La Poile: Located on the southern coast of Newfoundland, east of Harbour La Cou fishermen from the French and west of Burgeo, as early as the turn of the 18th century, islands of St. Pierre and Miqulon, travelled to La Poile Bay, for fishing and logging.

Typically, the fisherman came for the summer and returned home in the winter (i.e., they were "seasonal" or "temporary").

During the winter, French soldiers patrolled the area, ensuring that the seasonal didn't become "year-round" or that the temporary didn't become "full time".

While the French soldiers were called les poiles, one can only guess why La Poile, the singular form of the word was chosen as the town's name.

According to ENL sources "local tradition maintains that as late as the mid-1800s settlers in La Poile Bay were still being harassed by the French.

The French presence in La Poile Bay no doubt significantly restricted early settlement of the area until well into the 1800s.

When William Cormack visited this "noble deep bay" in 1822 there were only two resident families, although as early as 1739 at least 18 American ships fished in the area of La Poile Bay and the Island of St. Peter's".

La Poile struggled as an outport but with some government assistance, a fish filleting and freezing operation gave the town some hope. But because the town was a true "outport" there was not access except by boat so getting fish to the market became extremely costly.

In 1960 the government was of the opinion that the community should be resettled, but the majority of the town folk disagreed and while some left by1981 the population peaked at 185 residents.

Slowly that number has dwindled, and the results of the most recent census show that the trend continues: in 2016 there were 87 residents, a 15.5% decrease from the 103 who resided there in 2011.

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/LaPoile