Wiltondale is a
settlement on western
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located at the intersection between
Route 430 (Great Northern Peninsula Highway/Viking Trail) and
Route 431 (Bonne Bay Road).
The community takes its name from its first settler, Norman Wilton, who moved to the area from Woody Point in 1927. The family were relied upon to provide a way station for people travelling to the logging areas. For most of its existence employment to the town has been limited to logging, to supply the local sawmills and for pulpwood.
After
Gros Morne National Park
Gros Morne National Park is a National Parks of Canada, Canadian national park and World Heritage Site located on the west coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland. At , it is the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada after To ...
was established, tourism has become an important industry to the town. The community is just south of the park boundary and the Bonne Bay Development Association has established a museum and a pioneer village there. The community also provides some tourism services.
In the late 1950s, Stedman Payne settled in Wiltondale and opened a small store. This store remained the centre of Wiltondale until the early 1990s. The village also had a one-room school called Wiltondale All Grade, a non-denominational church and a sawmill. A gas station was built and operated by the Payne family in the late 1970s.
In 1982 the population of Wiltondale had grown to 63. That was the peak population of permanent residents in Wiltondale.
The church burnt down and the school was eventually closed and students were bussed to nearby
Deer Lake.
Populated places in Newfoundland and Labrador
{{Newfoundland-geo-stub