Gros Morne National Park
(1987)
Canada
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Situated on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland, the park provides a
rare example of the process of continental drift, where deep ocean crust and the
rocks of the earth's mantle lie exposed. More recent glacial action has resulted
in some spectacular scenery, with coastal lowland, alpine plateau, fjords,
glacial valleys, sheer cliffs, waterfalls and many pristine lakes.
- Canada (Newfoundland) 1923. A quiet nook, Humber River.
- Canada (Newfoundland) 1923. Humber River near the Little
Rapids.
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The name "Gros Morne" means "Big
Bluff". The park is an area of great natural beauty with a rich
variety of scenery, wildlife, and recreational activities.
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Visitors can hike through wild, uninhabited mountains and camp by the
sea. Boat tours bring visitors under the towering cliffs of a freshwater
fjord carved out by glaciers.
Waterfalls, marine inlets, sea stacks, sandy
beaches, and colourful nearby fishing villages complete the phenomenal
natural and cultural surroundings of Gros Morne National Park of
Canada.
- Canada 2005. White-Tailed Deer, the most widely distributed and the
most numerous of all North American large animals. The stamp is
cropped from a souvenir sheet containing two stamps of the
White-Tailed Deer, and two stamps of the Atlantic Walrus.
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Although Newfoundland is one of the oldest place names on the
eastern seaboard, its evolution may be easily followed. It was the "new
founded isle" of John Cabot who sailed westward from Bristol in 1497;
although Norsemen, Basques, and Bretons (among others) had undoubtedly preceded
him.
By 1502 "new found launde" was being used in
official English documents with the French version "Terre Neuve"
appearing as early as 1510 - a clear indication of the acceptance of the
designation. Giovanni da Verrazano used the term "Terra Nova" on his
map of 1529. Newfoundland entered the Confederation as the tenth province of
Canada on March 31, 1949.
In 2001 the official name of the province was changed to
"The province of Newfoundland and Labrador". About Labrador
there remains an element of uncertainty, but most authorities credit the origin
of the name Labrador to João Fernandes a Portuguese explorer and lavrador,
or "landholder", in the Azores. It was probably first applied to a
section of the coast of modern Greenland and later transferred by cartographers
to the northeastern coast of the continent. The Dictionary of Canadian
Biography, Volume 1, quotes an inscription (near Greenland) on the Weimar map of
1530: "...And as the one who first gave notice of it was a labrador of the
Azores (João Fernandes), they gave it the name."
| During 1908 British Colonial collectors were amazed to see
stamps for Labrador inscribed "U.S.A. Postage". This was part
of an elaborate scheme started in Montreal involving a special issue of
three values from an American Company reputedly planning to develop this
dependency.
Many of these stamps appeared on letters addressed to
newspapers in Newfoundland, causing questions to be asked which resulted
in the whole affair, company and all, being revealed as a work of
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- USA 1908. Labrador bogus issue. Lithographed by the Montreal
Lithographing Co., perf. 12, 5 cents seal, 25 cents Inuit, $1
map in black, carmine & blue-green.
The American company claimed to have "received a charter
from the governments of the USA and Newfoundland to develop the country, on
condition that a postal service to various parts of Labrador was kept in
operation during the navigable season. Therefore the company had issued
postage stamps of 5 cents, 25 cents, and 1 dollar; the latter value was intended
for use only on parcels and registered matters, and would only be made use of by
the officials of the Company.
No official confirmation was ever made, and the stamps were sold directly to the
trade, until 1910, when the bulk of stamps were confiscated by Canadian
authorities. After all, they were illegal. Fifty years later Newfoundland and
Labrador became part of Canada.
Sources and links:
Other World Heritage Sites in Canada (on this site). Inactive links are not described
on stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing,
section Canada for further information about such sites.
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Revised 03 aug 2006
Copyright © 1999 Heindorffhus
All Rights Reserved
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