of 395 and this had declined to 223 in 1956.

It was abandoned under the Smallwood Governments controversial Resettlement Program in 1966.

Residents relocated to nearby communities of Baine Harbour, Rushoon and Marystown. Today the island has no permanent population but still has many cabins that are used as summer vacation getaways by former residents.

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/Oderin