Situated on the northwest arm of Bonavista Bay, Indian Bay was until the late 19th century the only mainland community located between Salvage and Greenspond.[2]
History
Population census
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1845
6
—
1869
5
−0.76%
1874
4
−4.36%
1901
40
+8.90%
1961
285
+3.33%
2006
196
−0.83%
2011
174
−2.35%
2016
175
+0.11%
2021
172
−0.35%
Records show that Indian Bay was the only inhabited settlement in that region that was connected to the mainland part of the Island of Newfoundland until the 19th century. It was also known as Northwest Arm, and later for a period of time, as Parson's Point, after the surname of its first English settlers. Europeans first came to Indian Bay in the 18th century to fish for salmon. In 1720 George Skeffington was salmon fishing there and by 1786 there were eight salmon operations in the area. Permanent settlement began after 1800. The 1836 Census of Newfoundland records Indian Bay as having a population of five, William Parsons and his family. The population was slow in growing, and in 1901 there were 40 people living there. The main source of employment was three sawmills, and a lobster factory was established before 1911. In 1921 the "International Power and Paper Co." arrived in Indian Bay and that same year a school was constructed. The peak of Indian Bay's population was in 1961 with 285 people; afterwards the population began to decline.[2]
Indian Bay is well known for its sports fishing, mainly for Brook Trout and Atlantic Salmon. The community has a licensed salmon river called Indian Bay River, but locally known as, "The Brook", that runs through the town. Fishing is still a very popular sport in the area and with its many ATV and Snowmobile trails (old Bowater's woods roads), Indian Bay is a very popular destination for those that enjoy the great outdoors and everything it has to offer.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Indian Bay had a population of 172 living in 68 of its 118 total private dwellings, a change of -1.7% from its 2016 population of 175. With a land area of 86.49 km2 (33.39 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.0/km2 (5.2/sq mi) in 2021.[3]
- Lovell's Newfoundland Directory describes Indian Bay as a small fishing community on the west side of Bonavista Bay, distant from Greenspond by 15 miles on boat. The 1871 population was 5. The directory lists one person:
