Churchill is a town on the shore of
Hudson BayHudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
in
ManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
,
CanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is most famous for the many
polar bearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s that move toward the shore from inland in the autumn, leading to the nickname "Polar Bear Capital of the World" that has helped its growing
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry.
History
A variety of nomadic Arctic people lived and hunted in this region. The
Thule peopleThe Thule or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Inuit. They developed in coastal Alaska by AD 1000 and expanded eastwards across Canada, reaching Greenland by the 13th century. In the process, they replaced people of the earlier Dorset culture that had previously inhabited the region...
arrived around A.D. 1000 from farther west, and later evolved into the present-day
InuitThe Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
culture. The
DeneThe Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
people arrived around 500 from farther north. Since before the time of
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an contact, the region around Churchill has been predominantly inhabited by the
ChipewyanThe Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
and
Cree The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
natives.
Europeans first arrived in the area in 1619 when a Danish expedition led by
Jens MunkJens Munk was a Danish navigator and explorer who was born in Norway where his father, Erik Munk, had received several fiefs for his achievements in the Northern Seven Years' War. He returned to Denmark at the age of eight...
wintered where Churchill would later stand. Only 3 of 64 expedition members survived the winter and journeyed back to
DenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
.
After an abortive attempt in 1688-89, in 1717 the
Hudson's Bay CompanyThe Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
built the first permanent settlement,
Churchill River Post, a log fort a few miles upstream from the mouth of the
Churchill RiverThe Churchill River is a major river in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. From the head of the Churchill Lake it is 1,609 km long. It was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1685 to 1691...
. The
trading postA trading post was a place or establishment in historic Northern America where the trading of goods took place. The preferred travel route to a trading post or between trading posts, was known as a trade route....
and river were named after
John Churchill, 1st Duke of MarlboroughJohn Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
(an ancestor of
Winston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
), who was governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in the late seventeenth century. The fort was built mostly to capitalize on the
North American fur tradeThe North American fur trade was the industry and activities related to the acquisition, exchange, and sale of animal furs in the North American continent. Indigenous peoples of different regions traded among themselves in the Pre-Columbian Era, but Europeans participated in the trade beginning...
, out of the reach of
York FactoryYork Factory was a settlement and factory located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately south-southeast of Churchill. The settlement was headquarters of the Hudson's Bay Company's Northern Department, from 1821 to...
. It dealt mainly with the Chipewyan natives living north of the
boreal forestTaiga , also known as the boreal forest, is a biome characterized by coniferous forests.Taiga is the world's largest terrestrial biome. In North America it covers most of inland Canada and Alaska as well as parts of the extreme northern continental United States and is known as the Northwoods...
. Much of the fur came from as far away as
Lake AthabascaLake Athabasca is located in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan and the northeast corner of Alberta between 58° and 60° N.-History:The name in the Dene language originally referred only to the large delta formed by the confluence the Athabasca River at the southwest corner of the lake...
and the
Rocky MountainsThe Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
.
As part of the Anglo-French dispute for
North AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, in 1731-1741 the original fort was replaced with
Prince of Wales FortThe Prince of Wales Fort is a historic fort on Hudson Bay across the Churchill River from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.-History:The European history of this area starts with the discovery of Hudson Bay in 1610. The area was recognized as important in the fur trade and of potential importance for...
, a large stone fort on the western peninsula at the mouth of the river. In 1782 the fort was captured by the French; since the English were greatly outnumbered, they surrendered without firing a shot. The Europeans and all the trade goods were taken to France and an unsuccessful attempt was made to demolish the fort. The worst effect was on the local natives who had become dependent on trade goods from the fort and many starved. The respective commanders were
Samuel HearneSamuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
and
La PérouseJean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
, both better known as explorers.
In 1783, Hearne was released and returned to build a new fort a short distance upriver. Due to its distance from the lands of heavy competition between the
North West CompanyThe North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
and the Hudson's Bay Company, it remained a relatively stable, if not profitable, source of furs.
