Gambo: Located on the western side of Bonavista Bay, in a valley where the Gambo River meets the sea in Freshwater Bay in central Bonavista Bay, Gambo, according to ENL sources, consists of three adjacent (and formerly distinct) communities, Dark Cove, Middle Brook and Gambo, which gave the town the cumbersome name of Dark Cove-Middle Brook-Gambo.

Incorporation in 1980, gave the town the much simpler name of Gambo. It is believed by some (e.g., M.F. Howley) that the name of the town comes from the corruption of the Spanish or Portuguese name Baie de las Gamas, which translates to mean the "Bay of the Does" and as such, appears on some of the early maps of the area in that form.

According to the Central NL website, the first settlers to the area were English fisherman "chasing the abundant salmon in the early 1700s", particularly those to be found in the Gambo River.

In the 1800s, Irish descendant, coming predominantly from the southern shore and New Brunswick, came to work at the local saw mills. In 1863, David Smallwood, grandfather of Joseph R. Smallwood, built the fist steam powered sawmill used in the province.

Today Gambo is a major service centre for some of the smaller communities in the area, as well as a well-known tourist draw. The population for the past number of years has remained constant. In 2016 there were 1,976 residents, compared to 1,984 in 2011 (a very slight 0.3% decrease).

Gambo's most famous resident, hands down, was Joseph Roberts Smallwood, who was born in nearby Mint Brook on December 24, 1900. Smallwood went on to lead Newfoundland into Confederation in 1949. He was elected the first premier of the province on April 1, 1949 and remained in that position until January 18, 1972.

Prior to his election "Joey" as he was called, was the owner of a newspaper, a writer, and a radio host. For a short time, he operated a pig farm at the Newfoundland Airport at Gander.

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/Gambo