- Sandy Point, Newfoundland and Labrador
Sandy Point is a former
peninsula on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland which has been recently transformed into anisland as a result ofsea level rise and ocean storm-inducedcoastal erosion . Its former connectingisthmus was known to locals as "The Gap".The point was also home to a now-abandoned community of the same name.
Sandy Point extends 2 km into
St. George's Bay on the bay's southern shore and is located approximately 7 km west of the head of the bay at Stephenville Crossing, 12 km south of the town of Stephenville and 2 km north of the community of St. George's.History
Thought to be long inhabited by aboriginals, namely a
Dorset culture, and later theBeothuk andMi'kmaq nations, the peninsula was seasonally inhabited by European fishing fleets during the summer months throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1783, the peninsula was included as part of theFrench Shore under theTreaty of Versailles , which included much of the west coast of Newfoundland.Sandy Point was divided practically down the middle between Catholics and Anglicans. The westwardly, where Catholics lived, was known as up along. Easterly, where the Anglicans lived, was down along.
In the ensuing decades, Sandy Point became host to a small population of multi-cultural and multi-lingual residents including Mi'kmaq, English, Jersey, and French residents. Sandy Point also became known for a
genetic defect among its population which was termedAllderdice syndrome , also known to locals in the surrounding area as "Sandy Point Syndrome".The outport community of Sandy Point continued until a period after Newfoundland entered Confederation in 1949 whereupon the provincial government began a program of voluntary and forced resettlement of coastal communities.
In the case of Sandy Point, the provincial government gave financial enticements for residents to leave the community and move to nearby St. George's which was located on the
Newfoundland Railway main line and would thus be cheaper to provide services to a concentrated population.Sandy Point, which had been an important sea port for the western coast of Newfoundland, declined to the point where its last two residents were forced to abandon the community during the 1970s.
Today, the recently-created island is completely uninhabited. Various levels of government are undertaking a process to create the territory as an historical site and conservation area for the numerous species of
migratory birds which inhabit the island during the summer months; these includePiping Plover s, with the Sandy Point colony comprising between 15-30% of Newfoundland's overall plover population. The island hosts a diverse habitat ranging from tidal sandflats, beaches and sand dunes, saltmarshes, meadows, freshwater ponds, and some forested area, making for a unique landscape in the province. The island also has one of the most northerly and largest occurrences ofSpartina salt marshes in eastern North America.External links
* [http://chrisnkaren.com/sandypoint.html Sandy Point - unofficial website]
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