Between the years of decline in the
fur tradeThe fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
and surfacing of western agricultural success, Churchill phased into and then back out of obsolescence. After decades of frustration over the monopoly and domination of the
Canadian Pacific RailwayThe Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, western Canadian governments banded together and argued for the creation of a major new northern shipping harbour on Hudson Bay, linked by rail from
WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. Initially
Port NelsonPort Nelson is today a ghost town at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada. At its peak it had a population of about 1000 people. Immediately to the south is the mouth of the Hayes River. Although the Nelson is much larger, the Hayes is a better route into the interior...
was selected for this purpose in 1912. After several years of effort and millions of dollars, this project was abandoned and Churchill was selected as the alternative after
World War OneWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Surveys by the
Canadian Hydrographic ServiceThe Canadian Hydrographic Service is Canada's hydrographic office, with responsibility for performing hydrographic surveys and publishing paper and electronic nautical charts...
ship
CSS AcadiaCSS Acadia is a former hydrographic surveying and oceanographic research ship of the Hydrographic Survey of Canada and its successor the Canadian Hydrographic Service....
opened the way for safe navigation. However, construction and use of the railroad was extremely slow and the rail line itself did not come to Churchill until 1929.
Even once the link from farm to port was completed, commercial shipping took many more years to pick up. In 1932
Grant MacEwanJohn Walter Grant MacEwan, best known as Grant MacEwan was a farmer, Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Dean of Agriculture at the University of Manitoba, the 28th Mayor of Calgary and both a Member of the Legislative Assembly and the ninth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Canada...
was the first person to cross through Churchill customs as a passenger. This was purely due to his determination in taking the Hudson Bay route to
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
from
BritainThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
—most passengers returned via the
Saint Lawrence RiverThe Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
.
This area was also the site of the Churchill Rocket Research Range, part of Canadian-American atmospheric research. Its first rocket was launched in 1956, and it continued to host launches for research until closing in 1984. The site of the former rocket range now hosts the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a facility for
ArcticThe Arctic is a region located at the northern-most part of the Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean and parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland. The Arctic region consists of a vast, ice-covered ocean, surrounded by treeless permafrost...
research. The rocket range and subsequent Spaceport Canada effort are located at
Fort ChurchillFort Churchill is a rocket launching complex located in Churchill, Manitoba. The site has been used on and off since the mid-1950s for sub-orbital launches of various sounding rockets during several major studies...
.
In the 1950s, the British government considered establishing a site near Churchill for testing their early nuclear weapons, before choosing Australia instead.
Environment
Churchill is situated at the
estuaryAn estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....
of the
Churchill RiverThe Churchill River is a major river in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. From the head of the Churchill Lake it is 1,609 km long. It was named after John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and governor of the Hudson's Bay Company from 1685 to 1691...
at Hudson Bay. The small community stands at an
ecotoneAn ecotone is a transition area between two biomes but different patches of the landscape, such as forest and grassland. It may be narrow or wide, and it may be local or regional...
, on the Hudson Plains, at the juncture of three
ecoregionAn ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
s: the boreal forest to the south, the Arctic
tundraIn physical geography, tundra is a biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes through Russian тундра from the Kildin Sami word tūndâr "uplands," "treeless mountain tract." There are three types of tundra: Arctic tundra, alpine...
to the northwest, and the Hudson Bay to the north.
Wapusk National ParkWapusk National Park is Canada's 37th national park, established in 1996. The park is located in the Hudson Plains ecozone, 45 km south of Churchill in north-east Manitoba, Canada, on the shores of Hudson Bay. Access to the park is limited due to its remote location and an effort to preserve...
is located to the south of the town.
The landscape around Churchill is influenced by shallow soils caused by a combination of subsurface
permafrostIn geology, permafrost, cryotic soil or permafrost soil is soil at or below the freezing point of water for two or more years. Ice is not always present, as may be in the case of nonporous bedrock, but it frequently occurs and it may be in amounts exceeding the potential hydraulic saturation of...
and
Canadian ShieldThe Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
rock formation. The Black Spruce dominant tree cover is sparse and stunted from these environmental constraints. There is also a noticeable
ice pruningIce pruning is the natural process of selective vegetative pruning on the windward side of a plant, executed by the impact of ice and snow particles driven by wind. The process is sometimes termed snow pruning...
effect to the trees. The area also offers sport fishing. Several tour operators offer expeditions on land, sea and air, using all terrain vehicles, boats, canoes, helicopters and even
ultralight aircraftThe term "ultralight aviation" refers to light-weight, 1- or 2-person airplanes., also called microlight aircraft in the UK, India and New Zealand...
