RED BAY, N.L. — It’s been 40 years since Red Bay, Labrador was officially recognized as a national historic site.
To mark the occasion, Parks Canada hosted a 40th anniversary celebration on the afternoon of August 22.
The afternoon included stories, music and a sampling of Basque pintxos or little bites.
The event was held at the site’s Visitor Interpretation Centre and featured aspects of a new interpretive program planned for the site.
Parks Canada plans to launch the new program for the 2020 visitor season.
This new and innovative program will enable more Canadians to experience the outdoors and learn about the local history and environment, Parks Canada says.
About Red Bay
In 1979, Red Bay was recognized as a site of national historic significance for containing the remains of numerous well-preserved terrestrial and submerged cultural resources associated with one of the principal Basque whaling ports in Canada.
This happened just two years after the site was initially discovered by historian Selma Barkham and archaeologist James Tuck.
In 1978, Parks Canada underwater archaeologists also discovered the remains of a whaling ship that was lost at Red Bay in 1565.
The Red Bay Basque Whaling Station was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013.
