Dildo Island is the largest of three islands at the entrance to Dildo Arm at the bottom of Trinity Bay, Newfoundland, and is a designated Provincial Heritage Unique Place.
While Dildo Island is not inhabited today, it has a long culture extending over 3,000 years. Dildo Island has played an invaluable role in our province’s Indigenous and settler history. The fish and sea mammals in the waters around the island and the seabirds that nested on the island drew Indigenous hunters and gatherers. The archaeological record has revealed the presence of Groswater and Dorset Paleoeskimo, Recent Indian and Beothuk occupations. Today, it is home to one of the largest Paleoeskimo archaeological sites in Newfoundland and Labrador and substantial Recent Indian, and Beothuk artifacts have also been uncovered.
Over the nineteenth century, the settler-run commercial cod fishery expanded into the bottom of Trinity Bay, and in 1889 the first cod hatchery in what is now Canada was established on Dildo Island. This was a world-class facility – one of the most modern and largest of its type at the time.
Be sure to experience a hike and picnic on this historic site!
Photo: facebook.com/DildoBoatTours