.
Aurora Borealis
The
Aurora BorealisAn aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
(Northern Lights) can be seen in late August and from December to late April in the night skies over Churchill.
Climate
Churchill has a
subarctic climateThe subarctic climate is a climate characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. It is found on large landmasses, away from the moderating effects of an ocean, generally at latitudes from 50° to 70°N poleward of the humid continental climates...
with long very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. Churchill's winters are colder than a location at a latitude of 58 degrees north should warrant, given its coastal location. The shallow Hudson Bay freezes, eliminating any maritime moderation. Prevailing northerly winds from the
North PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
jet across the frozen bay and chill it to a -26.7 °C January average.
Juneau, AlaskaThe City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, by contrast, is also located at 58 degrees north but is moderated by the warmer and deeper
Pacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
. Juneau's −3.5 °C January average temperature is a full 23.2 C-change warmer than Churchill's. Yet in summer, when the Hudson Bay thaws, Churchill's summer is moderated. Churchill's 12 °C (53.6 °F) July average temperature is almost the same as Juneau's 13.8 °C (56.8 °F) July average.
Economy
Churchill is a popular location for
ecotourismEcotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
, as well as for Arctic research. The town also has a health centre, several hotels, tour operators, some restaurants, a rail line and a shipping marine port with a large
grain elevatorA grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
.
Ecotourism
Churchill is situated along Manitoba's 1400 km (869.9 mi) coastline, on Hudson Bay at the meeting of three major
biomeBiomes are climatically and geographically defined as similar climatic conditions on the Earth, such as communities of plants, animals, and soil organisms, and are often referred to as ecosystems. Some parts of the earth have more or less the same kind of abiotic and biotic factors spread over a...
s: marine, boreal forest and tundra, each supporting a variety of flora and fauna.
Polar bears
In recent years, the town has developed a sizable tourism industry focused on the migration habits of the polar bear. Although there are more reported bears than people in Churchill, this claim has been disputed and challenged by the large presence of other animals as well.
Tourists can safely view
polar bearThe polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
s from specially modified buses known as
tundra buggiesA Tundra Buggy is an all-terrain vehicle built and used by Frontiers North Adventures as a wildlife viewing vehicle for photographing and observing polar bears and other Arctic wildlife outside of Churchill, Manitoba in the Churchill Wildlife Management Area and Wapusk National Park in northern...
. Use of the buggies helps sustain local tourism, but can also cause damage to the local ecosystem when driven outside the established trails. October and early November are the most feasible times to see polar bears, thousands of which wait on the vast peninsula until the water freezes on Hudson Bay so that they can return to hunt their primary food source,
ringed sealThe ringed seal , also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions...
s.
There are also opportunities to see polar bears in the non-winter months, with tours via boat visiting the coastal areas where polar bears can be found both on land and swimming in the sea.
Local authorities maintain a so-called "polar bear jail" where bears (mostly adolescents) who persistently loiter in or close to town, are held after being tranquillised, pending release back into the wild when the bay freezes over. Polar bears were once thought to be solitary animals that would avoid contact with other bears except for mating. In the Churchill region, however, many alliances between bears are made in the fall. These friendships last only until the ice forms, then it is every bear for himself to hunt
ringed sealThe ringed seal , also known as the jar seal and as netsik or nattiq by the Inuit, is an earless seal inhabiting the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions...
s.
Beluga whales
Thousands of beluga whales, which move into the warmer waters of the Churchill River estuary during July and August to calf, are a major summer attraction.
