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Newfoundland Tourism Region : Western
St. Andrew's: Located north of Channel-Port aux Basques, St. Andrew's was formerly one of the many Little Coves. As the majority of the original residents were from Scotland, the name of the patron saint of Scotland undoubtedly was a good choice.
Originally called Little River (and still referred to as Little River by many locals), it was renamed St. Andrew's in recognition of the ethnic background of the original settlers who first arrived in 1844.
Wreck House: Located at the mouth of the valley of the Little Codroy River, given the notorious windstorms and rough seas that are common in Newfoundland, it is no surprise that there are many communities with the specific "wreck" in their name (e.g., Wreck Cove in Fortune Bay; Wreck Cove between Pie Duck Cove and Point Crewe on the tip of the Burin Peninsula; Wreck Island on the SW coast just west of Burgeo).
Wreck House, however, does not relate to marine transport and has quite an interesting story. Wreck House was established in 1893 when a farmer by the name of John McDougall moved to the area.
The railway had just opened and the high winds that funneled down from the Table Mountains had a propensity to blow trains right off the tracks! From the early 1930s on, McDougalls son, Lauchie was hired to "sniff" out the wind, and it he felt the winds were too high for trains to cross the open-area safely, it was his job to call the railway officials so that the trains could be stopped before a disaster occurred.
In 1901 the census recorded a population of 15, which probably was inflated as it most likely included some section-men working at railway siding in McDougalls Gulch.
After his death, his wife took on the roll of being a "human wind gauge" but in 1972 she left the community to "retire" to Channel-Port aux Basques.
The McDougall home blew down, and now if you look clearly, you can find a sign that has been installed to warn motorists, particularly the drivers of tractor-trailers. It is not uncommon to see trucks pulled over, on a "siding", at times for more than a day.
McDougall's Gulch: Located 20 km (12.4 mi) NW of Port aux Basque, before it was "resettled" this railway-siding community had a population of 5 settlers.
At its maximum, in 1956 it was recorded as 20. The first settlers were named McDougall. The homestead of Lauchie McDougall was locally known as Wreck House (see earlier listing).
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/22744.html