Red Bay National Historic Site - 2017 Federal Infrastructure Investment Announcement - Grand total investment: $1.8 M

Red Bay National Historic Site     

The Basques started hunting whales in the Bay of Biscay as early as the 11th century. By the 16th century, whale oil was a prized European commodity that was used for lamp oil, paints, varnishes, and soap. When Basque cod fishermen reported large numbers of right whales in the Strait of Belle Isle, whaling expeditions were outfitted to sail to Labrador. By the mid-16th century, at least a dozen whale oil rendering stations were located in Red Bay.

Today, visitors to Red Bay National Historic Site can relive the Basque whaling tradition through a remarkable collection of original artifacts, archaeological remains, videos, models, and guided tours at the Interpretation Centre. Visitors can also tour Saddle Island to see the archaeological remains of buildings where the Basques worked and lived 400 years ago.


Project name: Red Bay Visitor Orientation Centre Improvements
Estimated total: $1.8 M
Project description: The focus of this project is to improve the interpretive facilities at Red Bay National Historic Site by amalgamating the existing visitor orientation centre with the visitor interpretation centre, thus reducing the environmental footprint while better reflecting the World Heritage status of the site. 

-30-