The Argin' Ground : a social locus in Trout River circa 1920 - present

Crocker, Madelyn Jean (2002) The Argin' Ground : a social locus in Trout River circa 1920 - present. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (23MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

This thesis is an examination of the rememberings of the people of Trout River, of a special and significant part of their ancestry. It is about a gathering place, mainly of fishermen and other males. It is a place that no longer exists, except in the minds of the men who went there, the boys and girls (now men and women) who remember their father going there, or their own play around the periphery of this well known spot, in earlier years known by the whole community as 'The Argiri' Ground.' It was a place of information transfer and interaction that has now been replaced by the telephone, television, radio, dart leagues, bingo, the pub, and cruising down the road in an automobile. -- This is a work of historical ethnography and my intention in doing this research is to give back to the people a significant part of their heritage which I think is worth preserving. Though it is a reconstruction the value of conserving this place in some form is undeniable. -- Chapter One is the introduction and also includes notes regarding the methodology used for transcription of interviews and citation. -- Chapter Two contains a brief history of the community of Trout River, including descriptions of the town itself and the surrounding area. Within this chapter, section one contains information about the community's development. Section two discusses the four principal types of fisheries practised by the people of Trout River; salmon, herring, lobster and cod. Section three touches on the land based activities the residents engaged in to survive. These include hunting and trapping, logging, farming and raising livestock, participating in the development of mineral resources and canning seafood. The final section of Chapter Two discusses the genealogy of the community, particularly the earliest generations, from the founding settler, George Crocker, onwards. This section also includes family trees of the first three generations of Crockers who lived in Trout River. -- Chapter Three deals with the Argin' Ground and is divided into three sections. The first describes the Argin' Ground itself, including its location, membership and the type of activities that took place there. The second section deals with the context of the social interaction that went on there. Included is the structure of the talk and the narratives that were told there as well as a description of the various generic forms encountered there, such as the proverb, gossip and rhetoric. Also the style of the local speech is dealt with here. Section three deals with the status of the Argin' Ground in the community and with how the meeting place actually functioned in terms of information transfer and the other activities that took place there. -- Chapter Four discusses the changes that have taken place, and are still taking place, within the community of Trout River and how this has affected the Argin' Ground as a social institution. Here as well are three sections, the first of which deals with the creation of Gros Mome National Park. The second section discusses the changing social context and the current social dynamics within the community. The final section looks into the role of the Argin' Ground in the community. -- Chapter Five is the conclusion and summarizes the arguments presented.

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