Deer Lake

The Town of Deer Lake is located at the eastern end of freshwater Deer Lake and on the banks of the Humber River. It is nestled in the foothills of the Long Range Mountains where the Trans Canada Highway and the Viking Trail meet. For this reason, Deer Lake is considered an important junction within the province.

Deer Lake derives its name from the first settlers who arrived to see caribou migrating across the lake. They mistook the caribou for deer and named the place “Deer Lake”.

The history of Deer Lake really began with the hydroelectric and pulpwood industries. From 1922-1925, the area undertook a huge transformation with the construction of Main Dam, the Humber Canal, the power house, fore bay works and the penstocks. Upon completion in 1925, the town site had been
established and included a busy railroad terminal, numerous businesses, houses complete with electrical heating and other facilities. In addition, there
were various maintenance depots, staff houses, and a cottage hospital.

Soon after the pulp & paper mill in Corner Brook went into operation, Deer Lake went on to become Newfoundland's centre for woods
operation. In 1929, the power house was extended to provide additional energy. The community that had started as a site for the
power house, had grown in stature; largely because of the greater employment provided by these two industries. Eventually, it
became a hub in the government's roadbuilding scheme, opening up highways to the Northern Peninsula as well as the White Bay
and Baie Verte areas. In 1940, a highways depot opened which still serves the entire west coast and Northern Peninsula.