Birds
Churchill is also a destination for
bird watchersBirdwatching or birding is the observation of birds as a recreational activity. It can be done with the naked eye, through a visual enhancement device like binoculars and telescopes, or by listening for bird sounds. Birding often involves a significant auditory component, as many bird species are...
from late May until August. Each year, 10,000-12,000 eco-tourists visit, about 400-500 of whom are birders. Birders have recorded more than 270 species within a 25 mi (40.2 km) radius of Churchill, including
Snowy OwlThe Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
, Tundra Swan,
American Golden PloverThe American Golden Plover is a medium-sized plover.Adults are spotted gold and black on the crown, back and wings. Their face and neck are black with a white border; they have a black breast and a dark rump. The legs are black....
and
GyrfalconThe Gyrfalcon — Falco rusticolus — is the largest of the falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and the islands of North America, Europe, and Asia. It is mainly resident there also, but some Gyrfalcons disperse more widely after the breeding season, or in winter.Individual vagrancy...
. Plus, more than 100 birds, including
Parasitic JaegerThe Parasitic Jaeger, also known as the Arctic Skua or Parasitic Skua, is a seabird in the skua family Stercorariidae....
,
Smith's LongspurThe Smith's Longspur, Calcarius pictus, is a small ground-feeding bird from the family Calcariidae, which also contains the longspurs.-Overview:These birds have short cone-shaped bills, streaked backs, and dark tails with white outer retrices...
,
Stilt SandpiperThe Stilt Sandpiper, Calidris himantopus or Micropalama himantopus, is a small shorebird; it bears some resemblance to the smaller calidrid sandpipers or "stints". DNA sequence information is incapable of determining whether it should be placed in Calidris or in the monotypic genus Micropalama...
, and
Harris's SparrowThe Harris's Sparrow, Zonotrichia querula, is a large sparrow.Their breeding habitat is the north part of central Canada . In fact, this bird is Canada's only endemic breeder...
, nest there.
Culture
As of the
2006 Canada CensusThe Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, just under half (44.10%) of the population was non-native and the rest (56.41%) were
AboriginalAboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
, mostly
ChipewyanThe Chipewyan are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei...
and
Swampy CreeSwampy Cree is a dialect of the Cree language complex. Swampy Cree is spoken in a series of communities in northern Manitoba, central northeast of Saskatchewan along the Saskatchewan River and along the Hudson Bay coast and adjacent inland areas to the south and west, and Ontario along the coast...
(33.85%), with some
MétisThe Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
(16.41%) and a small number of
InuitThe Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
(5.64%). Hunting, trapping and fishing is still an important activity to most of these men; although there are some summer trails,
snowmobileA snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
s are their main way of transport. The main language is English and several residents also speak
Cree languageCree is an Algonquian language spoken by approximately 117,000 people across Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Labrador, making it the aboriginal language with the highest number of speakers in Canada. It is also spoken in the U.S. state of Montana...
.
The town has a modern multiplex centre housing a public library, hospital, health centre, day care, swimming pool, ice hockey rink, curling rinks, gym, basket ball courts, indoor playground, one cinema and a cafeteria. Nearby is the "
EskimoEskimos or Inuit–Yupik peoples are indigenous peoples who have traditionally inhabited the circumpolar region from eastern Siberia , across Alaska , Canada, and Greenland....
Museum", operated by the
Diocese of Churchill-Baie d'HudsonThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill–Baie d'Hudson is a Roman Catholic diocese that includes part of the Province of Manitoba. It had previously been known as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Churchill for a short time in 1967 and 1968. It is currently led by Bishop Reynald Rouleau.As of 2004,...
, with over 850 high quality
Inuit carvingsInuit art refers to artwork produced by Inuit people, that is, the people of the Arctic previously known as Eskimos, a term that is now often considered offensive outside Alaska...
on permanent display. The exhibits include historic and contemporary sculptures of stone, bone, and ivory, as well as archaeological and wildlife specimens.
Parks CanadaParks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
visitor centre also has artifacts on display and makes use of audiovisual presentations of various topics involving the region's natural and archaeological history.
By the late 1980s, both the local government and Parks Canada had successfully educated its population on polar bear safety, significantly reducing lethal confrontations and fuelling ecotourism in such a way that the community and the polar bears have benefited.
Health care
The town also has a modern health centre, the
Churchill Regional Health AuthorityChurchill Regional Health Authority is the governing body for healthcare regulation in an area of the Canadian province of Manitoba. The area region includes the communities of:* Churchill* Kivalliq Region, Nunavut...
