The Viking Trail continues on to St. Anthony, where another visitor had quite a different impact. Dr. Wilfred Grenfell brought modern medicine to northern Newfoundland and the remote 
communities of coastal Labrador beginning in the 1890s.
The Grenfell house was built in 1909-1910. Originally standing alone on the hill, the house became knows as “the castle” with flower beds and vegetable gardens.
Now, taken over by wildflowers and shaded by trees, it offers a quiet welcome to visitors from around the world. The home has been restored with most of the original furnishings 
and tells the life story of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell and his wife Anne MacClanahan Grenfell. The airy veranda was exceptionally peaceful and overlooking the harbor, 
you can understand why the doctor and his wife chose this piece of property for the location of their home. 
The name Dr. Wilfred Grenfell is synonymous with the history and development of the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula and the Labrador coast. The reason he is held in high regard is that he was more than a doctor. Dr. Grenfell was a spiritual leader, a driving force behind economic development and a believer in helping people do things for themselves.
A trail behind the house, ambles up into the hills. It was across these “White Hills” that Dr.
Grenfell set out in 1908 on his dog team to attend a patient in Englee, some 50 miles to the south of St. Anthony. He loved this area and requested that when he died, his ashes be buried here. Inset in a large boulder are the ashes of Sir Wilfred and Lady Grenfell, along with four other 
prominent figures who played significant roles in the ongoing development of Grenfell Mission.
The Grenfell Interpretation Center depicts his life. He was born February 25, 1865 in a small coastal town in the north of England. In 1883 he entered London Hospital Medical School. While in London, he heard the American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, speak and his words changed Grenfell’s life and he decided to commit his life to Christ. Grenfell joined the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, an organization which provided medical and spiritual services to North Sea fishermen. In 1897, he was sent to Newfoundland to investigate the conditions in the Labrador fishery. “We’re wonderful glad to have you” a fisherman said, “We’ve never had a doctor in these parts before”. This was the start of Grenfell’s lifelong work on a coast that was ice blocked and inaccessible for many months of the year. He was devoted to improving the lives of the people. He practiced medicine, built hospitals, established schools and orphanages and when not working on the coast, traveled in the United Kingdom and North America looking for support and labor.
By 1908, Grenfell and his work were well known in Canada, England and the USA, but the events of Easter Sunday, 1908, assured his reputation worldwide. In response to an emergency call, he set off by dogsled across the frozen land to Hare Bay. It was spring and the ice was breaking up. Heedless of the danger, he crossed the Bay. The ice gave way and he was cast into the frigid water. Struggling with his dogs, he finally reached a 12 foot icepan and climbed on freezing, cold and soaking wet. The stage was set for the worst ordeal of his life. Grenfell was in fine physical condition and mentally shrewd enough to rationalize his predicament. He knew that the icepan would soon begin melting and that his six dogs and he would suffer hypothermia as the cold, winds of night blew in. He had to make a decision and though he said it felt like murder, he killed three of his largest dogs and used their hides to wrap up in, while snuggling together with the remaining three. He had made previous arrangements, that if he did not show up by a specified time, a search party should be sent out. His optimism, ingenuity, calmness and religious faith held him at arms length from death’s door through the night as the ice carried him toward the open sea. At first light, five men pushed and rowed a boat thru slush, ice and open water to save “their beloved doctor”. The details of this survival circulated in newspapers worldwide and Grenfell wrote his account in a booklet, sold for fundraising. In his home, he has a wood and brass plaque that honors the three dogs who gave their lives to save his.
Grenfell authored 33 books, published hundreds or articles, created Christmas cards to provide
for the Children’s Homes and held prayer meetings on mission ships, wharfs, and fishing boats. In 1892, there were no magistrates on the entire Labrador coast. The Newfoundland government appointed Grenfell as an unpaid magistrate and justice of the peace. He established a network of hospitals and nursing stations that stretched the length of the northern Newfoundland and Labrador coast, and created Children’s Homes for children who were orphans or who could not be cared for by their parents. During his life, he received many honors and awards for his dedicated work and in 1928, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.
Grenfell met Anne MacClanahan, the daughter of a U.S. Confederate Army Officer while on board a ship returning from a fund raising tour in England. They were married in 1909 and came to live in the Grenfell house which they had designed together. Anne gave Grenfell’s life comfort and refinement and she became totally involved in his work. She organized his fundraising, tours and lectures, edited his books, and helped secure scholarships for the children of the area to continue their education. She died of cancer in 1938.
