Coachman's Cove: Located directly north of Baie Verte on the east side of a point of land near the tip of the Baie Verte Peninsula, Coachman's Cove, according to information presented in the ENL, was used as a fishing station in the summers.

At that time, it was known as Pot d'Etain (or Havre Pot d'Etain) by the Francophone fishermen; Pat d'Etain translates to "Tin Pot" (and Havre Pot d'Etain translates to Tin Pot Harbour).

Like many communities in Newfoundland, "what" it was called and "who" gave it the name is easy to trace, but "why" is often very illusive. Does the cove look like a tin pot? Did the fishermen use a lot of tin pots?

Your guess is probably as good as anyone else. Similarly, the choice of "Coachman's Cove" is a similar situation.

We know "what" name was chosen, and "who" (in this case the early English settlers who moved into the area around 1860) chose the name, by "why? Who knows! The history of carly settlement by English settlers is so very typical of what was common around then in many communities in Newfoundland.

The following, from the ENL explains the scenario: The first settlers to arrive in Coachman's Cove possibly came at the invitation of the French in the early 1800s to act as gardians of French stages and fishing equipment during the winter months and who established a permanent fishing settlement.

Many communities such as Coachman's Cove had double identities and double populations: places like Petit Coup de Hache (Brents Cove), Grand Coup de Hache (Harbour Round), Isle a Bois (Wood Island) and Des Pins (Mings Bight) that were situated on the north shore of the Baie Verte Peninsula had predominantly French populations from June to September (as crews came from France to fish cod off Cape St. John) and Anglo-Irish-Newfoundland populations during the winter.

According to the Journal of the House of Assembly, 1873, "The French Captains, prior to their leaving the shore, appoint one or more of the English settlers Gardians of their habitating stages, a and other articles of property which they leave on the coast."

What started as a fishing community over time became known more for its logging. By 1950s lumbering had become the main employer in the Cove and the population was recorded as 284, of those "fifteen families engaged in fishing (twelve crews, with the catch- cod and salmon-sent to Paquet) and about twenty men engaged full-time in woods-work for Bowaters [pulp and paper business].

In the winter all fishermen worked in the woods and sixty men were employed in local sawmills one of which reportedly supplied "wharf timbers for most of the piers on the northeast coast".

Today the number are now where as high as those recorded then. The 2016 the population reported a low of 105, however, the number reflected a 14.1% increase over the 92 that were recorded in 2011.

The uncovering of a new Paleo-Eskimo site in 1999-2000 shows that the area surrounding Coachman's Cove was inhabited approximately 3000 years ago.

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/CoachmansCove