Keels: Located near the top of the Bonavista Peninsula, on the headland that separates Blackhead Bay from Bonavista Bay, this small fishing community "falls" into this grouping because of the fact that there are so many disparate possibilities for its origin, one is hard pressed to figure out which one is the most plausible.

From the ENL, come the following possibilities:

1. While the surname Keel has been found in Bonavista, the community name apparently predates that family, so this possibility is most likely pretty slim;

2. There has been the suggestion that John Cabot's ship, the Matthew left the mark of its keel in the sand when stopping at the site for fresh water,

3. There is the possibility that the first settlers found keel-shaped timbers on the beach, which has led some writers to suggest the timbers could be traced to the Vikings and that Keels might be Kialarness of the Norse Sagas;

4. The cove is named after the shape of some rocks that were found by its entrance;

5. It could be in honor of early settlers whose family name was Keough; and finally,

6. It is also possible that the name is a corruption of an earlier Portuguese or Latin designation.

So, the choice is yours, however, regardless of the origin of the town's name, it is known that the community is one of the oldest on the northeast coast.

It was identified on an early map, dated 1582 as "carenas", which some speculate is an abbreviation of Cape Arenas (however, no information could be found about that Cape).

There is speculation that it was the site of an English fishing station as early as 1675, and that there was an actual settlement by 1702.

Given its close proximity to the Labrador fishery, and to sources of lumber, Keels prospered and by 1869 there were 518 residents at Keels, and an additional 72 at nearby Castle Cove.

The most recent census of 2016 record only 51 inhabitants, down from 61 of 2011 (a 16.4% drop).

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/Keels