It has taken a community coming together to present this beautiful honor in the memory of what can be said to be for some, the unknown or forgotten Indigenous settlement, Crow Gulch, Newfoundland.

On the morning of Friday, August 20, 2021, a collaborative art piece by Mi’kmaw Artists Marcus Gosse and Jordan Bennett was installed and unveiled. The incredibly outstanding art mural can be seen at the parking lot for the trail leading to Crow Gulch – adjacent to the intersection of Griffin Drive and Lewin Parkway near the Corner Brook pulp and paper mill. Both artists, along with former Crow Gulch resident Margie Benoit Wheeler worked together, as Margie was able to share pictures and stories of her time growing up in the small community while unknowingly becoming an inspiration for the mural.

Margie Benoit Wheeler spoke during the unveiling, “We were the forgotten people between Corner Brook and Curling.” She then reflected on her memories for her relocated community, some heart-warming, and others very heart-breaking. While Mayor of Corner Brook Jim Parsons restated his recognition of Crow Gulch, “This was a community – Margie is a fountain of wealth – its time to reconcile.”

Gosse reflected on Bennett’s and his final artwork, both colleagues who were thankful to have such an opportunity to work together – how the mural commemorates 100 years since Crow Gulch was settled, the significance of the Indigenous rest spot created for the installation, and how it will provide education to youth, families, and tourists to enjoy. Gosse described the strong presence of the crows in their mural as a symbol of our ancestors coming back with messages and to be with us. The double curves representing our life cycle – 1st curve is birth, the middle curve is middle age, and the last curve representing senior/elder life. While the house chimneys release spiritual energies – all together show community, connectedness, and spiritual connections. In the coming months, there will be plaque signs leading from the parking lots rest stop to Crow Gulch where 45 families called home – to keep their honor and spirit alive.

Also present that morning was Author Douglas Walbourne-Gough who kindly read an exert from his 2019 published work, Crow Gulch. The book was dedicated to his grandparents Rudy and Ella Gough, also former residents of the community. Walbourne-Gough noted that today is a way to begin more dialog on Crow Gulch’s history that some people knew and some not at all. How it can bring light to the community and marginalization as it no longer exists and to extend reconciliation to Dunfield Park – which had been the relocation community for the last few families who were still in Crow Gulch in the very early 1970s.