Coal Brook: Located north of South Branch, the derivation of the towns name is based upon the fact that a 13 cm (5 in) coal seam was found along the brook 5.5 km (3.5 mi) north of South Branch.

It was found during construction of the railway in the late 1880s and early 1890s. The following comes from the ENL: According to A.K. Snelgrove and D.M. Baird (1953) limited prospecting, producing about 100 tons of coal for use on the railway, was undertaken at Coal Brook in the 1890s but the project was abandoned because of low yields.

About 500 tons of coal were mined when the Reid company, in conjunction with the Government of Newfoundland, renewed operations in 1918; however, the project was again abandoned after the coal-bearing rocks were found to be badly faulted.

By 1936 the plant and facilities had fallen to ruin and further drilling by the Newfoundland Government in 1946-1947 (about 600 tonnes mined) proved that the coal was uneconomical...

Coal River, like the other towns in the area was settled predominantly by those of Scottish and Acadian origin, who wanted land to farm.

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/CoalBrook