Channel-Port aux Basques: Located on the south western tip of the island, this community is known as the "Western Gateway" to Newfoundland.

Since 1945, the two communities of Channel and Port aux Basque have been incorporated which in terms of size, according to the ENL sources, reached from Deep Cove, Motherlake Bay, to Grand Bay, and from the North West Arm and along the shore of the settlements of Channel and Port aux Basques back to Motherlake Bay".

In 1974 the community grew again when Mouse Island was annexed "and since that time the town boundary has been extended northwest to contain the watershed, bringing the boundary to the border of John T. Cheeseman Provincial Park, and to the east approximately 3 km (2 mi) east of Channel Head, including Duck Island and Hell's Beach".

As the town grew in size, it also grew in population. In 2016 the town registered 4,067 persons, a 2.5% decrease of the 4,170 from 2011.

It is believed that the original community of Channel was named because of the narrow channel between the settlement and the small off-lying island known as Channel Head. According to material presented in the ENL, "of these settlements.

Port aux Basques is the oldest in both nomenclature and use. Although no specific records have been yet discovered in Spain, it is probable that, as its name indicates, Port aux Basques (Port of Basques) was a port of call for Spanish and French Basque whalers fishing the Strait of Belle Isle in the Sixteenth Century, it is not likely however, that the port was anything more than a sheltered stop for wood and fresh water, enroute to the major whaling stations on the Southern coast of Labrador".

Ringbolt Cove: Located east of Burgeo, in the south of the island, this community has been abandoned since 1968 but is still remembered by the "locals". A ring bolt consists of a ring that a rope can be put through for fastening. According to the DNLE seal fishermen used "frames" for catching seal. A "frame consists of three nets of the same depth as the water in which they are placed.... They are often eighty to a hundred fathoms in length. The frame is placed in the run of the seals in the form of a square, the two side nets being safely secured to the shore by means of a ring bolt."

T'RAILWAY PROVINCIAL PARK: Brilliant ATV Guide
The T'Railway Provincial Park stretches almost 900 km (559.2 mi) from Port aux Basques to St. John's along the main line of the old abandoned Canadian National railbed.

This island-long Park corridor provides access to many of the Island's representative natural and scenic landscapes. The Park also serves as an historical link to the province's past railway heritage because most of the original railbed, trestles and bridges remain intact.

Another part of the legacy is the remaining station houses and trail cars.

All are reminiscent of the architectural and engineering technology of the day. In 1898, the first passenger train traveled from St. John's to Port aux Basques; a journey that took some 28 hours to complete.

From that day, and until its decommission in 1988, many residents and tourists have traveled this route; a journey of adventure and natural beauty that has become a topic of Newfoundland writers and musicians.

All-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles are permitted on the T'Railway for access and year round enjoyment.

Hiking, scenic touring and nature observation will be encouraged and promoted especially to residents and visitors to the Province. From Wikipedia comes the history behind the establishment of the T'Railway:

Construction of the railway began in 1881. The first passenger train traveled from St. John's to Channel-Port aux Basques on June 29, 1898.

The railway was abandoned in September 1988 and the last rails removed in 1990, whereby the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador acquired the property from CN. The Newfoundland T'Railway was established in July 1997 as a rail trail. This linear park uses both the railbed and bridges.

In February 2008, the provincial government announced that they were closing every bridge and trestle along the route pending safety inspections.

Government officials admitted that regular inspections are not performed on the structures. Transport Canada inspected 14 structures and found them to be in a wide state of disrepair.

In some cases, debris is starting to fall off bridges. The Federal government got involved due to its responsibility to ensure the safety of navigable waters.

By 2010 all 130 bridges had been upgraded under a $3 million program funded by the federal government's Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Trans Canada Trail Foundation.

Sections of the Newfoundland T'Railway in the Clarenville-Bonavista area were washed out on September 21, 2010 due to heavy rain resulting from Hurricane Igor with subsequent repairs taking several years to complete.

Sections in the Gander-Clarenville area were washed out on October 10, 2016 due to heavy rain with repairs lasting into summer 2017.

The trail is still a work in progress. To date, about 20% of it has been resurfaced with crusher dust or asphalt (mostly near urban areas) making it suitable for walking, running, cross-country skiing, cycling, wheelchairs, horseback riding, all terrain vehicles, and snowmobiles.

The remaining 80% of the trail surface is still large crushed stone railway track ballast with conditions varying from region to region. Several bridges and culverts are usually undergoing repair or replacement every year. Trail signs have been posted in most urban areas.

In 2020, a 20-kilometre stretch near Maccles Lake was approved for temporary use by heavy forestry harvesting equipment.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin 0f 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/23153.html