On Wed, 16 Mar 2005 19:43:33 -0800, Keith Whaley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > Actually, 56 years, but who's counting? <g> > Who owned the land before they joined the confederation? Yeah, I know, 1949 was when they came to their senses <vbg>. Interesting history (aren't you glad you asked? <g>) First, the Beothuks owned it. They were an aboriginal people, who were completely exterminated by the Europeans. AFAIK, it was an English colony for a couple of hundred years. They were actually an independant country for a time, almost 100 years, to be more precise. Then, like now, their economy pretty much hoovered, and during the 1930's Depression it got so bad that they went to England on their hands and knees and asked for help. England said, "We'll pretty much take over your government, and run everything for you, and maybe send over some money, but you've got to lose your independance and become a colony again." The poor Newfies didn't have much choice. In the late 40's they tired of that, and after a (fairly close) referendum, they voted to become our 10th province in 1949. And that's how they became the butt of many Canadian jokes. It was either them or Saskatchewan, and we figured that since Newfoundland was an island, it would be harder for them to get back at us. They proved us wrong, by migrating to pretty much every part of the country. -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson
