Tikigaksuagusik

Tikigâksuagusik, also called Rigolet, lies at the narrows joining Lake Melville to Groswater Bay on the Labrador coast. Strong tides sweep through the passage, making it difficult for large ships to enter the inner waters. Inuit used the surrounding bays and islands for hunting and fishing; an island nearby was a wintering place for people carrying European goods north through Inuit trading networks.

During the eighteenth century, traders from Quebec established commercial connections with Inuit and settlers who hunted, trapped and fished for salmon around the inlet. In 1836 Simon MacGillivray opened a Hudson's Bay Company post at Rigolet, taking advantage of its position at the entrance to Lake Melville. The new post competed with merchants already active along these shores.