As time passed, organizations such as the New England Grenfell Association and the Grenfell Association of America shouldered more and more responsibility for the Labrador work and the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen was reduced. In 1912, the Grenfell Association (IGA) came into being. By the late 1920’s the pace had begun to take its toll and Grenfell had his first series of heart attacks. Grenfell died in Vermont on October 9, 1940. When Grenfell died, the mission survived and continued under the guiding hand of Dr. Charles Curtis. In 1937, the mission’s assets included 6 hospitals, 7 nursing stations, 2 hospital ships and assorted vessels, 12 clothing distributions, King George the Fifth Institute in St. John’s, the supply schooner George B. Cluett, and a haul up slip for schooner repairs.
Becoming a province of Canada in 1949, brought more change. Canadian family allowances, old age pensions, and many other benefits meant improved living standards. Federal and Provincial governments began funding health care. As the need for charity diminished, IGA fund raising branches gradually fell dormant. In 1981, the Association passed to the Province, all health related assets for the sum of $1.00. The Province in turn, set up the Grenfell Regional Health Services, under the direction of a local board.
The northern portion of the Great Northern Peninsula has Newfoundland’s longest iceberg-watching season off Fishing Point. Iceberg Alley runs right by the Fishing Point Lighthouse.
This is also an excellent place to spot whales. After standing out in the cold wind looking for whales (obviously we weren’t going to see any icebergs this time of year), 
we decided we’d stop in the Lightkeeper’s Seafood Restaurant and have lunch. This way we could still watch for whales in the warmth of the restaurant. George had fishcakes and I had a fishburger that was so big that George ended up having to eat half of it. Still no whales. I guess the few we saw playing off May Point is all we are going to see this trip.
We have thoroughly enjoyed being here at this time of year after most of the other tourists have headed for warmer climates but if you are interested in eating lobster, seeing whales frolicking in the ocean, watching crystal blue icebergs sail down the ocean, and being part of all the “tourist” attractions, then it would be better to arrive here no later than June. We are finding some of the touristy stuff is closed, which really doesn’t matter to us as we were more interested in learning the history of the land and its people and we have probably driven 2400 miles around the island, poking our noses in most of the nooks and crannies. In a day or so, we will be heading down to the southern portion of the western peninsula – the final portion of our trip. We arrived here as strangers, but we are leaving as family and it will be sad to go. The concept of “paradise found” is not about stumbling upon some ready-made bliss. Rather, it entails nothing less than a willingness to see things differently, to surrender yourself to the inevitable surroundings, to lose a bit of the old you to discover a new you. And, that is what we’ve found in Newfoundland!
communities of coastal Labrador beginning in the 1890s.The Grenfell house was built in 1909-1910. Originally standing alone on the hill, the house became knows as “the castle” with flower beds and vegetable gardens.
Now, taken over by wildflowers and shaded by trees, it offers a quiet welcome to visitors from around the world. The home has been restored with most of the original furnishings and tells the life story of Wilfred Thomason Grenfell and his wife Anne MacClanahan Grenfell. The airy veranda was exceptionally peaceful and overlooking the harbor, you can understand why the doctor and his wife chose this piece of property for the location of their home. The name Dr. Wilfred Grenfell is synonymous with the history and development of the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula and the Labrador coast. The reason he is held in high regard is that he was more than a doctor. Dr. Grenfell was a spiritual leader, a driving force behind economic development and a believer in helping people do things for themselves.
A trail behind the house, ambles up into the hills. It was across these “White Hills” that Dr.
Grenfell set out in 1908 on his dog team to attend a patient in Englee, some 50 miles to the south of St. Anthony. He loved this area and requested that when he died, his ashes be buried here. Inset in a large boulder are the ashes of Sir Wilfred and Lady Grenfell, along with four other prominent figures who played significant roles in the ongoing development of Grenfell Mission.The Grenfell Interpretation Center depicts his life. He was born February 25, 1865 in a small coastal town in the north of England. In 1883 he entered London Hospital Medical School. While in London, he heard the American evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, speak and his words changed Grenfell’s life and he decided to commit his life to Christ. Grenfell joined the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, an organization which provided medical and spiritual services to North Sea fishermen. In 1897, he was sent to Newfoundland to investigate the conditions in the Labrador fishery. “We’re wonderful glad to have you” a fisherman said, “We’ve never had a doctor in these parts before”. This was the start of Grenfell’s lifelong work on a coast that was ice blocked and inaccessible for many months of the year. He was devoted to improving the lives of the people. He practiced medicine, built hospitals, established schools and orphanages and when not working on the coast, traveled in the United Kingdom and North America looking for support and labor.
