Along the shores of Lake Melville between Rigolet and Goose Bay there are a number of smallish but major settlements, where conditions are ideal for trapping, fishing and felling timber. One of the most important is North West River, or Sheshatshui ("narrow place in the river" in the Naskapi language) home to the Naskapi and the descendants of the English, French and Scottish settlers who originally worked here as hunters and trappers. The whole area has undergone considerable change since the Second World War, especially Happy Valley and Goose Bay.
The Goose Bay region - part of Newfoundland - is in eastern Labrador. The Allies built a big military base here during the Second World War, and the area is still used for military purposes, such as NATO training and low-level flying.
The Goose Bay area has a population of over 10,000. Many are from the original Indian peoples, but their lives are seriously affected by the military presence.
The town of Goose Bay is on an ice-age sandy site on the shore of Lake Melville. Its Labrador Heritage and Culture Center Museum, in the north of the town, offers exhibits telling the story of Labrador and its people include a trapper's tilt, a kind of tarpaulin tent that provided shelter in the wilderness, trappers' tools and some beautiful furs. The items from Wallace Hubbard's ill-fated expeditions into the interior are of particular interest.
From Goose Bay the route continues on the Trans-Labrador Highway, to Churchill Falls.
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