, which employs about 100 people. It provides 44 beds, dental care and diagnostic laboratories to service the residents of Churchill and the communities of the Kivalliq Region (Keewatin) of
NunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
.
Arctic research
The Northern Studies Centre is a non-profit research and education facility located 23 km (14.3 mi) east of the town of Churchill. They provide accommodations, meals, equipment rentals, and logistical support to scientific researchers working on a diverse range of topics of interest to northern science.
Transportation
The town is the northern terminus of the
Hudson Bay RailwayHudson Bay Railway is a Canadian railway operating over of trackage in northern Manitoba.HBRY was formed in July 1997 to purchase former Canadian National Railway trackage running north from CN trackage at The Pas, MB on two branches, one to Flin Flon, MB and on to Lynn Lake, MB, the other to...
owned by railroad holding company,
OmniTRAXOmniTRAX, Inc. is one of North America's largest private railroad and transportation management companies, providing management services to 16 regional and short-line railroads that serve 10 U.S...
. It is a useful link in the export of Canadian grain to European markets, with rail-sea connections made at Churchill. The
Port of ChurchillThe Port of Churchill in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is a port on the Hudson Bay, part of the Arctic Ocean. It was once owned by the Government of Canada but was sold in 1997 to the American company OmniTRAX to run privately....
is also owned by OmniTRAX. It is Canada's principal
seaportA port is a location on a coast or shore containing one or more harbors where ships can dock and transfer people or cargo to or from land....
on the
Arctic OceanThe Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
. The Winnipeg – Churchill train, a passenger train operated by
Via RailVia Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....
provides service between the
Churchill railway stationChurchill railway station is a railway station located in the town of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. It is served by the Hudson Bay Railway owned by the U.S-based OmniTRAX, as well as the national passenger carrier, Via Rail Canada...
and
Union StationUnion Station is the inter-city railway station for Winnipeg, Manitoba.It is a grand beaux-arts structure situated near The Forks in downtown Winnipeg. It was built by the Canadian Northern Railway, National Transcontinental, and Grand Trunk Pacific Railway...
in Winnipeg 2 times per week, a 1700 km (1,056.3 mi) journey that takes about 40 hours.
Churchill is also a major seaport in north-central Canada.
Marine transportationShip transport is watercraft carrying people or goods . Sea transport has been the largest carrier of freight throughout recorded history. Although the importance of sea travel for passengers has decreased due to aviation, it is effective for short trips and pleasure cruises...
companies,
Northern Transportation Company LimitedNorthern Transportation Company Limited is a marine transportation company in the Canadian and American Arctic owned by Norterra, a holding company jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut...
(NTCL), headquartered in
Hay RiverHay River , known as "the Hub of the North," is a town in the Northwest Territories, Canada, located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, at the mouth of the Hay River. The town is separated into two sections, a new town and an old town with the Hay River Airport between them...
,
Northwest TerritoriesThe Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, and Nunavut Sealink and Supply (NSSI), both have bases in Churchill and provide
sealiftSealift is a term used predominantly in military logistics and refers to the use of cargo ships for the deployment of military assets, such as weaponry, vehicles, military personnel, and supplies...
to the Eastern Arctic and to a few Central Arctic communities.
There are no roads from Churchill leading to the rest of Canada. Aside from the aforementioned Via Rail service, Churchill is serviced by two scheduled airlines offering flights to and from
WinnipegWinnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
and to points north of Churchill in
NunavutNunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993...
.
Calm AirCalm Air International LP. is an airline based in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada and is presently owned by the Exchange Income Corporation. It operates services in northern Manitoba and the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Charter and freight services are also undertaken. Its main base is Thompson Airport.-...
offers service from
Churchill AirportChurchill Airport is located east southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.Churchill Airport serves the town of Churchill and the surrounding region. Although it is a small domestic airport, it handles a relatively high number of passengers throughout the year as it is a major destination for...
with daily flights to Winnipeg and the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut.
Kivalliq AirKivalliq Air is an airline based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It operates scheduled service six days per week between all communities in the Kivalliq Region, Nunavut and Manitoba. Scheduled service is also offered 3 days per week between Sanikiluaq and Winnipeg...
provides direct flights six days per week between Churchill and Winnipeg and connections to all communities in the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut.