By 1908, Grenfell and his work were well known in Canada, England and the USA, but the events of Easter Sunday, 1908, assured his reputation worldwide. In response to an emergency call, he set off by dogsled across the frozen land to Hare Bay. It was spring and the ice was breaking up. Heedless of the danger, he crossed the Bay. The ice gave way and he was cast into the frigid water. Struggling with his dogs, he finally reached a 12 foot icepan and climbed on freezing, cold and soaking wet. The stage was set for the worst ordeal of his life. Grenfell was in fine physical condition and mentally shrewd enough to rationalize his predicament. He knew that the icepan would soon begin melting and that his six dogs and he would suffer hypothermia as the cold, winds of night blew in. He had to make a decision and though he said it felt like murder, he killed three of his largest dogs and used their hides to wrap up in, while snuggling together with the remaining three. He had made previous arrangements, that if he did not show up by a specified time, a search party should be sent out. His optimism, ingenuity, calmness and religious faith held him at arms length from death’s door through the night as the ice carried him toward the open sea. At first light, five men pushed and rowed a boat thru slush, ice and open water to save “their beloved doctor”. The details of this survival circulated in newspapers worldwide and Grenfell wrote his account in a booklet, sold for fundraising. In his home, he has a wood and brass plaque that honors the three dogs who gave their lives to save his.
Grenfell authored 33 books, published hundreds or articles, created Christmas cards to provide
for the Children’s Homes and held prayer meetings on mission ships, wharfs, and fishing boats. In 1892, there were no magistrates on the entire Labrador coast. The Newfoundland government appointed Grenfell as an unpaid magistrate and justice of the peace. He established a network of hospitals and nursing stations that stretched the length of the northern Newfoundland and Labrador coast, and created Children’s Homes for children who were orphans or who could not be cared for by their parents. During his life, he received many honors and awards for his dedicated work and in 1928, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.Grenfell met Anne MacClanahan, the daughter of a U.S. Confederate Army Officer while on board a ship returning from a fund raising tour in England. They were married in 1909 and came to live in the Grenfell house which they had designed together. Anne gave Grenfell’s life comfort and refinement and she became totally involved in his work. She organized his fundraising, tours and lectures, edited his books, and helped secure scholarships for the children of the area to continue their education. She died of cancer in 1938.
As time passed, organizations such as the New England Grenfell Association and the Grenfell Association of America shouldered more and more responsibility for the Labrador work and the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen was reduced. In 1912, the Grenfell Association (IGA) came into being. By the late 1920’s the pace had begun to take its toll and Grenfell had his first series of heart attacks. Grenfell died in Vermont on October 9, 1940. When Grenfell died, the mission survived and continued under the guiding hand of Dr. Charles Curtis. In 1937, the mission’s assets included 6 hospitals, 7 nursing stations, 2 hospital ships and assorted vessels, 12 clothing distributions, King George the Fifth Institute in St. John’s, the supply schooner George B. Cluett, and a haul up slip for schooner repairs.
Becoming a province of Canada in 1949, brought more change. Canadian family allowances, old age pensions, and many other benefits meant improved living standards. Federal and Provincial governments began funding health care. As the need for charity diminished, IGA fund raising branches gradually fell dormant. In 1981, the Association passed to the Province, all health related assets for the sum of $1.00. The Province in turn, set up the Grenfell Regional Health Services, under the direction of a local board.
The northern portion of the Great Northern Peninsula has Newfoundland’s longest iceberg-watching season off Fishing Point. Iceberg Alley runs right by the Fishing Point Lighthouse.
This is also an excellent place to spot whales. After standing out in the cold wind looking for whales (obviously we weren’t going to see any icebergs this time of year), we decided we’d stop in the Lightkeeper’s Seafood Restaurant and have lunch. This way we could still watch for whales in the warmth of the restaurant. George had fishcakes and I had a fishburger that was so big that George ended up having to eat half of it. Still no whales. I guess the few we saw playing off May Point is all we are going to see this trip.We have thoroughly enjoyed being here at this time of year after most of the other tourists have headed for warmer climates but if you are interested in eating lobster, seeing whales frolicking in the ocean, watching crystal blue icebergs sail down the ocean, and being part of all the “tourist” attractions, then it would be better to arrive here no later than June. We are finding some of the touristy stuff is closed, which really doesn’t matter to us as we were more interested in learning the history of the land and its people and we have probably driven 2400 miles around the island, poking our noses in most of the nooks and crannies. In a day or so, we will be heading down to the southern portion of the western peninsula – the final portion of our trip. We arrived here as strangers, but we are leaving as family and it will be sad to go. The concept of “paradise found” is not about stumbling upon some ready-made bliss. Rather, it entails nothing less than a willingness to see things differently, to surrender yourself to the inevitable surroundings, to lose a bit of the old you to discover a new you. And, that is what we’ve found in Newfoundland!
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