Gros Morne National Park of Canada

Natural Wonders & Cultural Treasures

Cultural Heritage

Broom Point

Aerial View of Broom Point © Parks Canada / Dave Huddlestone / 1172-061, G11-03

Broom Point in Gros Morne National Park juts raggedly into the Gulf of St. Lawrence like a worn version of its namesake. The marine mammals, birds, and fish of the cold Gulf waters have attracted people to this site for more than 2,300 years.

On an early summer's day in 1990, friends and family gathered at Broom Point to mark an important event, the restoration of the Mudge family cabin and fish store. When Nellie Mudge cut the red ribbon, it marked a special moment in the working friendship that had grown between this remarkable family and Parks Canada.

Three Mudge brothers and their families fished from the site from 1941 until 1975, when they sold the property to the national park. With the family’s generosity, the buildings have been restored.

Mudge family cabin and fish store, Broom Point © Parks Canada / Michael Burzynski / 1617-057, G11-67, 1994

The site consists of a cabin and a fish store restored to the way they were when the family lived and worked there. Boats built by the Mudges are exhibited in the fish store alongside nets, traps, and other home-made gear. The cabin is filled with many original artifacts including handiwork and furniture the family donated for the restoration. In a small cove just south of the point, there is a cemetery where some of the earlier residents of Broom Point are buried.

Interpretation at Broom Point today focuses on the Mudge family fishing operation as it was during the 1960s. Interpreters from the local area tell the story of the site. Talking to them provides the opportunity to learn about the fishery of the past, the present and to discuss the fishery of the future.

Check the hours of operation web page for information on interpretation times for the Broom Point premises.