Quick Search
|
P.O. Box 370, 491 Main St. |
Newfoundland Tourism Region : Eastern
Located on the eastern side of the Burin Peninsula, Burin is the next community as one heads north. The eastern shore of the Peninsula is known as, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador Website as the "Sunny South" because of its beautiful landscape and friendly authentic people.
The town of Burin is on the western side of Burin Inlet.
Burin is not just a "single" town, but in fact encompasses a number of settlements. According to information presented in the ENL there were a number of settlements that had "Burin" in their name, such as "Salt Pond, Burin" and "Ship Cove, Burin".
Incorporated in 1950, originally Burin included Burin North, Ship Cove Proper, Ship Cove-Path End and Burin Bay; now it includes Collins Cove, Kirby's Cove, Path End, Bull's Cove, Black Duck Cove, Long Cove, Little Salmonier, Burin Bay Arm and Salt Pond.
The census of 2016 showed that there were 2,315 residents, a decrease of 4.5% from 2011 when 2,424 townsfolk were recorded.
From the town's website, history records that Burin was settled "nearly three hundred years ago with the first evidence of permanent settlement dated in 1718.
A letter from Pastour de Costabelle, governor of Placentia, to the head of the French Navy (1708), indicated that French fishermen had been fishing and exploring les Burines for many years".
The Burin Community Access Centre website offers a detailed history of the town of Burin and its surrounding areas. It is evident there are (or have been) a number of towns with the name Burin them:
The town of Burin is located is a mountainous area on the east side of the Peninsula, surrounded closely by many other towns in a dense pattern, unlike the other communities of "the boot", which tend to be much farther apart.
The European influence in area began soon after the discovery of newfoundland. European fishers, mainly the French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English, were visiting the Burin area seasonally as early as the sixteenth century.
There is no evidence that they took up residence here; rather, they returned home each fall, having cured their fish during the summer in the many coves and harbours.
As well, ".. '... a French presence was reported on the peninsula, which they called the Coast of Chapeau Rouge, in 1640.
In that year there were French fishing
stations at Oderin, Burin, St. Lawrence, Fortune, Grand Bank, and other peninsula arcas... It is evident that the biscayan (basque) fishermen visited such areas as Martiris (Mortier), Buria Chumea (Little Burin), (and) Buria Audia (Great Burin) ... over the decades."
The English and French navies waged conflicts around Burin for many years, as early as 1675, fighting for the sole right to exploit the lucrative fishing grounds.
Local legend has it that Burin was captured and recaptured by the French and by the English over and over again. Finally in England's permanent possession after 1713, the area was frequently raided by the French and American privateers during the American Revolution.
They entered the harbours and destroyed a great deal of valuable property. Raids continued for years afterwards, so much so that "the harbour was fortified with cannons and rock walls with soldiers stationed there 1800-05... Warships were there later than 1820".
As to the origin of the place name, the following comes from the town's website.
Two possible suggestions are offered as to the origin of our name: (1) from a French word BURINE meaning engraving tool. Legend has it that a French sailor was standing on the deck of his ship holding a Burine and, struck by the resemblance between it and the harbour they were entering, named it thus;
(2) from a Gaelic word Bureen meaning rocky place, named so by early Irish settlers. The French word is the acceptable version in use today.
Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill
Cook's Lookout: Located in the south of the island, near what is now known as the town of Burin, most researchers have suggested that Cook's Lookout was named by Cook, himself.
It was there, that he and his crew built a lookout in 1765 - 1766 in order to spot potential smugglers and privateers.
Others though, posit that it was named after him, after he left the area.
There is a 4.3 km trail from Penny's Pond Road to the lookout which offer some very scenic views of the surrounding area.
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/Burin