Artifacts discovered adjacent to the town of Pinware indicate, from radiocarbon dating, that Pinware Hill is one of the earliest Palaeo Indian archaeological sites in the province, dating back nearly 9000 years. Many different Aboriginal cultures lived in the area of Pinware from time to time. The longest time of habitation was probably during the Maritime Archaic period. A burial monument near L'anse Amour, just south of Pinware, dating to 7500 years ago, is attributed to the Maritime Archaic and is the oldest such mound in North America, maybe even the world. Later, Pre-Dorset Palaeo-Eskimos used the rich marine resources found at Pinware. They were followed by the Groswater Palaeo-Eskimos and then the Dorset Paleo-Eskimo cultures who also utilized the rich marine resources while continuing their migration southward to the Island of Newfoundland. Europeans were attracted to the area in the 16th century for the rich marine resources just as the Indigenous peoples were. The Basque who operated one of the New World's earliest whaling stations at Red Bay, more than likely travelled to Pinware for various reasons, one of which may have been firewood. French fishermen were visiting the area by the 1600s. A trading post was opened and the seal hunt and salmon fishery were integral to its operation. The first year-round European settlers were probably Irish immigrants who made their way to Pinware via Carbonear in the late 1700s.