Horse Islands facts for kids
The Horse Islands are two small islands located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. These islands are famous for a sad event: a Hollywood movie accident that happened there long ago.
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Exploring Horse Islands
The Horse Islands are found near the tip of the Baie Verte Peninsula. There are two main islands:
- Western Island: This island is smaller and has jagged rocks called Nervous Rocks. It was never easy to reach and no one ever lived there permanently.
- Eastern Island: This island is about three times bigger than Western Island. It has the only good harbour where fishing boats could land.
Both islands were once covered in thick forests. This meant there was plenty of wood for the people who lived there.
Early Settlers and Communities
The first people to settle on Eastern Island were the Bath family in 1836. The main settlement, also called Horse Islands, was on Eastern Island. It was divided into two smaller communities:
- Eastern Harbour
- Western Harbour
These two communities were less than one kilometre apart. They were built on different inlets on the south-central part of Eastern Island. Records show that Western Harbour was settled around the 1850s or early 1860s. Many families lived on Horse Islands, including the Andrews, Bath, Burton, Curtis, Greenham, Hynes, Lock, Normore, Rideout, Simms, and Toms families.
Population Changes and Resettlement
The number of people living on Horse Islands grew over time. In 1956, the population reached its highest point with 215 residents. After this, the population started to decrease. By 1966, the people living on Horse Islands decided to move to mainland Newfoundland.
Most of the residents moved to the community of La Scie. There, they could find better homes, social services like schools and healthcare, and more job opportunities.
The Viking Movie Accident
Horse Islands became well-known because of a tragic accident during the filming of a Canadian movie. This movie, called The Viking, was made with money from Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Varick Frissell, a filmmaker from New York.
The movie was about the lives of Newfoundland Sealers, who hunted seals. It was being filmed on a ship called the SS Viking. On March 15, 1931, something terrible happened. The film crew was getting ready to shoot some background scenes when a huge explosion blew off the back of the Viking ship.
The Viking caught fire and then sank. Sadly, Varick Frissell and 26 other men died in the accident. Some of the people who survived walked across the ice to reach the Horse Islands. Others were rescued by different ships that came to the area.
