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Cape Chapeau Rouge Municipal Heritage Site

St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador, A0E, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2005/08/16

View of Cape Chapeau Rouge from across the mouth of St. Lawrence harbour.  Photo taken August 13, 2005.; HFNL/ Deborah O'Rielly 2005.
View of Cape Chapeau Rouge, St. Lawrence, NL.
Landward side of Cape Chapeau Rouge, looking south.  Image taken during ascent to the pinnacle of the Cape, August 13, 2005.; Deborah O'Rielly/ HFNL 2007
Cape Chapeau Rouge, St. Lawrence
View from the top of Cape Chapeau Rouge, looking east. Note flagpole at the extreme left of the photo showing the apex of the summit.  Photo taken August 13, 2005.; Deborah O'Rielly/ HFNL 2007
Cape Chapeau Rouge, St. Lawrence

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2005/09/08

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

Cape Chapeau Rouge is a coastal landmark fronting Placentia Bay at the entrance to St. Lawrence. This is the highest point of land on the south coast located 2.5km west of Sauker Head and 4km east of Ferryland Head. It is located within the municipal boundaries of the Town of St. Lawrence. The designation encompasses the entire area.

Heritage Value

Cape Chapeau Rouge has been designated a municipal heritage site because it has environmental and historic values.

Cape Chapeau Rouge Municipal Heritage Site has environmental value because it holds a strategic purpose due to its location. Used as a landmark this land feature is located on the highest point of land on the south coast at 226m above sea level. Located at the edge of the Burin Peninsula it was a signal to early fishers that a safe harbour was near and its expansive beaches were useful for fishermen who exploited the cod fishery. There is a rarity of good harbours along this shore and the coast is fogbound with treacherous currents. Cape Chapeau Rouge has been a landmark for a long time, found on rutters (sets of sailing directions) as early as 1579.

Cape Chapeau Rouge got its name for its appearance, though ancient records say that the mountain changes shape as one moves towards it, traveling the sea. Its appearance is most striking when fog is hovering about it and it has been said it resembles the crown of a hat, a lion, a bust, a broken turret, a rough dome and a broken, irregular, craggy, inaccessible mountain.

Cape Chapeau Rouge is historically valuable because it has a connection with the French fishery. France was an important participant in the exploration and exploitation of Newfoundland. By the time French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in Newfoundland waters in 1534 Breton, Norman and Basque fishermen had been fishing there for thirty years. French Basque fishermen appear to have been the first fishermen in Placentia Bay. There is an abundance of French place names to support this theory of early settlement by the French. French Basque had a ready supply of salt and concentrated on the cod fishery and St. Lawrence’s safe harbour is listed among the busiest in the bay. The French Basque set up summer rooms (fishing premises) at the base of Cape Chapeau Rouge, but no permanent settlement took place.

During the seventeenth century the French fishery reached its peak and its only competitor was the English fishery, who they outnumbered by two to one in fishing vessels. The French concentrated their efforts in two main areas of Newfoundland, one of which took in Placentia Bay, encompassing St. Lawrence, among others. This area was known as la cote du Chapeau Rouge and the fishers came mostly from ports in Brittany. In addition to the migratory fishery the French set up year-round settlements in these areas. The Cape Chapeau Rouge was used by the French to guide them to the fishing grounds and safe harbours, which was particularly important, considering the fog and unpredictable currents.

Source: Town of St. Lawrence Motion 05-127, August 16, 2005.

Character-Defining Elements

All those elements that define the cape, including:
-the untouched, natural landscape;
-the lack of structures and buildings; and
-the view of the cape from the ocean as a mariner’s guide.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Newfoundland and Labrador

Recognition Authority

NL Municipality

Recognition Statute

Municipalities Act

Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Recognition Date

2005/08/16

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

1520/01/01 to 2005/01/01

Theme - Category and Type

Peopling the Land
People and the Environment

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Environment
Nature Element

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, P.O. Box 5171, St. John's, NL, A1C 5V5

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

NL-2477

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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