Cheryl's Travels: Happy Valley-Goose Bay and North West River

Happy Valley-Goose Bay (HVGB) is located on the eastern side of Labrador, at the mouth of the Churchill River, near the western shores of Lake Melville. It was incorporated in 1973 and comprises the former town of Happy Valley and the Local Improvement District of Goose Bay. Built on a large sandy plateau in 1941, the town is home to the largest military air base in northeastern North America, CFB Goose Bay. Soon after the site was selected, people from the coast of Labrador began working on the base. With World War II in bloom, it took only five months to build an operational military airport.

The first settlers to the area came from coastal Labrador to work for the construction company that was contracted to build the Goose Bay Air Force Base. They were told they had to settle at least 8kms from the base, and so a new settlement began. It was originally called Refugee Cove, and in 1955 it was renamed Happy Valley.

Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the base is commonly referred to as 5 Wing Goose Bay. Civilian operations at the base refer to the facility as the Goose Bay Airport. The first land aircraft movement was recorded in December 1941 and by the following spring the base, now carrying the wartime code-name Alkali, was bursting with air traffic destined for the United Kingdom. In time, the USAAF and the British Royal Air Force (RAF) each developed sections of the base for their own use, but the airport remained under overall Canadian control despite its location in the Dominion of Newfoundland, not yet a part of Canada.

Avro Vulcan XL361 on display at CFB Goose Bay

The PYB Catalina was an American built flying boat heavily used in the 1930s and 1940s and was one of the world's most widely used multiple-role (air and ground attack) aircraft of the second world war. Although retired from military service now they are still used worldwide today as air tankers in aerial firefighting

Voodoo aircraft CF 101003

Walking along a boardwalk in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, at the mouth of the Churchill River

34 kms away from HVGB, North West River (NWR) is located at the farthest point in northeastern North America that you can travel to by car. It is a town with over 250 years of history. Central Labrador has been inhabited by Indigenous Peoples for over 6000 years and from its beginnings, North West River has been a meeting place for all of the cultures of Labrador - Innu, Inuit, Metis and Settlers. In 1743, French fur trader Louis Fornet was the first European to establish a year round trading post at the present site of North West River.

In North West River, the top of "Sunday Hill" offers hikers a panoramic view of Lake Melville and the Mealy Mountains.

With the signing of the Treat of Paris (1763) Labrador was passed from the French to the British. With the arrival of the British came the Hudson's Bay Company in 1836 who would enjoy a trade monopoly over central Labrador's furs for more than 100 years. The newest of the Hudson Bay's Trading posts was constructed in 1923 and still remains as a museum.

Nowadays a bridge connects North West River to the rest of the continent.

The bridge was constructed in 1980 but before that a cable car spanned the North West River for 19 years. Before the cable car, the river was passable only by boat.

There is also a lovely beach at NWR, and on one of the best summer days this part of the world experiences it's no wonder the beach was a popular place to be.