Peary-MacMillan
Arctic Museum & Arctic Studies Center

Sir Wilfred Grenfell at Battle Harbor, Labrador, ca. 1927. ©PMAM

Wilfred Grenfell was a young English doctor who dedicated his life to providing medical, social and economic assistance to the remote communities of Newfoundland and Labrador. He first visited Newfoundland and Labrador in 1892 to provide medical services to the seasonal fishing fleet. He was struck by the isolation and poverty of the settlers along the coast of Labrador. The settlers survived by fishing in summer and trapping and cutting wood in winter. Missionaries provided elementary education for children; but for most of the year there was no doctor or nurse on the coast. Traders with a monopoly on imported necessities such as flour and ammunition kept their clients in a constant cycle of debt and poverty.

In 1893, Grenfell decided to help the settlers of Labrador. He began by providing medical services, but quickly expanded his work to include anything that would improve the lot of the people he served, from spiritual support to economic development. He established hospitals, schools, an orphanage, and co-operatives to compete with local traders. Today he is probably best known for the craft industries he fostered, particularly the finely hooked rugs he purchased from the wormen of Labrador and sold to raise money for his endeavors. The new exhibit documents Grenfell's work through prints made from vintage hand-tinted glass lantern slides from the collections of explorer Donald B. MacMillan and Edith M. Howes, who toured the Grenfell missions in 1914.

In keeping with the spirit of Grenfell's work to help those in need, the Arctic Museum requests that visitors bring a donation of non-perishable food for the food bank of the Mid-Coast Hunger Prevention program. January and February are often the most difficult months for food banks and their clients, and currently the food bank is low on nutritious staples such as peanut butter, macaroni and cheese and canned stews. A box to collect the donations will be available in the foyer of Hubbard Hall for the duration of the exhibit. (January - April 2005)