Deer Lake is a town in the western part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, Canada. The town derives its name from Deer Lake and is situated at the outlet of the upper Humber River at the northeastern end of the lake. It is contiguous with two smaller hamlets, Nicholsville and Spillway.

History

The first settlers in the area arrived from

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

in 1864. Originally loggers and trappers, the settlers later took up farming. In 1922, a work camp was set up to support the

pulp and paper industry The pulp and paper industry comprises companies that use wood, specifically pulpwood, as raw material and produce pulp, paper, paperboard, and other cellulose-based products. Manufacturing process In the manufacturing process, pulp is intr ...

in the form of the International Pulp and Paper Company. The camp would later become the town of Deer Lake. A formal townsite was constructed in 1925 and included a railway terminal, churches and a small hospital. The town was incorporated in 1950 with Phil Hodder as its first mayor. Deer Lake Regional Airport, one of the busiest airports in the province, was built in 1955 and is one of the town's major employers. In 2004, the airport terminal was redesign was started, and completed in June 2007. The primary population that the airport serves is approximately 55,000. The airport serves people from Rocky Harbour to

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...

, as well as around Deer Lake. An air raid siren, brought over from

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the construction of the hydro plant in the 1920s, is located at the plant. It may be heard around town. The whistle blows at 7 and 8 AM, at noon and 1 PM, and at 5 and 6 PM. It is heard throughout the community from Monday to Saturday; it does not sound on Sunday.

Name

The town was named by early settlers of the area.

Caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...

could be seen crossing the lake in huge quantities. The first Europeans who came to this area, having never before seen caribou called them 'deer'. However, 'deer' in older times could simply mean animal. The town was then named accordingly.

Economy

The town is located in Division No. 5 and is the gateway to the

Great Northern Peninsula The Great Northern Peninsula (or simply just the Northern Peninsula) is the largest and longest peninsula of Newfoundland, Canada, approximately 270 km long and 90 km wide at its widest point and encompassing an area of 17,483 km2. ...

, owing to an important highway interchange on the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

. It is the closest major community to Gros Morne National Park and is home to the Deer Lake Regional Airport. A

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

plant was established on the Humber River in 1925 to provide electricity to a

pulp and paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...

Sights and tourism

Deer Lake offers accommodation for tourists as well as restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and gas stations. There is a stadium, swimming pool and a bowling alley in the Hodder Memorial Recreational Complex. St. Paul's United Church, a wooden church dating from 1955 and the modern

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

building are worth a visit. The town has two major trail systems: namely, the "Deer Lake Beach Trail," which extends to the north end of Deer Lake, and the Humber River Nature Trail that extends from Nicholsville Bridge to Deer Lake Airport. The town is often referred to as the

Snowmobile A snowmobile, also known as a snowmachine (chiefly Alaskan), motor sled (chiefly Canadian), motor sledge, skimobile, snow scooter, or simply a sled is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. Their engines normally ...

Hub of

because it has the advantage of being located at the center of a network of groomed trails that lead to the deep powder and untouched vistas of the province The town is home to a number of festivals and events throughout the year, including the Annual Deer Lake Strawberry Festival, Thomas Amusements Fair, and The Deer Lake Winterfest.

Demographics

In the

2021 Canadian census The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canada, Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, whic ...

conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

, Deer Lake had a population of 4,864 living in 2,139 of its 2,309 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 5,249. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Climate

Deer Lake has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb) with moderately warm summers that are on the short side, with winters that are moderated by its proximity to a large body of water. With precipitation high year-round, Deer Lake receives plenty of snowfall in winters.

Transport

The community is served by Deer Lake Regional Airport, which offers direct flights to St. John's,

Labrador City Labrador City is a town in western Labrador (part of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador), near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,412 as of 2021, it is the second-largest population cent ...

, Halifax,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. The town is also located on the

, which connects it to the rest of Canada.

Notable people

* Dwight Ball, former Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador * Darren Langdon, former

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

player * Carol Anstey, MP

Gallery

File:DeerLakeNL InternationalPulpAndPaperCompanyStaffHouse.JPG, Deer Lake International Pulp and Paper Company staff house Image:DeerLake1.jpg, Deer Lake Image:DeerLake2.jpg, Salvation Army Image:DeerLake3.jpg, Hodder Memorial Recreational Complex Image:DeerLake4.jpg, St. Paul's United Church

References

External links

Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deer Lake, Newfoundland And Labrador Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador