Cormack: Located on the Great Northern Peninsula, inland from Bonne Bay, 8 km (11 mi) north of Deer Lake, on finds the community with the name Cormack, and the history behind its settlement is quite unique.

After WWII, returning war veterans were encouraged to apply for more than 12,000 hectares (29,652.6 acres) of land in the Humber Valley.

One hundred and sixty-three of the two hundred and seventeen application were approved, and they were given 20 hectares (49.2 acres) of land, along with a six-room house as well as seed money that could be used to purchase what they would need to make a "go" of farming (e.g., livestock, equipment, necessary outbuildings) and by 1948, with a total of 96 farms, the community was named after the explorer.

Life was not easy as one can see from this passage from the town's website. The following excerpt points out some of the hardships the early settlers had to suffer through:

During 1946 the ex-servicemen were put to work doing a variety of tasks to support themselves, jobs such as clearing snow from the tramway tracks, cutting railway ties and juniper poles, cutting birch and clearing their own land which they did for 55 cents an hour.

Some of the ex-servicemen had no concept of what the area was like. They all received the 50 acres of arable land, in addition to a few more acres of non-arable land, and were, for the most part, very enthusiastic about the land settlement at first.

Later many believed the land was cleared improperly, resulting in most of the topsoil being pushed into the windrows. In the fall of 1946, the first families began to arrive, and faced a tough first winter.

They had to work for a living in the woods, complete the work on their houses, provide firewood, and sometimes walk ten to fifteen miles to Deer Lake for supplies. Tractors ordered from the USA were not available until midsummer of 1947, which held up road clearing and road construction.

The main road was constructed in 1946-47. A series of side roads were constructed in 1947-48.

96 six-room bungalows were built by a contractor, Frank Pye. The style of the houses were all the same, with the exception of a decorative peak which was located in the middle or to the side of the frontal roof. The 28' x 30' houses were large enough but they did have their problems. Green lumber was used for construction, they had no insulation or basements and the brick chimneys often developed large cracks in them.

Even when completed the houses were extremely cold. All of the ex-servicemen were Newfoundlanders, but many of their wives were ex-servicewomen and war brides from overseas urban centers in Scotland, England and Ireland where running water and electricity were taken for granted.

Many ultimately found the isolation too much for them, but some expressed appreciation for the peaceful and quiet surroundings after experiencing the horrors of the war....

A large number of settlers came in the spring of 1947 when the crop planting began. With the small amount of money they got from Government, they bought horses, ploughs, hoes and fertilizer.

But the overall lack of funding restricted occupation and farm activity. Only 90 of the proposed 300 farms were cleared by 1947 and the first cash crop failed because of late planning and a severe late August frost.

In the spring of 1948 farmers had no money for seed or fertilizer and applied for $200 loans. The government initially refused but eventually agreed to an advance of $200 over two years.

High fertilizer requirements and disease minimized potato returns and by late 1948 there were only 48 active farmers growing potatoes, turnips, hay and root crops on 362 acres of cleared land.

A September storm, the September Gale of 1948, also devastated the area, destroying crops and a warehouse, and making repayment of government loans difficult.

The small acreage cleared made it difficult to keep cattle because of the lack of pasture. The Government paid $10.50 an acre to clear land but it cost nearly $100 an acre to clear land of trees, shrubs, boulders, rocks, and weeds and then put in seeds and spread fertilizer.

Another problem was the limited access to markets. They formed a farmers' association, the Upper Humber Farmers Association, which found markets for their produce, mostly to Bowater's woods camps.

Some farmers delivered their vegetables to Deer Lake using horse and cart and they could access areas around Bonne Bay, but other markets were difficult to get to.

There was also competition from other centrally located farmers. Corner Brook was serviced by places such as the Codroy Valley. Most farmers sold directly rather than using the Association, which charged 5%.

When people started getting trucks, they went to Corner Brook, Bonne Bay and Stephenville to sell their produce. The main road however, was in very bad condition. There were large, almost impassable, mud holes in spring and even after the road dried, there were ruts sometimes a foot deep.

