P.O. Box 10 |
Newfoundland Tourism Region : Western
Humber (Humber Valley, Humber River, Humber Village, Humber Arm): Located on the north bank of the Humber River, approximately 15km east of the city of Corner Brook, it is believed that Cook named the Humber region after the Humber Estuary, a large tidal estuary (a coastal body of typically brackish water) in Northern England, shown on many maps as River Humber.
Cook charted the Humber Valley going up the Humber River in 1767. The Humber River is known for its salmon and is considered to be one of the best salmon fishing rivers in Canada.
Frenchman's Cove (Humber Arm): Located in intervals along the south shore of Humber Arm, in the Bay of Islands, Halfway Point, Benoit's Cove, John's Beach, and Frenchman's Cove amalgamated in 1972, and the community now goes by a simpler name of Humber Arm South.
According to the town's website, when the community of Woods Island was resettled in the 1960, many of the residents settled along the south shore joining in on the larger community. Heading inland from the Bay of Islands, the first community you come to is Frenchman's Cove.
It is not known how the community the community of Frenchman's Cove actually got the name but there is speculation that it comes from an early settler.
Bishop Edward Feild wrote in his journals about several trips he made to the area (cited in the ENL) and sheds some light on perhaps how the community got its name.
He wrote in 1849 that "Nothing can exceed the beauty of this [Frenchman's] cove, or its apparent fertility -roses and fruits of various kinds in profusion on the beach, and forest trees of luxuriant growth clothed the rear-hills to the very ridge".
Feild sailed the Humber Arm on a voyage
of visitation in 1849. He noted ... one dwelling at Frenchman's Cove and two other small cottages "in a cove on the south-east of the harbour" (possibly John's Beach or more probably Benoit's Cove).
At Frenchman's Cove Feild described how "a Frenchman came alongside who informed me that he had now been living three years in this bay all by himself.
He came here from St. Peter's, [St. Pierre) where he had lived seven or eight years... [He was] named Prosper Companion, with a wife and four children.
He had just returned from two months' absence on the salmon fishery".... In 1858 Feild again visited the cove and found "two families....
Humber River: While the Gander River is typically listed as being the second longest, depending on the source, the Humber River may be considered a "smidge" longer.
According to Wikipedia contributors, it is 120 km (46.3 mi) long; It originates in the Long Range Mountains, and flows southeast then southwest, through Deer Lake,
to the Bay of Islands at Corner Brook.
It is believed that Cook charted the river in the summer of 1767 and gave it its name as it reminded him of the English counterpart, summer of 1767 and the Humber Estuary.
There are a number of towns in Newfoundland named after the rivers they are located on, but most of them are relatively small, such as South River (pop. 647 in 2016, 1.2% decrease from 655 in 2011), North West River (pop. 574 in 2016, a 1.1% decrease from 553 in 2011), and North River (pop. 570 in 2016, a 1.4% increase over 562 in 2011).
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/Humber