West St. Modeste was incorporated as a town in
1975. In the 1560s the area was known as San
Mandat or Semedet and was a minor whaling
station for the Basque. In the 1700s it became a
fishing station for the French and later English
merchants took over the station making it a
sealing post. Unlike some communities in the
Straits, it was not dominated by a merchant
based fishery.
The area was settled by
Newfoundland and English fishing servants and in
the first Labrador census of 1856, the community
showed a population of 18. By 1869 the
population had risen to 63. The harbour was also
used by migratory fishermen from the island
during the summer Labrador fishery. The
residents were involved in the cod fishery and
in the salmon and seal fishery in the spring.
In
1958 the Oblate mission of Our Lady of Labrador
was established in the community. The population
increased in 1967 when several families
resettled in the community from L'Anse au Diable.
With the decline of the fish stocks many younger
people have left the community, resulting in a
decrease in the settlement's population.
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