Labrador
Inuit have had a long established relationship with the region enveloping Lodge Bay. Its environmental location provided an abundance of natural resources including fur, salmon, timber, and fresh water. The seasonal
transhumance lifestyle of the
Inuit culture caused them to nomadically pursue these resources as a means of survival. Cartwright's journal published in 1792 makes numerous references to the Inuit's instinctive use of the Labrador terrain, and a seasonal pursuance of trade at Ranger Lodge. The Labrador Treaty of 1765, conducted by Governor of Newfoundland Sir
Hugh Palliser, would bring the
Inuit of Labrador into a peaceful friendship with the British government and eventual settlers. Until this time, the invasion of
Inuit territory by French, British, and American merchants, often left Inuit hostile to both early settlers and merchant trading crews. However, not all
Innu and Inuit were contentious with the presence of Europeans. The trading firms established throughout Labrador would eventually benefit the native inhabitants, providing them with industrious goods such as steel tools, clothing, and firearms. The treaty was signed in August 1765 at
Chateau Bay,
Labrador, representing the interests of both Sir
Hugh Palliser and the Southern Labrador
Inuit. Although this peace treaty would lead to a steady increase of trade and settlement on the coast, the
Inuit of Labrador would eventually be pressured from their southern homes to areas north of
Cape St. Charles, and thus vacating the resourceful territory of Lodge Bay. Captain
George Cartwright would establish his first partnered trading post in Labrador at
Cape St. Charles in the year 1770. Lodge Bay was the accepted site of seasonal settlement for many of the same reasons the Labrador Inuit had practiced use of the area, the unrestricted abundance of resources. This transient lifestyle caused early settlers to reside at often two locations throughout the year. During summer until late autumn, families often lived at the distant outlying communities of
Cape St. Charles,
Henley Harbour or
Battle Harbour. These summer stations were built strategically exposed to the Atlantic Ocean where fishermen could maximize profits of the lucrative fish trade. While conjointly, interior communities such as Lodge Bay and nearby Mary's Harbour were established for a life during the occasionally treacherous winter and early spring seasons. Winter settlements were immensely focused on
trapping, wood harvesting, boat repair and
seal hunting. The community of Lodge Bay would become a permanently lived-in community at the beginning of the 20th century. A steady decline of both the cod and salmon fisheries in the early 20th century, with a
moratorium to the cod fishery in 1992, would lead to the mass resettlement of many seasonal fishing communities. The families of nearby
Cape St. Charles,
Carrol's Cove,
Henley Harbour and others were forced to resettle and seek employment elsewhere. Residents of
Cape St. Charles who solely used Lodge Bay as a winter settlement, would forcefully return to their winter homes to reside permanently. == Geography ==