A world renowned explorer who literally put Newfoundland and Labrador on the map is being recognized for his work 250 years later. James Cook surveyed most of the province from 1763-1767, charting areas unknown to the British at the time. James Cook 250 celebrations tie in with Canada 150 and the Tall Ships Regatta that’s coming to Corner Brook and the Northern Peninsula the end of July
Throughout summer 2017, new James Cook 250 Exhibits were held at key locations in Western Newfoundland, from Benoit’s Cove and Gillams in the Bay of Islands to the Discovery Center at Woody Point in Gros Morne National Park.
The Corner Brook Museum and Archives will celebrate Cook 250 through its permanent exhibit of ‘Cook and Canada’ developed in partnership with the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Whitby, Yorkshire, England. The exhibit includes a copy of Cook’s map of the southern half of the West Coast of Newfoundland
On July 26, 2017, a 1.6 km scenic walking trail to Tortoise Head in Blow Me Down Provincial Park was designated the “James Cook Heritage Trail”. Joining Cabox Aspiring Geopark and Outer Bay of Islands Enhancement Committee members were special guests David Startzell, long-time Executive Director of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and his wife Judy, former Editor of magazine A.T. Journeys.
On Canada Day 2017, the OBIEC / IATNL ‘Copper Mine To Cape Trail’ in York Harbour was designated the ‘Cape Blow Me Down Trail’ in honour of James Cook and his 1767 survey of the Bay of Islands. A number of storyboards at the trailhead and along the route to the Cape will tell the story of Cook in the bay.
The scenic Humber Valley Trail east of the city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland has been rebranded with a James Cook theme. Cook explored the river in September 1767, penetrating approximately 40 kilometers up the river into Deer Lake. It was the first serious attempt to map the inland topography of Newfoundland.