St. Pierre and Miquelon History
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is an archipelago, or group of islands, under control of France, located in the North Atlantic, just off the southern coast of Newfoundland. The capitol is St. Pierre, and the population of the territory is fewer than 7,000 persons.
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In French Possession Since 1763
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Long before Europeans arrived, the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon was used for fishing camps by indigenous Eskimos and Beothuk.
The Portuguese visited in the early 1500s and French cod fishermen finally settled there in the 17th century. In the 18th century, French residents were forced out by war with Britain, but by 1763, Saint Pierre and Miquelon were returned to the French and they remain a French possession. U.S. travelers must have a passport to visit Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Cod Fishery Suffers
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For nearly two hundred years, the cod fishery of the North Atlantic, including Saint Pierre and Miquelon, thrived, but the Canadian government put restrictions on the fishery. Today, tourism is more lucrative for Saint Pierre and Miquelon than fishing.
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First and Only North American Guillotine
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In 1889, a guillotine came down on the neck of a prisoner sentenced to death in Saint Pierre and Miquelon. It was the first and only time that a guillotine was used anywhere in North America.
The Stuff of Movies
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An Oscar-nominated documentary about life on the islands, "Little Islands of Freedom," was produced in 1942. Many residents of Saint Pierre and Miquelon fought against the Nazis for France.
Prohibition Windfall
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When laws forbidding the sale of alcohol in the U.S. in the 1920s created a period known as Prohibition, Saint Pierre and Miquelon became the center of smuggling alcohol into the U.S. It was a prosperous time for the tiny French territory until Prohibition was repealed.
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