Lodge Bay is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the southeast coast of Labrador. Encompassing a population of less than one hundred residents, the community has uniquely evolved from both early European colonization of Labrador, and the inimitable patterns of land and resource use by the migratory Inuit population. The name Lodge Bay originated from the title Ranger Lodge, which was the name given to the area by trader and explorer, Captain George Cartwright in the late 18th century. "Ranger" was the name of the wooden-mercantile ship Cartwright used to trade, map and explore the Labrador coast, while "Lodge" was the name given to English hunting camps in Great Britain at that time.
History
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. That same year, this brave English explorer would establish his own private merchant venture at Lodge Bay. Cartwright actively explored, traded, and established strong relationships with the resident Innu and Inuit of Labrador. Cartwright's close relationship with the Aboriginal people, and their discerning knowledge of the land, caused Cartwright to extend his business to claim posts at Ranger Lodge, presently Lodge Bay (1770–74), Caribou Castle, today's community of Cartwright (1775–78), and Stage Cove (1774–75). The relentlessly competitive salmon and fur trade eventually left Captain George Cartwright bankrupt in 1784. His remaining trading firms and supplies were eventually sold at market to rival merchants, although, his first inspiring post at Ranger Lodge had been destroyed by fire in 1772.
With the acceleration of European colonization in the 19th and early 20th century, Lodge Bay was primarily used as a wintering station for the seasonal and year-round fishing crews who frequented the Labrador Coast. Most of these early settlers were driven by the industrious fish trade, particularly cod, mackerel, herring and salmon, however, the Canadian fur trade also attracted many brave pioneers to this remote area.
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.