106 MAIN ST |
Newfoundland Tourism Region : Western
Wild Bight: Settled in the 1880s by a family named "Brown", being on a major open stretch of water, it is most likely, like the "other" Wild Bight discussed earlier, the community's name refers to the ferocity of the water in any given storm.
The population grew slowly and by 1891 there were 12 residents. While now considered part of White Bay North Subregion (an "informal designation used on the NP website to refer to the tip of the peninsula from Eddie's Cove east to south of St.
Anthony) according to the NP website, the population is now 40.
The following is from the website:
Wild Bight was once named Larkin's Bight, and once was the home of Leah Layden's Paint Mine. This was located on Gull Cove Hill. The mine produced a substance that locals used to paint their houses with.
The chemical constituents of the paint were mixed with cod or seal oil, subsequently making a spreadable kind of "pug". The paint mine has since been lost as it was buried in by a landfill.
There are various freshwater streams located throughout the community, and one has created a "Boiling Hole" The swirling area of fresh water is warmer than salt water thereby producing an area that does not freeze during winter.
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/WildBight