About Our Community
Raleigh is a fishing village located on the Northwest tip of the Northern Peninsula. The present name was adopted in 1914 in honour of Sir Walter Raleigh. Records tell of the French visiting this community in the seventeen hundreds. The first known permanent settlers were the farming family of William and Emily (Green) Parmiter who married here in 1871. The population was 21 in 1874 and 34 in 1891. Other nineteenth century settlers included Lemuel and Emily Taylor, from Harbour Grace, as well as the Elliotts and Beaufields. The permanent residents grew to 108 in 1921 and 184 in 1935 by natural increase and the arrival of the Bessey's, Greens, and Pynn's from Cook's Harbour and the Dawes, and Evanses from Conception Bay. By 1950 the population was several hundred.
The majority of settlers came to be near the fishing grounds. Dozens of schooners would stop at Raleigh each spring to gather wood and materials for the fishing "rooms" on the Labrador.
The first fishermen rowed or sailed their boats out where they could use hook and line to catch fish. Later, the motor boat came on the scene. The "Raleigh boats" were known along the coast for their distinctive Red, White and Blue colouring as well as fine quality construction. The first vehicles were trucks brought in by "steamer" in 1955 to John Green, Bill Smith and Chesley Elliott. The first snowmobiles were brought by Charles Pynn, Edward Bessey and Edmund Taylor in 1960.
The population reached a peak of around four hundred in the sixties. However, due to out-migration and the Moratorium it is presently around three hundred and sixty.
Recreation facilities include the gym at the Pistolet Bay School as well as Pynn's field where different types of ball are played, and is quite popular in the summer months. The Pistolet Bay Provincial Park is just three km away and provides swimming, camping, picnicing and boating, as well as fishing facilities.
An airport lies 50 km to the south, while legal and medical help is available 35 km away in St. Anthony.
Winter is a fun time as people snowmobile, slide on the surrounding hills, skate on local ponds or visit each others cabins.