On September 5, 1822, William Cormack sailed through Smith Sound to explore the region with Sylvester Joe, a Mi'kmaq guide.
Some changed or merged over the years, but a partial list includes White Rock and Burnt Brook (or "Brickyard"),[4] the site of an 1850s brick plant at the head of Smith Sound,[5] along with British Harbour, also at the head of Smith Sound, but now an abandoned community, as is Popes (or Pope's) Harbour.
Sandy Point became Harcourt, White rock Gin Cove, Upper Rocky Brook became Monroe.
[5][9] Approximately 100 years later, it became better known as the inclement-weather crash site of an American Convair B-36 bomber known as The Peacemaker, killing all on board on March 18, 1953, including Brigadier General Richard E. Ellsworth.
[11] In addition to its jellyfish harvesting industry,[12] Smith Sound is known for its large Atlantic cod population.
[13] In April 2003, thousands of dead cod, a weight of approximately a quarter-million pounds, washed up on the shores of the sound within a few days, called an ecological disaster, prompting scientific research into the cause.