South Brook: Located inland, south of Springdale on the Trans Canada Highway before it heads south to Grand Falls-Windsor, South Brook is the second largest community named after a brook, in this case South Brook, which flows through the centre of town.

The largest of course is Corner Brook, described above, named after the brook with the same name. According to a Special Edition of Deck's Away, dated September 1988, the following is a bit of history behind this town:

South Brook was not listed as a community until the 1940s, although it may have been in existence as a winter community some 70 years earlier because Frank Boyles in a local history reports South Brook was first settled around 1870 by a Rowsell family.

Barnes, Burton, Prior and Saunders families built "winter logging cabins in the 1870s and 1880s.... Early residents worked in the woods and others came from neighboring communities for the same reason or to catch rabbits.

There was already a rabbit kitchen in South Brook in the 1920s. Dulcie Burton of Valley Vista recalls, "You got 25 cents for a brace of rabbits and there were plenty to catch." In 2016, there were 482 residents.

Population has remained pretty constant over time; the 2011 census reported 487 residents. South Brook is known as a good fishing spot for salmon. From the ENL.com website one can learn that not only did the town have a strong logging industry, but it was also known for its rabbit-canning factory.

While the town is relatively new compared to some of the towns on the coast that started as a result of the fishery industry, many Beothuk and Mi'kmaq artifacts have been found, indicating that it actually has a long history.

Rowsell's Hill located near the town was named for an early settler, Joseph Rowsell of Southwest Arm, mentioned above, who was killed by a Beothuk.

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/SouthBrookNL