Ryan Premises facts for kids
The Ryan Premises is a special place in the town of Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador. It's a National Historic Site of Canada, which means it's an important part of Canada's past that has been saved for everyone to learn from. This site shows what a big business operation was like in a small fishing town, called an "outport," in Newfoundland long ago.
Contents
What You Can See at the Ryan Premises
The Ryan Premises has several old buildings that tell a story. You can see the house where the owner lived. There's also a shed for carriages, which were like old-fashioned cars pulled by horses.
Exploring the Stores
You can visit the retail shop and a retail store, where people bought everyday items. There's also a fish store, which was important for the fishing business. A salt store was used to keep salt, which was needed to preserve fish.
Other Important Buildings
Close by, but not part of the main historic site, is the staff house. This building is also a Registered Heritage Structure, meaning it's protected because of its history. In the past, the Ryan Premises was even bigger. It had a larger salt store, a cooperage (where barrels were made), and a powder magazine for storing gunpowder. There was also a telegraph office for sending messages, wharves for boats, and fish flakes where fish were dried. The site even had a lumber yard and a shipyard where boats were built.
A Look at the History
The story of James Ryan Ltd. began in 1857 in a part of Bonavista called Bayley's Cove. At first, they ran a pub and a retail store.
Moving to the Harbour
In 1869, the main business moved to its current spot on Bonavista harbour. From then on, they mostly sold alcohol in large amounts, and the main focus became the fishing industry. The company bought and sold salt cod, which is cod fish preserved with salt. They also supplied salt and other things needed for the cod fishery. Plus, they sold all sorts of general goods.
A Big Fishing Business
By 1895, James Ryan Ltd. was a very successful company. They exported 100,000 quintals of salt cod. A quintal is an old unit of weight, and 100,000 quintals is about 5,000,000 kilograms! This amount was about 10% of all the salt cod exported from Newfoundland at that time.
Becoming a Historic Site
James Ryan Ltd. stopped being involved in the fishing industry in 1952. They continued to operate as a general store until they closed their doors in 1978. In 1987, the Ryan Premises in Bonavista was named a National Historic Site. Parks Canada took over the property to preserve it. On June 24, 1997, the site was officially opened to the public by Queen Elizabeth II. This opening helped mark the 500th anniversary of John Cabot's arrival in Bonavista.
