Spoon Cove

Spoon Cove is an island located around Little Rapid and Lanse-Aux- Portages. My grandmother, Vandel Shattler and my grandfather, Standford Boland lived in Spoon Cove. My grandfather was born and raised there but my grandmother was not; she was born and raised in St. Augustine.

They met in the summer when my grandmother went to Shekatika Island with her family. My grandfather used to go fishing at Shekatika Island in the summer with his father and his brothers. After meeting on Shekatika Island, they then moved to Spoon Cove together. They got married in Spoon Cove on October 5, 1954. My grandmother was 20 and my grandfather was 26 when they married. My grandmother was also pregnant with her second child at the time. She had given birth to 8 out of their 12 children in Spoon Cove.

When my grandparents needed supplies, they would go to either St. Augustine or St. Paul’s River and get their supplies at the stores. Once securing their supplies, they would go back to Spoon Cove.

There was a school in Spoon Cove and everything had taken place there: education, Church services and the dance hall. People even got married in the school! Every year there would be a big Christmas event that took place in the school. People would leave from the village of St. Augustine and go to Spoon Cove for the Christmas event and parties.

Twelve families lived in Spoon Cove. Nevertheless in 1965, everybody got forced out of there. Back then, everyone lived on different islands at their cabins, but the government wanted everybody to live together in one place. Therefore, the government introduced a winter program and so everyone moved to St.Augustine. Once my grandparents and their family moved to St. Augustine, they would stay in St.Augustine for the winter and go to Shekatika Island in the summer. In the summer, my grandfather would go fishing with his sons.

Dezerai Boland, secondary 5, École St. Augustine School, Mrs. Crystal’s ELA Class