Dildo, Newfoundland and Labrador
Dildo 47°33.82′N 53°32.77′W, is a town on the southeastern Dildo Arm of Trinity Bay on the island of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is about 100 kilometres west-northwest of St. John's. South Dildo is a neighbouring unincorporated community.
General History
Dildo was founded in the late 1700s and settled by the Reids, Prettys and Smiths to exploit the abundance of marine resources such as fish, whales and seals.
Fish processing and local small business are major employers. Also during the inital development of the town, a fish hatchery was erected which was the first in North America and the largest in the world at that time. Remains of this can still be seen on Dildo Island today.
In 1878 a Church of England (Anglican) Church was built and served the Town for more than 80 years, until it was replaced by the present structure in 1964. During the year 1932 the German flying boat Do-X, which was the largest plane in the world landed in Dildo Arm.
Present
Dildo has a fast-growing tourist industry. Dildo offers picturesque scenery, several bed and breakfasts, eating establishments, the Dildo Museum interpretive centre, the Historic Dildo Days celebration in August, the first cod hatchery in North America on Dildo Island, boat tours, the Society of United Fishermen, the Lions centre, and a replica of a giant squid caught in Dildo in 1933. Dildo won the Harrowsmith Magazine Award in 2001 as one of the ten prettiest small towns in Canada.
Dildo has an unusual name, which has attracted attention. Dildos are the traditional name for the two round pegs in a dory (small traditional rowboat) which braces the oars when rowing. A dildo is also an object often shaped like an erect penis used for sexual stimulation. There is speculation that the town was named after a location in Spain or Portugal or the name of a short sword.
Dildo achieved greater notoriety when it was mentioned in the song A Night in Dildo by the Canadian musical comedy group The Arrogant Worms. A Night in Dildo mentions Dildo as one of many examples of real, but amusing, Newfoundland placenames. In August of 2006, Dildo was also the subject of the "What the...?" segment on the Australian television talk show Rove Live.
Dildo has also been featured on CBC's On the Road Again as well as a live radio broadcast from the interpretation centre.
South Dildo
South Dildo is an unincorporated community with a 1991 population of 272. At the beginning of the twentieth century, South Dildo (pop. 62) was primarily involved in lumbering and supplied one schooner to the Labrador fishery. South Dildo has the roadside attraction of a wooden lifesize humpback whale head and a seal pelt tannery.
