DILDO ISLAND:

The origin of the word "dildo" has already been discussed and a bit of information about the area has been included, in this section, the "islands" that are in the Dildo Island area will be addressed.

There are actually three islands in the area in Trinity Bay at the opening of Dildo Arm.

The most northerly is Rosses Island; the most southerly has the interesting name of Spread Eagle; and the one in the middle is Dildo Island (or Dildoe Island).

It is the "very early" history of this very small island that is of particular interest. The following comes from Wikipedia:

An archaeological excavation in 1995 discovered Dorset artifacts dated to between 150 CE and 750 CE. It is believed that these people camped on Dildo Island for the purpose of seal hunting.

In 2001, excavations were begun on a recently discovered Native American site that radiocarbon dated to between CE 720 and 960 CE. Evidence of a camp was found with the remnants of a wigwam and hearth.

Almost all of the tools were made from purple and blue rhyolites that came from a source in Bonavista Bay roughly 145 kilometres (90 mi) to the north.

John Guy's journal of 1612 suggested evidence of a Beothuk Indian camp on Dildo Island. An English fort was established in the early 18th century to defend the south side of Trinity Bay from the French during Queen Anne's War.

A cod hatchery operated on Dildo Island from 1889 to 1897, created by Adolf Neilsen and funded by the Newfoundland government. At the time, the province of Newfoundland was one of the world leaders in hatchery technology and production.

At its peak, the hatchery produced approximately 200 million cod per year.

How Rosses Island and Spread Eagle Island got their names is unknown, but it is most likely that Ross was the name of an early settler or named by an early fisherman after his family.

From ENL comes this bit of information about "Spread Eagle", but it does not include how the island, the bay or the community got its name:

Spread Eagle: A resettled fishing community in southern Trinity Bay, Spread lies between Chapel Arm and Old Shop. The community was located in the western bight at the head of Spread Eagle Bay, which was noted for its fine beaches.

There was a Church of England family living at Spread Eagle from 1869 to 1874 probably either the Reids or the Hellyers (Hilliers), who were fishing there in 1889.

Salmon and herring were taken in addition to cod and the family kept a few cattle and swine. The population had reached 30 in 1891. By 1901 a school had been built for the children of the Reid, Hillier and Smith families.

Logging supplemented the shore fishery and by the 1930s there were two sawmills providing local employment. Pothead whaling took place in the area, though concentrated mainly at Dildo and Old Shop. Spread Eagle also enjoyed a reputation as a fine trout fishing area.

With a population which never exceeded 80 people. Spread Eagle was resettled in 1967, when three families moved to Blaketown, four to South Dildo and two to New Harbour. The two remaining families resettled to Old Shop by 1968.

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/SpreadEagle