The Giant Squid - Dildo, Newfoundland
Posted by: 
elyob
N 47° 34.110 W 053° 33.377
22T E 307733 N 5271509
For years, there was a giant squid sculpture at this location. Now there is an informative sign.
Waymark Code: WM14VKB
Location: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Date Posted: 08/27/2021
Views: 0
The Dildo Recreation Committee Inc. has erected an interpretive panel outside the Dildo Brewing Co. and Museum. The following text is taken from one section of the sign.
On December 17, 1933 Reuben Reid and Richard Gosse went across Dildo Arm to Spread Eagle in a motorboat to cut firewood. When they returned to Dildo Cove they got caught in slob ice and could not make it back to shore. The wind veered easterly and it drove their boat ashore in Backside Cove, behind the community. Around 11 p.m. approximately 20 men helped them unload the wood and haul their boat safely ashore as a storm was coming that night. The next day when the two men returned to retrieve their boat and firewood they noticed an object floating on the water. When it drifted closer they discovered that it was a dead giant squid.
In an attempt to drag the squid ashore with a rope, its head got severed. The two men loaded the squid on a slide and brought it back to Dildo Cove. People from all over Trinity and Conception Bays showed up to have a look at it. The men built a crate, packed it and shipped it off via horse and slide to the train station in Dildo. From there it went to Harvey and Company in St. John's and shortly after, the men received a cheque in the amount of $12.00 for their trouble. In the end the squid ended up in South Kensington Museum in London, England for expert examination.