Gillams

Next on your journey down Sir Palliser’s Trail is the community of Gillams,
approximately 29 km from Corner Brook. This is considered to be one of the first settled communities in the Bay of Islands.

Historical documents suggest that the first recorded European settlers in Gillams
were named Blanchard, and that they established a homestead in Gillams
around 1780. Conflict between Britain and France over fishing rights along the
western coast of Newfoundland during the 1700s and 1800s resulted in very slow
population growth compared to other regions of the Island. While permanent
residence was officially discouraged by the "home government", the herring, salmon and lobster fisheries, coupled with the bounty of the surrounding forests and the relatively rich soil found in the community enabled those determined to stay the means by which they could prosper.

Gillams is presumably named for the English form of the French baptismal name Guillaume. A large demand for lumber developed in the area in the 1940s and 1950s. Large amounts of pulpwood in the area had been greatly diminished by the late 1970s. By 1979, the Banks mill which was the only major commercial sawmill in Gillams, produced planed and custom-sawn lumber for the local market. In addition to these operations, the mill acted as a central planning mill for smaller
mills on the north shore. While the majority of the community’s labour force continues to commute daily to Corner Brook for employment with Corner Brook Pulp & Paper, a small number of residents continue to fish full-time; mainly for cod, lobster and salmon.