Sally's Cove
Sally's Cove is believed to be named after Sally Short who, along with her
children, were wrecked here while leaving her husband and took shelter in the
cove. One of the first settlers was Richard Gilley. Most settlers came from
Woody Point and probably fished in the area for years before settling there. The
first census taken was in 1884, with a population of 9. By 1891, it was 30 and
by 1901 is was 59. In 1954, a road was built to the community.
When Gros Morne National Park was established, Sally's Cove was designated as a park community
and was to be settled. By 1976, the population had declined to 188 and by 1981
to 100. Some residents refused to move, even though there was official
encouragement and restrictions on building, selling and inheriting homes.
By the late 1980s, these were removed and Sally's Cove became a park enclave community.
Sally's Cove is perhaps best known for an incident strong to the 1971 provincial
election. In the October 27 election, 106 ballots were inadvertently burned by
the Sally's Cove returning officer. The election ended in a virtual tie and only
one vote separated the candidates in the St. Barbe district.