Ernest Harmon Air Force Base - Base Entrepreneurship and Controversy

Base Entrepreneurship and Controversy

The Hanson Memorial Highway bypass project resulted in what has been referred to as the "Fight for Long Gull Pond". During the bypass road construction activities of 1953/54 the 347th Engineer Aviation Battalion used the beach area of Long Gull Pond as a storage yard for their equipment while they were building the road. The bypass road or Hanson Memorial Highway as it was later to be called, ran along the same route as the 7 mi (11 km) narrow gauge branch rail line from the base to the Newfoundland Railway main line at White's Siding, east of Stephenville Crossing.

In June 1953 one of the officers overseeing construction, Captain Claxton Ray, took it upon himself to discover the ownership of a tract of land encircling the head of the lake nearest the rail line. It was listed on their maps as being part of Reid Lot 21.

The only means of access to Long Gull Pond was by the military rail line from Ernest Harmon AFB to White's Siding, or by walking for 5 mi (8.0 km) through the rugged terrain. The construction of the bypass road continued through the summer of 1955 and there still was no evidence of the ownership history behind Reid Lot 21. The engineers had been dealing with the woods manager at Bowater's Pulp & Paper Limited, Mr Cyril Parsons, concerning land acquisition rights along the right of way of the bypass road. Major Ray (since promoted) was informed that Bowater owned the parcel of land in question and that they would entertain the idea of selling it for two purposes only: agriculture or tourist development.

On July 19, 1955 an application to purchase the 67 acres (270,000 m2) site was considered by Bowater and they informed the US military that the sale had been approved with one clause added "...you will be required to resell to the company the land which you are now acquiring at its original purchase price together with the cost of any improvements which you may have made, should you desire to sell the property within a period of ten years".

In 1956 Major Ray made preparations to be relieved from active duty with the engineers as of April 30. He returned to Stephenville as a civilian wishing to engage in private enterprise and drew up plans for a tourist development on the Long Gull Pond site. What he had proposed for the site was a 55 room hotel with motel units, a dining room, swimming pool, skating rink and services for hunters and fishermen on the 4 mi (6.4 km) long lake. Bowater leased 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of surrounding land for the recreation venture, reserving the timber rights for themselves. Because the road construction was incomplete at this time and winter was setting in, the actual purchase transaction did not take place until May 16, 1957. The bypass road was still under construction and was not completed until the fall with opening ceremonies taking place in October.

During the summer of 1957, rumors were abounding in the town of Stephenville that an American had purchased property with a great potential to the area. The Western Star in Corner Brook had printed a report on a chamber of commerce meeting where it was proposed that since Stephenville had used the Long Gull Pond site for a park for many years, that it should be acquired for recreational purposes under the Provincial Parks Act before individuals gobbled it up for their own profits. Bowater was placed in an embarrassing position: they had sold Canadian land to a foreigner, before the local population realized they had lost a valuable piece of property.

Major Ray realized that Stephenville had neither the funds nor the coordinated efforts required to construct a park in the Long Gull Pond area. Stephenville had over $40,000 in water and sewage bills due at the time and these had not been collected. The town (outside the base) had only one paved street and the others were inadequately lighted, snow removal was inadequate during the winter, there was no water filtration plant at this time and the only local police force was a local Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detachment. With all this in mind, Major Ray made an announcement in The Western Star(reference cited) on August 20, 1958:

I find it most strange that the Stephenville Town Council is seeking to acquire control of my property along Long Gull Pond, off Hansen Memorial Highway, in order to operate a public park several miles from its legal boundaries. In recent months the Council and the Department of Mines and Resources, has requested me to sell my property to establish a so called 'provincial town park'. In each of the three letters offering to buy the property a ridiculously low price is used. The only organizations which have publicly declared themselves are the Town Council and the Stephenville Lions Club.

It is most difficult to understand why I am being victimized, and current activities have every mark of an organized group attempting to overthrow the rights of an individual... After I had recognized the value of the property, and spent over a year developing it, clearing building sites, fencing it, then and only then, did others come forward and attempt to acquire it. If a town park is needed miles from the center of Stephenville, why did the council wait so long?

I am convinced, and sources of other people agree with me that a tourist resort will be of far more benefit to the St. Georges- Port au Port districts than a public park operated by a town council whose reputation as able administrators must obviously be in doubt when it acknowledges tax arrears of $40,000 or more...

At the best of times an individual is hard pressed to maintain his rights in the face of constituted authority, no matter how honest or sincere such an authority is in its actions. It is for this reason that we have laws to protect individuals and minority groups. My position is even more vulnerable to attack since I am an American-born citizen who is seeking a new career in Canada as a Canadian Immigrant. I can still be called a foreigner although I have permanent establishments, business and property investments in Newfoundland.

Three organizations are involved in trying to force me off land I legally own — Stephenville Town Council: Stephenville Chamber of Commerce: and Stephenville Lions Club. It was the Chamber of Commerce in 1957 that called for the setting up of a civic park at Long Gull Pond. It is a whisper campaign, to make people believe I am standing in the way of progress, that I am stubbornly refusing to sell my land thus robbing the people of the west coast their own born-right to boil the kettle on their chosen spot of summer scenery. This argument is full of holes. Firstly, I have stated publicly that a first rate section of my land including frontage along the beach of the pond has been reserved and placed solely at the disposal of all comers without cost. I have offered to make such an arrangement permanent by entering into a proper contract with the appropriate authority. This fact, plus the fact that land is still available elsewhere on the pond, shows that more than just a park is involved.

I have spent thousands of dollars on plans, clearing, materials and construction of a tourist resort under the regulations of the Newfoundland Tourist Development Board in order to provide a much needed attraction for this area. Clearly, It should be supported by the general public who should see that the individual does not suffer in false progress.

In the Fall of 1958, Mr. W.J. Keough, Minister of Mines and Resources stated that there was no chance, at the present time for the provincial or municipal governments to purchase any property near Stephenville for a park. The Indian Head Rod and Gun Club went ahead that same year with construction of buildings on property bordering Major Ray's, which they had leased from Bowater.

The controversy died after Major Ray didn't develop the Bowater-leased property on the lake as a resort, instead allowing public access to the property until it was sold to the Indian Head Rod and Gun Club in 1987. Ray had turned his efforts to other ventures and in August 1953 he had received permission from the United States and Canadian governments and the town of Stephenville to construct and operate a trailer park as off-base housing for Ernest Harmon AFB servicemen. He built and serviced 46, 28 by 60 ft (8.5 by 18 m) lots on 3 acres (12,000 m2) of land along Queen St. In 1956, Ray, along with Telesphore White, created another 50 lots on 3+1⁄₂ acres (14,000 m2). Mr White bought the property in 1965 for $20,000. In 1956, Ray began the first coin-operated laundromat and dry cleaners in Newfoundland (one of only five in Canada at the time), as well as a flower shop. He lived on the base until 1965 and raised a family with his wife, Gay, a teacher at the Harmon Elementary School.