Newfoundland Airport Construction 1936 - 1939
The below pictures show some of the history of "Good ole Gander" from its conception as NFLD Airport in the mid 1930's, the Canadian Military renamed it "Gander" in 1941. The old townsite is almost no more, but for us Ganderites who lived there, we remember the busy airport, going to schools and Saturday matinees at the Star Theater. Although we can not revisit actual structures, some of the simplest pictures bring back some of the fondest memories. For a real flavour of life on the old townsite, and to see how the "first wave" of original Ganderites remember their early days. Visit www.gaflight.org
They were the luckiest ones!
If you have any more photos or comments (corrections) please forward them to me at homes@nl.rogers.com
Thanks for looking.
Rick Stead
Class of 1968 - Gander Collegiate
Newfoundland Airport Construction 1936 - 1939
NFLD Airport-First Railway Station 1936. Located at milepost 213.
(Hatties Camp)
The Daily Express brought in workers for construction. There were 900 men on site in 1939
Workers bunk houses housed up to
50 men each, with cook houses alongside
Ken Goodyear (with pipe) chatting with the boys on a quite Sunday afternoon.
This shrub area had been razed by fire 20 years earlier.
This was the 1st diesel
powered grader used in NFLD
By 1939, the crews had paved an equivalent road 20 feet wide by 110 miles long.
"Colas" tankers camefrom Clarenville a division of Shell Oil.
