Staying at "home"

Since home is where we park it, we can stay at home by staying where we're parked. We were talking the other day about how it feels like we are "on vacation" on this trip because we're doing so many things, going and seeing almost every day. Today we decided to just stay around the campground, but we still got to see something of local history.

We took a walk through the campground here at the park and ended up at the Tramway on the other side of the park. The informational sign said:

The tramway played a vital role in the survival & livelihood of the people on New World Island. The tramway track stretched about one mile across a narrow neck of land, separating Dildo Run from Virgin Arm & Friday's Bay, thus saving a long boat trip around the eastern side of New World Island.

The tramway was built in 1901 under a commission of government, to transport logs that were cut for the purpose of pit-props, which were to be sent out of NFLD. However, failure of a ship to pick up this timber, the logs were then used by the residents. The tramway was also used for transporting logs, boats, & other goods back & forth.

It also served very useful in transporting the sick from such places as Boyds Cove to get to the hospital in Twillingate. The tramway also served an important role to the postal service. A steamer would drop off the mail for the residents of Virgin Arm in Summerford. Then it would have to be brought across to them via the tramway.

The tramway car (or trolley as it was called) was a flatbed with 4 wheels, that would rest on a track. The trolley was pushed up the grade by hand then it rolled along on the track very fast. Pieces of wood were used to stop the trolley by placing it down between the wheels. In the beginning, there were piers at each end of the track to help stop the trolley. The piers were made from wood approx. 6'x6' filled with rocks.

The tramway was in use for more than 50 years until the road across New World Island served it & made the use of the tramway unnecessary.

A reproduction of the tramway car or trolley.

Some more lupine growing nearby