Prices for crops were very low, so to survive their income had to be supplemented by working in the woods from January to mid-April. A lot of the wood cut in the early years was birch for railway ties, which could be taken to Deer Lake and sold for a $1.00 each.

Pulpwood became more important later. Residents with horses worked at Herb Porter's woods camp by Grand Lake, while others went with their horses to Lomond.

With no other family members around to help them in time of need, the settlers, who had roots from all areas of Newfoundland, developed close bonds. Cards games and house parties were favorite recreational pursuits as well as opportunities to exchange ideas.

Wildlife was plentiful and rabbit and moose became a big part of their diet. Kept frozen in winter, quarters of moose would be hung in the shed and cut when needed or bottled during warmer weather, and the newly cleared land produced large quantities of wild berries.

Soon after settlement, eighty-five of the settlers set up their own consumer's cooperative where they could buy groceries and supplies. Buying shares for $5.00 each, they brought in a small quantity of supplies and obtained one of the sheds belonging to government. They took turns working at night until it was well established enough to be able to hire a manager....

In 1949 there were 88 ex-servicemen settlers and their families residing at Cormack. With confederation came a number of changes, which had a great effect on the success of the agricultural industry in the area, the greatest being the removal of tariff restrictions on Canadian mainland agricultural produce.

The only Newfoundland agriculture sectors, which managed to weather the change were the egg and fresh milk producers, owing to the freshness of the products demanded in the market place.

Cormack, with its root crop industry, smaller farms, and higher costs, could not compete with mainland prices. Various forms of assistance which were initiated by the Commission of Government, were maintained by the Provincial Government such as land clearing schemes and freight subsidies.

A Farm Development Loan Board was established to give loans for the improvement and extension of existing farms and the purchase of equipment, agricultural land and livestock, which enabled some farmers to continue.

By 1950, of the 92 farms originally occupied, 15 had been vacated and 12 other settlers were no longer farming. To many, the daily grind and uncertainty of farming was unacceptable so they left to seek better job opportunities in west coast communities such as Deer Lake, Comer Brook and Stephenville.

With changes of ownership only 70 farmers remained and about 50 families were in residence.... A fall 1950 effort to sell some unused or vacated farms to non-veterans was largely unsuccessful, but a drastic price reduction enabled most to be sold in 1951, when 84 homesteads were occupied by farmers, although only a few were full time. This expansion may have helped ensure the survival of the community....

The community gradually became more of a rural dormitory community for Deer Lake with extra income for families from part-time farming and logging. After a short period of growth from 325 in 1951 to 486 in 1961, the settlement had declined to 432 in 76 families by 1966....

Today with larger markets, refrigeration, better transportation and a more diverse agricultural base, Cormack, with its predominant dairy industry, is considered a major agricultural area.

Because of the excellent building conditions, the attractive surroundings and the comparatively low land prices, the community continues to spark interest as a residential area for people employed outside the community and those who wish to retire in a quiet setting.

Through hard work, the town has continued to "survive". In the 2016 census, a total of 597 residents were recorded, a slight decrease of 1.3% from the 605 that were enumerated in 2011.

SIR RICHARD SQUIRES MEMORIAL PROVINCIAL PARK:

Located approximately 36 km (22.4 mi) northeast of Deer Lake along Highway No. 422 the park, known locally as Big Falls Park can be found.

Sir Richard Squires Memorial Park is situated on the scenic Humber River and is a popular place for salmon angling.

The Park was established in 1954 as the first Provincial Park in Newfoundland and opened to the public in July 1959. The park is named in honour of Sir Richard Squires (1880-1940), Prime Minister of the self-governing Dominion Newfoundland from 1919 to 1923 and 1928 to 1932.

During his first term in office, Squires successfully arranged the construction of a paper mill in Corner Brook. Knighthood was bestowed upon Squires in 1921 for his achievements.

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/Cormack