Abandoned
26 June 2021 | Isle Valen
Richard Hudson
Newfoundland, and especially Placentia Bay, has many abandoned settlements. Most were abandoned in the 1960s and later, as part of a controversial government resettlement plan.
Oderin, the subject of some of my recent videos, is one of those abandoned communities.
Isle Valen is another once-thriving community in Placentia Bay. Only accessible by boat, there are several rocks and little islands leading to the narrow, steep-sided channel into the totally protected harbor.
This is a scene from Isle Valen. The abandoned house is still standing, but one winter a storm will come and blow it down. The rowing boat in the foreground has mostly rotted away, though the bow and midships sections are still there. Trees have started growing in the field that was once cleared and farmed.