The Victoria Community Development Corporation
Learning Resources

The Baccalieu Trail has a very interesting and unique place in Canada and North America. This peninsula of land has been designated as one of only five Heritage Regions in the country. First settled more than 4000 years ago by aboriginal peoples, the last "new comers" arrived from Europe in 1507 and officially settled here in 1610. Since then it has been the nursery of Pirates and the British Navy, Gibraltar of North America, communication beacon for telegraph signals and solo aviators crossing the Atlantic.

The Baccalieu Trail or Bay de Verde Peninsula is a region located on the North West Avalon Peninsula, encompassing more than two thousand square miles and more than forty thousand people, living in over 60 communities. Founded to capitalize on the fishing industry which has declined greatly in the past ten years, the Baccalieu Trail has a wealth of history, culture, and scenic beauty, and is a natural haven for tourist. In 1993, the Baccalieu Trail was designated as a National Heritage Region, the fifth in the country to be honored.

The North Atlantic has dominated many aspects of life in this region. First visited by Europeans in the 16th century, the Baccalieu ( Portuguese for codfish) Region has played an important role in the history of the province. Settlement patterns were dictated by access to the fishing grounds, with all but two communities being bounded by Trinity and Conception Bays. Highways connecting these communities hug the coastline, affording travelers breathtaking views of the ruggedness of our shores, the abundant whales, birds, and in early spring, the ice bergs which drift down from the Arctic.

The Day Tour Program has prepared Lesson Plans about ten special sites on the Baccalieu Trail. These fully prepared plans, with site descriptions, student activities and extended ideas, are available to Educators of Grade 4, 5, 6 students. Activities in the areas of Math, Language Arts, Music, History, Art, and Geography will draw on the imagination and creativity of each child.

There are at least ten sites on the Baccalieu Trail offering organized educational programs for visiting students. Any teacher wishing to take a tour at any or all of these sites can contact the person listed in the upper left hand corner of the site information sheets for a schedule.

Lesson Plans and Resources

1. Heart's Content Cable Station -First successful trans-Atlantic Telegraph Cable landing
2. Conception Bay North Museum - Pirate Peter Easton, Amelia Earhart, Fishing & Sealing.
3. Cupids Museum & Archeological Site - First official English settlement in Canada 1610.
4. Victoria Heritage Sawmill - Newfoundland's only full size water wheel driven sawmill.
5. Carbonear Railway Station Museum – Foreign going sailing Captains in 19th & 20 th century.
6. Hawthorne Cottage-National Historic Site - Former home of Arctic Explorer Capt. Bob Bartlett
7. Dildo Interpretation Center - 5000 years of settlement, whaling, fishing, sealing, cod hatchery.
8. Bay Roberts Cable Building - Museum of town as mercantile centre, WWII communications.
9. Winterton Boat Building Museum - Demonstration of how in shore fishing boats were made.
10. Bay De Verde Heritage House and Baccalieu Island Exhibit -Typical home of outport fishing merchant. One of the largest seabird colonies in North America.