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Red Bay: Discovering the Basque Whalers of Terra Nova
The southern coast of Labrador in the 1500s was the scene of Canada’s first oil boom. Each summer, Basque crews from Spain and France traversed the Atlantic to hunt whales and render their blubber into a precious commodity: oil that lit the lamps of Europe. It was dangerous, messy… and profitable. The story was all but lost until the 1970s, when researchers and archaeologists flocked to the tiny community of Red Bay, digging in the gardens and diving in the harbour, to uncover the secrets of Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Special thanks to Joxe Felipe Auzmendi and Iñaki Beraetxe, to Daniel Payne for use of his song Selma Barkham’s Waltz, and to Javier Vicente for recording assistance.
Our condolences to the family of Robert Grenier, who led Parks Canada’s underwater archaeology work at Red Bay. Robert passed away in January 2026.
Learn more:
Heritage Designation: Red Bay National Historic Site
Other Media:
The Great Whale Robbery of Labrador by Canadiana
The underwater archaeology of Red Bay: Basque shipbuilding and whaling in the 16th century, edited by Robert Grenier, Marc-André Bernier, and Willis Stevens.
Email us at [email protected] for any questions or suggestions.
Do you have a suggestion for a new National Historic Person, Site or Event? We’d love to hear it!
Visit parks.canada.ca/commemorate for details on how to submit a nomination.
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By Parks Canada
5
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The southern coast of Labrador in the 1500s was the scene of Canada’s first oil boom. Each summer, Basque crews from Spain and France traversed the Atlantic to hunt whales and render their blubber into a precious commodity: oil that lit the lamps of Europe. It was dangerous, messy… and profitable. The story was all but lost until the 1970s, when researchers and archaeologists flocked to the tiny community of Red Bay, digging in the gardens and diving in the harbour, to uncover the secrets of Red Bay National Historic Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Special thanks to Joxe Felipe Auzmendi and Iñaki Beraetxe, to Daniel Payne for use of his song Selma Barkham’s Waltz, and to Javier Vicente for recording assistance.
Our condolences to the family of Robert Grenier, who led Parks Canada’s underwater archaeology work at Red Bay. Robert passed away in January 2026.
Learn more:
Heritage Designation: Red Bay National Historic Site
Other Media:
The Great Whale Robbery of Labrador by Canadiana
The underwater archaeology of Red Bay: Basque shipbuilding and whaling in the 16th century, edited by Robert Grenier, Marc-André Bernier, and Willis Stevens.
Email us at [email protected] for any questions or suggestions.
Do you have a suggestion for a new National Historic Person, Site or Event? We’d love to hear it!
Visit parks.canada.ca/commemorate for details on how to submit a nomination.
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