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P.O. Box 101, Eastport, Newfoundland, A0G 1z0. Phone (709) 677-2474 (seasonal)

Our First newsletter provides a brief summary of our activities from 1997, with some references to our previous history, and our plans for 1998. Please visit our Burnside interpretation center or contact us for more details. (Laurie McLean, BHF Archaeologist, 42 Alexander St., St. John's, Newfoundland A1E 2T7; Phone/Fax: (709) 579-0466; email:lmclean@thezone.net)

1997 Tourist Visitation

Burnside Heritage Foundation, Inc. archaeological research and related activities are designed to permit maximum public involvement. Therefore, the BHF has kept a guest book in its archaeology laboratory since 1989 and this record indicates that visitation has steadily increased since then. Tourist numbers were marginal from 1989-1994 as the Foundation concentrated on conducting archaeological research and determining the theme of its interpretive program, including what facilities would be needed to provide maximum public enjoyment. The BHF's planned its interpretive program, including building infrastructure to permit tours of archaeological sites, in consideration of the fact that 5000 years of human occupation had virtually unspoiled the natural coastline (please see 1997 INFRASTRUCTURE CONSTRUCTION).

BHF museum interpreters counted 1939 visitors to their center in 1997, an increase of nine people from 1996 and 177 from 1221 people signed the visitors' guest book, indicating that 86% of the visitors came from Canada, 10% were from the United States, 3% were from Europe and 0.3% traveled from elsewhere. As might be expected, 66% of the total guest book signings came from Newfoundland and Labrador residents, although this was the lowest proportion of local visitors recorded since BHF began nothing its tourist numbers in detail in 1995. The American and European percentages represent three year highs. The BHF is satisfied to see that its product is having an impact on international markets. Hopefully, the number of international and local visitors will grow as the Foundation embarks on its most ambitious marketing plan in 1998. A person has been hired to promote the BHF for 20 weeks this summer. The same person will be subsequently employed by the Road to the Beaches Tourism Association. which will continue marketing the BHF and other local tourism products for 52 weeks.

1997 Archaeological Research

The Charlie Site

In 1997, excavation of a 1 x 1 m square at the Charlie Site, the richest area of the Bloody Bay Cove Quarry, produced over 2400 artifacts that were formed as byproducts of people chipping rhyolite stone into partly finished tools or tailored fragments known as cores for transport to other sites. The Bloody Bay Cove rhyolite is a high grade volcanic stone that was deposited on the earth's surface 490 - 500 million years ago. It has a high silica content and fine-grained structure, giving it the predictable qualities that Stone Age people desired for manufacturing cutting edge implements. The 1997 test unit was the

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