Dildo is a town on the southeastern Dildo Arm of
Trinity BayTrinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...
on the
islandAn island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets. A key or cay is another name for a small island or islet. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot, .There are two main types of islands:...
of Newfoundland,
Newfoundland and LabradorNewfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada on the country's Atlantic coast in northeastern North America. This easternmost Canadian province comprises two main parts: the island of Newfoundland off the country's eastern coast, and Labrador on the mainland to the northwest of the island.A...
,
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is about 100 kilometres west-northwest of
St. John'sSt. John's is the provincial capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada and located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. St...
.
South Dildo is a neighbouring unincorporated community. The town's unusual name has brought it a certain amount of notoriety in the same vein as
Fucking, AustriaFucking is an Austrian village in the municipality of Tarsdorf, in the Innviertel region of western Upper Austria.The village is located north of Salzburg, four kilometres east of the German border.-History:...
and
Hell, MichiganHell, Michigan is an unincorporated community in Putnam Township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is near the border with Washtenaw County, about northwest of Ann Arbor. Hell is situated five miles west of Pinckney via Patterson Lake Road. The community is served...
.
General History
Dildo has a long history, going as far back as 2000 BC when
Maritime ArchaicThe Maritime Archaic is an archaeological period lasting from approximately 7000 BC into modern times. It refers to the culture of sea-mammal hunters in the subarctic along the Atlantic Coast of North America. Known Maritime Archaic sites occur along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Labrador. ...
AboriginalsThe indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of the Americas, their descendants, and many ethnic groups who identify with those peoples...
resided at Anderson's Cove. By 700 AD
DorsetThe Dorset culture was a Paleo-Eskimo culture that preceded the Inuit culture in Arctic North America. Inuit legends mention the Tuniit or Sivullirmiut , who were driven away by the Inuit...
had inhabited
Dildo IslandDildo Island, Newfoundland, is the largest of three islands located at the entrance to Dildo Arm in the bottom of Trinity Bay, off the coast of the neighboring town Dildo....
. In 1613,
Henry CroutHenry Crout settler, explorer was most likely from Devon in the English West Country. He became an investor in the London and Bristol Company and acted as Sir Percival Willoughby agent and guardian to his son Thomas at the Cuper's Cove plantation in Newfoundland.Crout was impressed with...
, whilst sailing up Dildo Arm, came in contact with the
BeothukThe Beothuk were the native inhabitants of the island of Newfoundland at the time of European contact in the 15th and 16th centuries...
s, who were residing on Dildo Island at this time. He traded with them and left gifts. In 1711 the inhabitants of
Trinity BayTrinity Bay is a large bay on the northeastern coast of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.Major fishing communities include Trinity and Heart's Content.-Industry:...
were ordered by Governor Crow to leave their homes during the winter, to defend themselves against the
FrenchFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
who
burnA burn is an injury to the skin caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, or radiation.Burn may also refer to:*Concrete things and phenomena:**Combustion**Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
ed their
houseA house is generally a shelter, building or structure that is a dwelling or place for habitation by human beings. The term includes many kinds of dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to high-rise apartment buildings...
s. Dildo Island was one of the places designated for this purpose. The
townA town is a type of settlement ranging from a few hundred to several thousand inhabitants, although it may be applied loosely even to huge metropolitan areas; the precise meaning varies between countries and is not always a matter of legal definition...
of Dildo was founded in the late 1700s and settled to exploit the abundance of marine resources such as
fishA fish is any aquatic vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins...
mostly cod,
whaleWhale is the common name for marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale is sometimes used to refer to all cetaceans, but in more common English usage it generally excludes the members of the Delphinoidea superfamily, such as dolphins and porpoises...
s and
sealPinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae...
s.
History of All Saints' Anglican Church
The first church was built in 1878 by the people of Dildo. It was a simple structure that had no tower and was wide by long. It had a seating capacity of 250 people, and was heated by two
coalCoal is a readily combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock normally occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
stoveA stove is an enclosed heated space. The term is commonly taken to mean an enclosed space in which fuel is burned to provide heating, either to heat the space in which the stove is situated or to heat the stove itself, and items placed on it...
s at either end which shared a common
chimneyA chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
. This Church served the community until 1964 when the present (larger) building was constructed.
Present
Dildo has a fast-growing
touristTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
industry, at least partially on account of the town's unusual name. Dildo offers picturesque scenery, several
bed and breakfastA bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals...
s, eating establishments, the Dildo Museum interpretive centre, the Historic Dildo Days celebration in August,
boatA boat is a watercraft of modest size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is...
tours, the Society of United Fishermen, the Lions centre, several
heritageIndustrial heritage is an aspect of cultural heritage dealing specifically with the buildings and artifacts of industry which are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present and bestowed for the benefit of future generations, often forming a significant attraction for tourism.The...
structures, walking trails, and many businesses. A song about Dildo and other odd Newfoundland place names can be found on
The Arrogant WormsThe Arrogant Worms are a Canadian musical comedy trio that parodies many musical genres. They are well known for their humorous on-stage banter in addition to their music.-History:...
album
Russell's ShortsRussell's Shorts is the second studio album of the Canadian comedy music group The Arrogant Worms. It was released in 1994. "Having Fun Is Bad For You", "A Night On Dildo", and "Losing Hair Under God" were recorded live....
.
South Dildo
South Dildo is an unincorporated community with a 1991
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 272. At the beginning of the 20th century, South Dildo (pop. 205 - July 2008) was primarily involved in
lumberLumber or timber is wood that is used in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
ing and supplied a
schoonerA schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being shorter or the same height as the rear masts...
to the
LabradorLabrador is a region of Atlantic Canada. Together with the island of Newfoundland from which it is separated by the Strait of Belle Isle, it constitutes the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The region is part of the much larger Labrador Peninsula on the Canadian mainland...
fishery. South Dildo had the
roadside attractionA roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road, that is frequently advertised with billboards to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere else, rather than being a final or primary destination in and of themselves. The modern...
of a
woodWood is an organic material; in the strict sense wood is produced as secondary xylem in the stems of trees . In a living tree it transfers water and nutrients to the leaves and other growing tissues, and has a support function, enabling woody plants to reach large sizes or to stand up for themselves...
en life-size
humpback whaleThe humpback whale is a baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the water...
headIn anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose, and mouth...
, however after many years it was destroyed at the beginning of the 2006-2007 winter.
External links