Today marks the 200th anniversary of a historic journey involving two men, one Indigenous, the other European.

On September 5, 1822, William Epps Cormack of Scotland and Mi’kmaq Sylvester Joe set off on their epic three-month journey, crossing the island of Newfoundland on foot.

The event is was celebrated this morning in Milton, on the Bonavista Peninsula at 11:30 a.m. Area MHA Craig Pardy says what Cormack and Joe accomplished is not as well-known as it should be, given its historic significance for what it says about intercultural collaboration.

Members of the PC Caucus including Craig Pardy, Lloyd Parrott, and Tony Wakeham are joining with George’s Brook-Milton Mayor and organizer of the celebration event, Milton Ellis.

“What many people may not realize is that this journey—which lasted three months, even as snow fell in November—nearly took the life of William Cormack, who persevered regardless. It would never have been successful without his Mi’kmaq guide, Sylvester Joe,” said Wakeham.