Facts

Notable Residents and Visitors:

-Captain James Cook. Captain Cook did a survey in 1763 and noticed no settlements in his study. He did make a note of the rich Forest reserves in the area. Ship Cove was likely named by Captain Cook in 1765 when he was forced to careen and rummage (haul up and clean the bottom of his vessel) the Grenville, at ship Cove.Click here for Biography on James Cook.

-Beatrice Collier :Founder of St. Alban's library and the first mayor of St. Alban's.

-Jenny Collier:A Notable Charity And Volunteer Worker

-Noel Jeddore: born in 1863 was appointed Saqamaw around 1920 until Andrew Joe was old enough. Around this time the position of Saqamaw had become pretty well "entrenched" to be that of a spiritual leader, instead of a political leader. Noel became Saqamaw and according to an affidarit signed by him he recognized that his office would last until Andrew was old enough. The people looked to Noel as Saqamaw and treated him as such. Later, some local residents caused some serious misunderstanding between Noel and Father St. Croix, the priest of the day and Noel was forced into exile in 1945. He was the last "official" Saqamaw of Taqamkuk for the longest time.

Click here for a list of notable chiefs of Conne River

-Gorden Perry: He was a Justice of the Peace and Principle of Holy Cross for twenty-five years. Mr Perry left behind many accomplishments; among them was the publishing of school year books that contained rare historical information(1950-59).

Parish Priests for St. Ignatious/St. Anne's

-Father Nolan visited here from Head Bay d'Espoir.

-1911-1943 Father Stanislaus St. Croix.

-1943-1968 Father Michael Hayes.

-1969-1979 Father G. Grace.

-1979-1984 Father B. Buckle.

-1984-1994 Father Joseph Gash.

-1994-Present Father William Hern.

Well known Mid-Wives:

Eva Collier	Aunt Joanie Collier	Angie Cox
Millie Willmott	Frances Kearley	Millie Joe
Old Mrs. Reynolds	Ann Organ	Carrie Collier
Joan Collier	Fanny Barnes	Emily Crosser

Past Doctors of the Area:

-Dr.Scott

-Dr.Parsons

-Dr.Tom

Events

- The First historical association of Micmac with Bay d'Espoir is Palliser's anxious announcement of 1766, informing the British Admiralty that a party of some 200 had landed there.

- By the 1830's Conne River had emerged as a settlement.

- By the 1850's families began settling in Ship Cove ( St.Alban's )

- In the 1850's Head of Bay D'Espoir was settled.

- By the late 1800's the communities of Milltown, St. Veronica's, and Morrisville were well established.

- In the 1960's the Lakes from Fortune started a sawmill in Milltown.

- In 1880's a number of Roman Catholic families move from Great Jervais to St. Alban's ( Ship Cove )

- The first chapel every built in Bay D'Espoir was in Conne River.

-The first Roman Catholic school-chapel was erected in St. Alban's. 1885

- 1902 construction begins on St. Ignatius Church.

- 1905-1920's Milltown was a shipment point for timber export.

- Milltown's first school-chapel church was in 1907.

- Morrisville was formally called Lynch Cove, the community was renamed in 1910 after NF's 12th Prime Minister Edward Morris.

- The Kendell brothers ( John Albert & James ) built a sawmill here in approximately 1910.

- 1911 Fr. St. Croix become the first parish Priest.

- 1915 Fr. St. Croix changed the name of Ship Cove to St. Alban's, in commemoration of an English martyr, as the town is one of a few in NF where the majority are Catholic of English or Welsh ( rather than the French or Irish ) descent.

- The first school built in Morrisville was in 1915.

- Harold Kendell was the first person to be born in Morrisville.

- The first school-chapel was constructed in 1916 ( Morrisville )

- By 1928 the community had a separate school ( Morrisville )

- Morrisville in 1968 the school closed

- The first Anglican Church in Morrisville was constructed in 1926 by Bishop White. First one in Bay D'Espoir. Second church built in 1958.

- 1937 pulpwood export from Bay D'Espoir begin.

- Strickland's Store began in 1930's to make stoves and fish barrels. ( Milltown )

-1943 Bowaters begin cutting pulpwood above Conne.

-1948 Stan Strickland drove the first truck in Milltown but it belonged to Bowaters.

- 1949 school-chapel/dance hall was built and building of St.Ignatius.

- 1949 Public Wharf built in St. Alban's.

- 1952 a Community Council formed in Morrisville.

- 1952 Community Council formed in Milltown.

- 1952 Milltown & Head of Bay D'Espoir amalgamated as the Local Improvement District of Milltown-Head of Bay D'Espoir.

- The cold storage plant open in 1954 Milltown

-1956 Government Wharf built in St. Alban's.

- 1957 Government Wharf built in Milltown.

- 1958 shutdown of the pulpwood-cutting ( Bowaters ) operation.

-Fr. Hayes, priest at St. Alban's, renamed the Northwest part of Head of Bay D'Espoir, St. Veronica's in the 1950's.

- 1961 Greenwood High School was built.

- 1964 star made on the Upper Salmon hydro electric project.

- Milltown Townsite was developed in 1964 by NF & Labrador Hydro.

- St. Alban's was incorporated in 1964, Sept. 1.

- 1965 First telephones in homes in Milltown & Bay D' Espoir declared a Rural District

- 1967 Greenwood Elementary was built

Bay D'Espoir Highway was opened.

Hydro Plant officially opened.

- A Chief And Five councillors were elected in 1972 to form the Conne River Indian Band Council

- Community generated political action led to Conne River's inclusion in 1973 as a native community under a cost-shared Federal/Provincial Agreement.

- 1973 Southeast Bridge was built.

- The community was incorporated as the town Milltown/Head of Bay D'Espoir on April 1, 1980.

- 1984 Federal Order in Council registered Conne River Micmac under The Indian Act.

- 1986 the Community Town Hall was torn down.

- In 1987 the Samiajij Mraupukek Indian Reserve, an enlargement of a colonial reserve was created.

Completion of the Road Around The Bay D'Espoir

History was made in Bay D'Espoir in late November, 1957 when the settlements of St. Veronica's South East and St. Veronica's South West were they connected by a highroad. The link made it possible to motor from St.Alban's to Morrisville, a distance of nineteen miles, as well as giving access to Bowater's private road leading to the lumber camps. All settlements in the bay are now connected by road with the exception of Conne River which happens to be on the side of Conne gut opposite to Morrisville.

Approximately 15 thousand dollars were spent between September and November in completing the job. The foreman was Michael Snook of St.Alban's. The first vehicles to reach St. Alban's vai the new road arrived on November 14th.



A List Of "First" For This Region

Click Here To Find Out How Soap And Butter Was Made In The Past