Clarenville History

Town of Clarenville

Originally settled by loggers, farmers and trappers, Clarenville was established in 1891 by the amalgamation of the settlements of Lower Shoal Harbour, Dark Hole, Brook Cove, Broad Cove and Red Beach and was originally known as ‘Clarenceville’. While there is dispute as to who ‘Clarence’ actually was, the current town name was quickly adopted by the residents and has remained over the years.

Since its establishment, Clarenville’s location, deep water port and weather have contributed to both population and economic growth. The Reid Newfoundland Trans-Island Railway was the first enterprise to capitalize on the Town’s location. Reaching Clarenville in 1891, the railway terminal was the first of five terminals constructed in Newfoundland. In 1911, the role of Clarenville was reinforced by the opening of the Bonavista Peninsula Branch Line, marking Clarenville as a “hub”.

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Interesting Facts of Clarenville

  • Clarenville is located in the Shoal Harbour valley fronting an arm of the Atlantic Ocean called Random Sound.
  • John Tilley and his family were the first settlers in the area (They settled in Lower Shoal Harbour). They moved from Hants Harbour in 1845 because of the abundance of timber here.
  • John Tilley is often referred to as “Scholar John” because he taught himself how to read and write. As a young man he married Elizabeth Bursey of Old Perlican and they had four sons and six daughters. Tilley was a Justice of the Peace - he officiated his own daughter’s marriage. He and his family were extraordinary entrepreneurs: Beyond logging and sawmilling he was involved in fox farming, gardening, coopering, blacksmithing, fishing and fish canning. He won an international award for his canned salmon. Tilley was also a writer & poet.
  • Present day Clarenville is an amalgamation of six original settlements: Lower Shoal Harbour, Dark Hole (or Dark Harbour), Brook Cove, Broad Cove, Red Beach, and most recently in 1994, Shoal Harbour became one. Together we have prospered.
  • Clarenville’s official name dates back to 1892. There are two versions of the origin of Clarenville’s name. It has been attributed to being named as a memorial to the Duke of Clarence, eldest son of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) who died in 1892. The other version is that it was named for a son of Prime Minister Sir William Whiteway. However, Sir William had no son by that name. By 1901 Clarenville was the way everyone spelled the name and it has remained that way.
  • The main line of the newly constructed Newfoundland Railway reached Clareville in 1891. It made up one of the five major terminals located across the island. By the end of 1892, construction on a station house, a round house, water tank, coal shed, repair shop and a wharf were under development. In 1911, the role of Clarenville was further reinforced by the opening of the Bonavista Peninsula Branch Line, marking Clarenville as a “hub”. By 1921, the railway employed 55% of the area’s workforce, and was the region’s largest employer. Between 1911 and 1935 the population of Clarenville-Shoal Harbour grew by 75% to a total of 874 at the time of the mid-decade census.
  • In 1933, Clarenville entrepreneur Edgar Stanley (1886-1975) constructed a dam on the Lower Shoal Harbour River to create a water reservoir for the new Clarenville Light and Power hydro generating plant. On November 3, Stanley flicked the switch to bring electricity to the town.
  • In 1933, the largest armada of aircraft to make a transatlantic flight landed in Random Sound. Pioneering aviator, General Italo Balbo and his fleet of twenty-four seaplanes landed at Shoal Harbour to complete the last leg of their spectacular flight from Orbetello, Italy to the Chicago Century of Progress Exhibition.
  • Clarenville has the deepest, best sheltered, ice-free port on Newfoundland’s east coast. This attracted the establishment of the Clarenville Shipyards in 1942. The Yard became Clarenville’s second largest employer, with 66 employees. In 1944, the then Commission of Government tasked the yard with building a fleet of ten wooden general purpose vessels. These ships became known as the ‘Splinter Fleet”. One of the ships was named the Clarenville - the 135 foot vessel plied the waters around Newfoundland for many years. It finished its career as a floating restaurant in Owen Sound Ontario - it was destroyed by fire in 1985.
  • Clarenville was incorporated as a municipality in 1951. Its first Mayor was Ernest Drover.
  • In 1956, TAT-1 (Transatlantic No. 1) the first submarine transatlantic telephone cable system was landed in the Town. The HMTS Monarch laid an east and a west cable from Clareville to Oban, Scotland. The TAT-1 was named an IEEE Milestone in 2006
  • The construction of the Trans-Canada Highway through the community in the 1960s resulted in it becoming a local service centre for central-eastern Newfoundland, serving almost 100,000 people living in 90 communities within a 100 km radius.
  • Clarenville has developed in a narrow strip between the coastal ridge and the sea near the centre of three peninsulas: Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista.
  • Clarenville’s dominating physical feature is a ridge of broken peaks which rise to heights up to 152 metres above sea level parallel to the coast line. Bare Mountain, with an elevation of 156 metres above sea level, dominates the skyline in the northern part of the town. At its top is the Bare Mountain Star which is lit at Christmas and other prominent times during the year. The star was originally constructed as a 1967 Centennial year project to celebrate Canada’s 100 birthday.
  • The town is a natural gateway to the scenic Discovery Trail, and the historic communities of the Bonavista Peninsula, national historic sites and the UNESCO Geopark. Clarenville links the Bonavista Peninsula to the rest of the provincial road network through the Trans-Canada Highway.
  • Today, Clarenville is centrally located and within two hours’ driving time of 70% of the province’s population, the port of Argentia and two of the province's international airports.
  • The town hosted the Newfoundland Winter Games in both 1994 and 2014
  • Clarenville has many recreational facilities including the Clarenville Events Centre (skating rink, theatre, indoor walking track), White Hills Resort (Downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, archery, & hiking), three softball diamonds (one lit by night), a soccer pitch with a running track, a recreation complex (with three regulation size volleyball courts), Elizabeth Swan Park (Splash Pad, Community centre, Outdoor performance space) multiple hiking trails and an indoor pool. Nearby are three golf courses.
  • Clarenville has an extensive Snowmobile/ATV/Multi Use trail network managed by the Discovery Trail Snowmobile Association. Its trail system extends north-east and south-west via the Newfoundland T’railway and due east through the Bonavista Peninsula.
  • Clarenville is the second fastest growing town in the province, and fastest growing town outside of the greater metro-St. John’s..

Source: https://www.paultilley.ca