Churchill Falls: Located on the Churchill River in Labrador, the community was formerly known as Grand Falls.

It is the location of the Churchill Falls Generating Station, named in honor of British prime minister Winston Churchill who was in power from 1940-1945 and 1951-1955.

Churchill River: One of the best known rivers in Newfoundland is the Churchill River located in the southern part of Labrador. Stretching for 856 km (531.9 mi) it is the longest river not only in Newfoundland, but also all of Atlantic Canada.

The river drains an incredibly large area, approximately 79,800 km2 (30,800 m2) The river, according to Wikipedia contributors, itself has had a number of names:

The Indigenous Innu name of the [Churchill] river is Mishtashipu or Mishta-shipu ("Grand River") among the Labrador Innu and Patshishetshuanau-shipu ("Churchill Falls River") among the Central Innu, the Labrador Métis (NunatuKavut), and Nunatsiavut.

The latter name was formerly calqued into English as the Grand River ["To calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language while translating its components, so as to create a new lexeme in the target language].

In 1821, Captain William Martin of HM brig Clinker renamed the river the Hamilton River after the then-current commodore-governor of Newfoundland Charles Hamilton.

The name gradually supplanted use of the Grand River before being replaced on 1 February 1965 by provincial premier Joey Smallwood.

Smallwood renamed it the "Churchill River" after the former British prime minister Winston Churchill ahead of the beginning of construction on the river's major hydroelectric project.

Smallwood Reservoir: Located in western Labrador the reservoir has an area of 6,527 km2 (2,520.1 mi2), making it the largest lake/reservoir in the province, and the second largest reservoir in the world by surface area.

While most reservoirs are created by the construction of a single dam, this reservoir actually consists of 88 dikes/dykes (i.e. artificial structures used to control water flow and flood waters) that total 64 km in length.

The first dyke was created in 1967 and is an hydroelectric underground power station. Producing 5,428 MW it is the tenth largest power station in the world, and the second-largest in Canada, next to the Robert-Bourassa Generating Station in northwestern Quebec.

Named in honour of Joey Smallwood, the first premier of Newfoundland, the reservoir is the largest body of freshwater in the province.

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

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/ChurchillFalls