Catalina: Located just north of Trinity North Harbour, Catalina has had a number of names depending on which ethnic group was in the area at a particular time in its history.

Originally settled by the French, it was known originally as Havre Sainte- Katherine (The Haven of St. Katherine). When the Spanish arrived, it became known as Cataluna and finally when the English arrived it became known as Catalina.

According to the town's website, as early as 1534, Jacques Cartier spent ten days in the harbour, and at that time the name was well established as it is clear from Cartier's accounts that he already knew the place by name and did not name it himself.

From the ENL comes a few "bits" of trivia on various things that occurred in Catalina after it was first settled:

1. In 1583, what was thought to be gold was found in a nearby cove by one of the members of Sir Humphrey Gilbert's expedition (the purpose of which was to seize territory on behalf of the English crown), however, the stone, which was named "Catalina Stone" turned out to be "fool's gold" or iron pyrite.

2. On September 27, 1877 a huge squid, or as it was called then, a huge cuttlefish was stranded ashore, alive, on the beach of Catalina. Two tentacles were 9 m (30 ft) long and 1.5- 24 m (5-8 ft) wide. In total the body measured 2.7 by 1.8 m (9 by 6 ft).
Such a rarity, the animal was sent to St. John's for exhibition and that fall issue of the Canadian Illustrated News included an illustration and the following description "Newfoundland - Capture of a Monster Devil-Fish at Catalina, Trinity Bay".

Later the squid was sold to the New York Aquarium and eventually it served as a model of a giant squid that was made for the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The Canadian Illustrated News illustration is shown as follows:

3. Finally in 1937, the first public library outside of St. John's was established in Catalina. A former resident, by the name of Joseph Clouter, donated approximately 5,000 books to get it established.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

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