Gander’s Early Names

by Frank Tibbo

The following two paragraphs are taken from, History of Canadian Airports, published by Lugus Publications of Toronto, and written by T. M. McGrath.

"Gander has had several changes in name. At first it was known as 'the airport at Hattie's Camp, near Gander Lake.' (Note: There was no such place as Hattie's Camp! A man named Hattie cut lumber in the vicinity of Jonathan's Pond and would enter the area just east of Milepost 213 on the Newfoundland railway. The first airport workers referred to Milepost 213 as Hattie's Camp. Section workers on the railway had established a camp near Cobb's Pond, five and a half kilometres west of 213, and a couple of families lived there. It became known as Cobb's Camp - a name sometimes erroneously used for the airport.)

No one lived in the area, there were no roads, and the site was covered with forest. When construction began in 1936, the place was officially named Newfoundland Airport. The new railroad station also took the appellation Newfoundland Airport! This name continued to be used until the early 1940s when, after the arrival of the RCAF, it began to be known as Gander. The Newfoundland government retained the name Newfoundland Airport, but the place name became Gander. During the war, the airport became Gander Airport (through common usage) and so remained until 1961, when it became Gander International Airport. The new town, which was constructed west of the airport in 1952, also took the name Gander."

The United States Army Air Base at Gander published a magazine called Propagander. The name of the magazine certainly indicates what the place was called, and the only name used to describe the airport, in the 40-page book, was "Gander".

Maps published in the 1940's show the site as Newfoundland Airport. In June, 1949, The National Geographic Magazine published a 40 page feature on Newfoundland called "Newfoundland, Canada's New Province". A picture of a Newfoundland road map is shown in the article and the site is referred to as "Gander Airport".

The name "Gander" was taken from "Gander Lake", "Gander Bay" and "Gander River." The writer is not aware of who is responsible for naming those bodies of water after the magnificent gander.

W. J. G (Jim) Strong remembered attending a meeting of officials, early in 1950, who were to determine the name of the new town site that was to be constructed. (Officials at the airport found that living conditions in the temporary war-time buildings were becoming intolerable for several reasons. The buildings were inadequate, they were getting in the way of airport progress and there were workers moving to the airport without living accommodations.) Strong said it just could not be automatically assumed that the new town would be called "Gander". Several suggested names were brought forth, but when the meeting was over, it was confirmed that the name for the new town site would be "Gander".

The first houses were ready by 1952, the first town council was elected in 1959.

Dashwood

Gander Airport preceded the town by approximately 15 years.

It was not an accepted fact that the town would be called “Gander” just because the airport had that name at the time. Edgar Baird, the chairman of the Local Improvement District, said, “We (the Local Improvement District Board of Trustees) condemned to death a proposal by some Ottawa bureaucrat that the town should be named 'Airlandia'!!" Mr Baird and his colleagues convinced everyone that the only sensible name for the new town was “Gander.” Other names that had been suggested at a meeting were “Beaverwood” and “Hillcrest”.

So that takes us back to the airport and how it got its name.

After the 1935 aerial and ground surveys picked an area for the airport some identification of the area was needed. The ground surveyors had heard references to “Hattie’s Camp” and began to refer to the area by that name. Workers travelling to Gander via the only means available, the train, asked to get off at Milepost 213. Work had begun near the railway milepost number 213, that number indicating the distance, in miles, from St. John’s.

Section workers on the railway had established a camp near Cobb's Pond, five and a half kilometres west of Milepost 213, and a couple of families lived there. It became known as Cobb's Camp - a name sometimes erroneously used for the airport.

When construction began in 1936, the place was officially named Newfoundland Airport with the blessing of the Newfoundland Government. The new railroad station also took the appellation Newfoundland Airport! Thousands of pieces of correspondence and official papers contain the name “Newfoundland Airport”. Letters were postmarked “Newfoundland Airport” and the name was used by the various military forces stationed at the base.

Strangely enough some papers refer to “Newfoundland Airport” and “Gander” in the same correspondence. Other papers just refer to the site as “Airport”. It was the only airport in Newfoundland for a while and the name change to “Gander” may have been considered wise after construction was started on Goose Bay and Torbay airports. The name “Gander” became more prevalent with the arrival of the RCAF in 1941.

So, from whence was the name “Gander” derived? The lake near the airport, that was used by flying boats and float planes, had the name “Gander Lake”, the huge rivers flowing in and out of Gander Lake had the name, “Gander”. There was (and still is, of course) Gander Bay, the town and Gander Bay, the water. There is also a Gander Island in the mouth of Gander Bay (the water). So it seems pretty obvious why the name of “Gander” was finally accepted as the name of the airport.

We really could be living in “Dashwood”. According to an 1899 map that’s where Ganderites are living. Glenwood is on the map, so is Benton and right smack in the spot where Gander is now, there’s “Dashwood”!

We can hope it was not named for Sir Francis Dashwood, Chancellor of the Exchequer in Great Britain during the 18th century, who is described by historians as lascivious and salacious.

Incidentally when that map was published “Bishop’s Falls” was there but “Grand Falls” and Corner Brook” did not exist. Neither was there a “Lewisporte”. Marshalville and Burnt Bay were where Lewisporte is today, and Gambo Pond was, more appropriately, I think, called Gambo Lakes.

As published in the Gander Beacon and written by Frank Tibbo