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| WW II hanger |
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| Air disaster memorial |
Morning radio discussion was about 9/11 and Gander’s contribution with the 6000 unplanned passengers that landed there that day. Spent the morning driving south, arrived in Stephenville about noon. We knew the airport had once been a USAF base (Ernest Harmon AFB), but had no idea of its importance and the fact that it had once been the largest AFB outside of the US! It opened in 1941 as part of the Roosevelt/Churchill Lend Lease” deal, whereby the Brits got 50 outdated US destroyers in exchange for 99-year leases on bases in North America and the Caribbean. After WWII, it became an important part of the US cold war strategy, and was greatly expanded in 1949. It eventually became a base for the 376th aerial refueling squadron with 48 KC-97’s based here. The aircraft apron, now overgrown with weeds, is humongous!. Additionally, the 61st Fighter Interceptor Squadron was based here, originally flying F-80’s and ending with F-102’s when the base closed in 1966. The signs of the US base being in Stephenville are everywhere, including the school where there were once over 1000 US dependent children attending. There is an interesting memorial to US aircraft crashes from the base near the old headquarters.
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| F-102 - final aircraft based at the Air Base |
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| Blanche Brook Park |
Another surprise was a beautiful park across
from the local McDonalds. Jim checked
out the little pavilion, and found that in 2005 the Blanche Brook Creek had
flooded there wiping out dozens of homes.
Berms were constructed to prevent a recurrence, but no homes were
allowed to be rebuilt. It took 8 years
for the community to come together to turn the area into a beautiful park. Maps at the kiosk show the location of the
destroyed homes with the occupants names, and a second map shows the layout of
the park today with trees planted at each former home location. There is a music bandstand, tables, paths-a
real gem that grew out of a disaster.
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| Blanche Brook Park Flood zone & layout |
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| Zenzville campsite |
Got to our campsite, the Zenzville RV Park later, and it was nice to
have a really quiet place for a change!
The evening radio news was also focused on 9/11, including the Gander
events mentioned earlier and the memory of the 24 Canadians who died at the
World Trade Center. A somber end to the
day.
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| Shore & picnic area near Zenzville RV Park |
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