Milltown / Head of Bay d'Espoir

The town of Milltown/Head of Bay d'Espoir is located within Bay d'Espoir, Newfoundland. The town is approximately 144 kilometers from the Trans Canada Highway. When looking on a map you will find this area south of Grand Falls.

This region of Bay d'Espoir was visited in the 1700s by the Micmac for the purpose of trapping and by Europeans for the purpose of acquiring building materials. The site now known as Head Bay D'Espoir was settled in the 1850s. Milltown was settled in the late 1800s and at this time, the principle occupation of the residents was fishing. Family names found in the community in 1857 were Barnes, Benoit, Sage, Squires, and Sutton. By 1935, Head of Bay d'Espoir had a population of 178 while Milltown, which was the location of two sawmills, had a population of 269. The area's population grew rapidly when Bowater's established wood operations, however in the late 1950s Bowater's left the area resulting in a declining population until, 1962 and the beginning of the hydro-electric project. The Bay d'Espoir area now provides 70 percent of Newfoundland with its electrical power.

Today approximately 1100 people call Milltown-Head of Bay d'Espoir home. The primary employer continues to be Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, the forestry sector and an emerging aquaculture industry. Anyone planning to visit can stay in one of the two motels or cabins in the town.