Lodge Bay

File:Lodge bay.jpg

Lodge Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador

Lodge Bay Ranger Lodge
Town
Country	Canada
Province	Newfoundland and Labrador
Government
• Type	Town Council
• MHA	Yvonne Jones
• MP	Todd Russell
Area
• Total	14.68 km2 (5.67 sq mi)
Population  (2010)
• Total	76
Time zone	UTC-3:30 (Newfoundland Time)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2:30 (Newfoundland Daylight)
Area code	709

Lodge Bay(52°13′00″N 55°37′59″W AST) is a permanent community located along the southeast coast of Labrador, part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. 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 (trader) 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 homes in Great Britain at that time.

Geography

The community lies within a densely forested region located at the head of the St. Charles River. Nourishing a boreal ecosystem, extensive forests of black spruce, white spruce and balsam fir cover much of the landscape. This ecosystem provides a healthy habitat for the populations of moose, wolves, bear, ptarmigan, rabbit and lynx that inhabit the area. The St. Charles River strategically opens into the mouth of Cape St. Charles and the Great Caribou Islands. Large populations of Atlantic salmon annually migrate the St. Charles River to reach native breeding grounds. The surrounding bay is also home to a variety of fish species including trout, freshwater smelts and shellfish.

History

The Inuit people of Labrador 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.

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 near by Mary’s Harbour were established for a life during the occasionally treacherous winter and spring seasons. Winter settlements were immensely focused on trapping, wood harvesting, boat repair and sealing.

Culture

Many immigrant settlers chose to make Lodge Bay their seasonal home, however none more prominent than the historical “Pye” family. Unlike many early families of Labrador, the Pye family can quite accurately trace their ancestral lineage to the origins of the first Labrador-Pye colonists. Through a decisive combination of cultural integrity, oral history and invaluable parish Church records, the Labrador-Pye descendants have a unique window which to view their past, which quite preeminently, starts at the very beginning.