Have you heard of Gander, Newfoundland and the role this small town and its surrounding neighbors played on September 11, 2001? On that day when American airspace was closed, several hundred planes were on their way across the Atlantic from Europe. They were not allowed to land in America, so they were diverted to airports across Canada.
Gander International Airport was once the largest airport in the world. This was where trans-Atlantic flights would come to refuel. Once the jumbo jets started flying, Gander was no longer needed. However, on 9/11 this airport would be needed in a huge way.
Thirty-eight planes landed in Gander within several hours. Aboard those planes were over 7,000 “plane people” as they became known. The town of Gander doubled in size that day. Instead of doing nothing, the residents of Gander and the small towns surrounding the airport took the plane people in, giving them food, shelter, and clothing (because they were not allowed to remove their checked bags from the planes). They gave them comfort, prayed with them, and in the end they became like family.
If you do a search on Youtube you will also find countless videos of the stories about Gander on 9/11.
While this was not an epic views and wonderful scenery destination, we knew we had to stop there. As you’ll see, this area also paid tribute to those lost on 9/11.
The Town of Appleton
As with some of the smaller towns around Gander, Appleton also took in some of the plane people. We drove to Peace Park along the river where there is a memorial to the 9/11 victims and also a piece of the World Trade Center.
Gander International Airport
Gander International Airport is small by most standards, but they have a unique International Terminal. Built in the 1950s, the decor is still the same as back then. Many famous people passed through this terminal on their way to and from Europe.
While this may not be the original furniture, the design is the same.
As you can see, Gander is still used by the military.
There were also commercial jets taking off and landing while we were there.
Coincidentally just days after we left Gander an A-380 Airbus had to be diverted to Gander before continuing from Toronto to Dubai. That would have been a sight to see!
Upstairs is a wonderful “museum” telling the history of Gander International Airport. From its early beginnings as a small airport which became a military installation important in WWII to its role on 9/11, this is very informative. We also found another piece of the World Trade Center that was donated to the people of Gander.
Come From Away
The musical “Come From Away” tells the story of Gander and the plane people. It is based on the book by Jim DeFede entitled “The Day the World Came to Town”. We saw it in Phoenix, and they perform it in Gander during the summer at the community theater. We also read the book before we came to Gander. This helped us understand the signs and locations better.
Signs around town also point to the places where people were housed, including schools, churches and the community center. Even the local Aviation Museum opened its doors for those who wanted to get away from where they were staying for a little while.
We drove to see how many we could find.
Probably the most moving was in front of the Town Hall. We found these drawings children of Gander had done as well as another piece of the World Trade Center.
Gander Aviation Museum
While this museum wasn’t large, it told more of the aviation story of Gander. This museum also had the most moving 9/11 display, with letters of gratitude from people all over, including a 3rd grade class from Iowa thanking the people of Gander. Here also was a piece of the World Trade Center.
Dover, The Town with the Fault
You never know what you’ll find when you get to a location, and we’re always amazed to learn of locations we hadn’t heard of while doing research for a trip. Such was the case with Dover, Newfoundland.
During the days following 9/11, two people who were on the same plane, one from Texas and one from England, found each other. On an excursion to see Dover’s claim to fame, they got to know each other more. Nick and Diane eventually fell in love and got married. They live in Texas now.
We made the drive to Dover, passing through Gambo, which also housed plane people, and went to the small, and I mean small, museum that explained what exactly the town motto meant.
Dover is literally on a fault line. It’s hard for me to explain, so here are the pictures.
Along with the museum explaining this, there is also a 9/11 display and photos of Come From Away cast members who made the drive to see where Nick and Diane fell in love.
Silent Witness Memorial
Gander experienced the worst aircraft disaster in Canadian aviation history on December 12, 1985. An aircraft carrying 256 men and women from the 101st Airborne Division and crew of Arrow Air who were on their way home from a peacekeeping mission in Egypt stopped to refuel at Gander International Airport. Unfortunately the plane crashed shortly after takeoff killing everyone on board.
The Silent Witness Memorial pays tribute to the lives lost on that day.
Conclusion
While this was not our usual post, it was an important one. To see Gander is to have our faith restored in humanity.
On a personal note, as I was working on this post, my cousin was being laid to rest. Sergeant Scott Ries of the Rittman Police Department died in the line of duty this week doing what he and so many others, especially on 9/11 were trained to do. To help others.
This has been a tough week, but we will continue our Canadian Maritimes trip.