NL·MOVING ON

Moments before the move: William's Harbour remembered in pictures

Photographs of an island on the south coast of Labrador before it resettles.

This is what the community of 15 looked like as everyone prepared to leave

Graham Russell, 80, carries paddles to a boat in William's Harbour. (Katie Breen/CBC)

William's Harbour will never look the same again.

Its residents voted to resettle.

On Nov. 10, the community will go dark — the power is being cut, and services like the ferry and medical flights will stop. 

The 15 or so people who called the island home will move to different places to start over. 

Each household is receiving between $250,000 and $270,000 from the provincial government to move. 

These are the scenes being left behind. 

William's Harbour turned into a year-round community about 40 years ago, when residents were given the option to hook up one remote, seasonal community to electricity. Before that, people went there in the summertime to fish. (Katie Breen/CBC)
A shed on a stage. The community's main industry was always fishing. Like many of the province's rural areas, its population has been in decline since the northern cod moratorium hit in 1992. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Partners Cliff Russell and Mal Harrigan work together to drag scallop. They fish for a living and plan to return to William's Harbour to try to keep doing so without power. (Katie Breen/CBC)
The name Russell is seen on a fishing boat docked in William's Harbour. Russell is a common last name in the community. (Katie Breen/CBC)
A crab gets scooped up while dragging for scallops. It was brushed back into the ocean. (Katie Breen/CBC)
A resident hangs up her laundry to dry in the wind. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Carl Larkham stands inside his shed in William's Harbour. He's moving to Port Hope Simpson, Labrador, along with most of the others. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Wheelbarrows lay abandoned on top of a hill. Residents used them years ago to put in and level the community's roadways. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Lots of residents used the provincial ferry to move their things out of the community. Everything from ATVs to mattresses were hoisted aboard using the boat's crane. (Katie Breen/CBC)
A worker on the MV Marine Eagle takes a break as items are loaded aboard. (Katie Breen/CBC)
These are most of the houses in William's Harbour. (Katie Breen/CBC)
There's a document inside the William's Harbour church saying it's the oldest in southern Labrador. Residents were planning to reshingle it before leaving. Most want to be buried in the community. (Katie Breen/CBC)
Low-lying berries, like these partridge berries, grow in abundance on William's Harbour. Winters are harsh. There aren't many trees. (Katie Breen/CBC)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie Breen

Video producer

Katie Breen makes video content for CBC in St. John's. She's been working in news for 10 years. You can reach her at katie.breen@cbc.ca.