Forteau includes the small communities of English Point and Buckles Point. Its name is derived from the French words meaning "Strong Waters". A Jersey merchant , De Quettville, started a fishing business there in 1774 and in 1818, it was reported that Forteau was the largest British establishment in the Straits. Guernseymen settled in Forteau on the western side of the bay at Buckle's Point, while a group from Devonshire, England settled at English Point on the eastern side of the bay. When Bishop Feild of the Anglican Church was appointed to Newfoundland in 1845, he was surprised to learn that Labrador was within his jurisdiction. He visited Forteau in 1848 and in 1849 the first church was built there. In 1909 the International Grenfell Association built a nursing station here and the Grenfell Regional Health Services continues to give medical service in this region although from new facilities.


The parking area at the end of the branch road along the west side of Forteau Bay is the beginning of the Overfalls Brook Hiking Trail. This trail provides an excellent lookout over Forteau Bay with Point Amour lighthouse visible in the distance. And the reward at trails end is a pure Labrador stream cascading over rocky cliffs on its way to the ocean.

The Forteau River is a scheduled salmon river. The mouth of the river is a good place to go birdwatching.

Restaurant, motel, bed and breakfast, general stores, tour operator, bus charter service, hardware stores, furniture store, craft shops, car dealership, garages, gas station, hairdresser, RCMP Detachment, Labrador Grenfell Health (hospital), post office, seniors complex, butcher shop, trucking company, construction company, clothing store, playground, ball field