Point au Gaul: Located on the tip of the Burin Peninsula just east of Lamaline, there are two possible theories behind this community's name, and the second is that it is a "mistake" name.

Many people adhere to the theory that many early French migratory fishermen used the area for drying fish, and that when it was finally "settled" by a Frenchman named Hillier, he named it Point au Gaul or "Frenchman's Point" to honor those before him.

Covering an area of 494,000 km2 (191,000 sq mi), Gaul (Latin: Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans in the time of Julius Caesar (12 July 100 BC 15 March 44 BC).

Originally inhabited by Celts, the land mass would have included all of present-day Belgium, France, and Luxembourg, as well as parts of German, Italy (the Northern section) and Switzerland.

Others, though are of the mind that Point au Gaul was actually named Point Egal (or Point Egalle), translated as "Flat Point", and given its location at the base of a low sandy point, and its place in history as a flat area in which one could dry fish, this is a strong contender.

This is a very small community with on 88 residents recorded in 2016, a 9.3% decrease from 5-years earlier when 97 residents were enumerated. -

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/PointauGaul