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Proactive disclosure Print version   | |  Geographical Names of Newfoundland and Labrador
Corner Brook The brook which flows through the city was so named in 1767 by Captain James Cook (1728-1779). For many years it remained a relatively unnoticed settlement, until a sawmill began operations in 1864. A more dramatic change occurred in 1923, when Corner Brook was selected as the site for one of the world's largest pulp-and-paper mills. Today it is Newfoundland's second-largest city, capitalizing on the paper industry and a superb location on a fiord framed by the surrounding hills. Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 193. Related Sites: Grand Falls-Windsor An amalgamated town on the Exploits River. Grand Falls is descriptive of its 'spectacular falls' and was developed as a company town by the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Company. Here Newfoundland's first pulp-and-paper mill was officially opened with due ceremony on 11 October 1909. The mill, now owned by Abitibi-Price, continues to provide an economic base for the town. Windsor, first known as 'Grand Falls Station' for its position on the Newfoundland Railway, was probably renamed for the royal house of Windsor. Historically, this area was a centre of Beothuk culture, a fact commemorated in the Mary March Regional Museum, named in honour of one of the last of this race. Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 208. Related Site: Gander The town and major international airport are on the Trans-Canada Highway, adjacent to Gander Lake. The name, which appears on a map of Gander Bay by John Cartwright (1767), is for the male of the goose family. In 1935, Gander was selected by the British and Canadian governments as a site for an airport to handle the growing transatlantic air traffic. By the outbreak of the Second World War, the base was operational and played a pivotal role in anti-submarine warfare and the defence of the North Atlantic. In the age of jet travel, the airport is not as important as formerly; however, because of its relatively 'fog free' status and strategic location, it remains an important link in international air travel and communication. Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, p. 205. Related Site: Labrador City The presence of deposits of iron ore in this area was discovered as early as 1892. In 1952 mining began, and the following year a settlement was established on the shore of Carol Lake. With the incorporation in 1961, the name Carol Lake was changed to Labrador City for the territory in which it was situated. Most authorities credit the origin of the name Labrador to João Fernandes, a Portuguese explorer and llavrador, 'land holder', from the Azores. At first, the name Labrador was applied to what was then thought to be a continous mainland from Greenland to Newfoundland. Later, when it became clear that Greenland was separated from the North American coast by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, the name Labrador 'shifted' to indicate the neighbouring mainland coast. Source: Hamilton, William B. (1996): Place Names of Atlantic Canada, University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 224, 6.
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