Norris Point
Captain James Cook referred to it as North Point
in 1784 and its name may be a corruption of this reference, or it may have been
named for Neddy Norris, a trapper who lived in the area in the 1790s.
The first permanent English settler was William Humber in 1833. After 1850, the population
began to grow because residents of the East Coast moved here to work the
Labrador fishery and the area's potential for the herring and lobster fisheries.
The first census was taken in 1884, and it showed a population of 93, and by
1891 the population had grown to 315. During this time, several lobster
factories were established here, as well as salmon being pickled and tinned.
By 1935, Norris Point had grown to 525 residents, but during the 1940's the
population declined and it was not until the 1950's, with the resettlement
program, population began to increase again.
With the establishment of Gros Morne National Park, tourism has played an important role in the town economy.