The government of
ManitobaManitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
has proposed that the
Port of ChurchillThe Port of Churchill in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is a port on the Hudson Bay, part of the Arctic Ocean. It was once owned by the Government of Canada but was sold in 1997 to the American company OmniTRAX to run privately....
could serve as an "Arctic gateway", accepting containerships from Asia whose containers would then be transported south by rail to major destinations in North America.
Radio
- CHFC
CBWK-FM is the callsign of the CBC Radio One station in Thompson, Manitoba. The station broadcasts at FM 100.9.-History:Formerly a rebroadcaster of Winnipeg's CBW, the Thompson station was upgraded to a full CBC production centre in the early 1990s to improve local service in rural northern Manitoba...
1230 AM - CBC Radio OneCBC Radio One is the English language news and information radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial free and offers both local and national programming...
. Weekday mornings (Tuesday-Friday) from 8:15-8:30 AM, David Caskey hosted the local morning announcement program for the past 28 years, retiring in 2009. It is now hosted by George Davis. From January 2009-November 2009 the show was co-hosted by Ian Martens. At all other times the station repeats CBWK-FMCBWK-FM is the callsign of the CBC Radio One station in Thompson, Manitoba. The station broadcasts at FM 100.9.-History:Formerly a rebroadcaster of Winnipeg's CBW, the Thompson station was upgraded to a full CBC production centre in the early 1990s to improve local service in rural northern Manitoba...
from ThompsonThompson is a city in northern Manitoba. As the "Hub of the North" it serves as the regional trade and service centre of northern Manitoba. Thompson is located north of the Canada – United States border, north of the provincial capital of Winnipeg, and is northeast of Flin Flon...
.
- VF2312 96.9 FM - Native Communications
Newspapers
Churchill has one newspaper called
The Hudson Bay Post. It is a monthly newspaper, 'published occasionally', according to the front page.
Notable people associated with Churchill
- Susan Aglukark
Susan Aglukark, OC , is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit folk music traditions with country and pop songwriting has made her a major recording star in Canada. Her most successful single is "O Siem", which reached #1 on the Canadian country and adult contemporary charts in 1995...
, singer
- Samuel Hearne
Samuel Hearne was a an English explorer, fur-trader, author, and naturalist. He was the first European to make an overland excursion across northern Canada to the Arctic Ocean, actually Coronation Gulf, via the Coppermine River...
, explorer
- Reverend Joseph Lofthouse
Reverend Joseph J. Lofthouse was a Canadian bishop.The Hudson's Bay Company had neglected the spiritual welfare of its employees and the surrounding natives. In 1882 Rev. Lofthouse was sent out to found a church in Churchill, Manitoba. After a while he wrote back to friends in England describing...
- Jens Munk
Jens Munk was a Danish navigator and explorer who was born in Norway where his father, Erik Munk, had received several fiefs for his achievements in the Northern Seven Years' War. He returned to Denmark at the age of eight...
, Danish explorer
- Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
- David Thompson
David Thompson was an English-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer"...
, explorer
- Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge, OC , a Canadian broadcaster and news anchor, is the CBC News Chief Correspondent and anchor of The National, CBC Television's flagship nightly newscast. Mansbridge has received many awards and accolades for his journalistic work including an honorary doctorate from Mount Allison...
, Canadian broadcaster and news anchor
- Jordin Tootoo
Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo is a Canadian professional ice hockey player with the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League . He is both the first Inuk player and the first player who grew up in Nunavut to participate in an NHL game....
, NHL hockey player
- Doreen Patterson Reitsma
Doreen Patterson Reitsma was the first woman from British Columbia to enter Canada's newly created Postwar Women's Division of the Royal Canadian Navy. She began her basic training on October 2, 1951 at HMCS Cornwallis in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia...
, served a term at the Naval Radio Station
See also
- Arctic Bridge
The Arctic Bridge or Arctic Sea Bridge is a seasonal sea route linking Russia to Canada, specifically the Russian port of Murmansk to the Hudson Bay port of Churchill, Manitoba. Churchill is the principal seaport on Canada's northern coast and has rail and air connections to the rest of Canada...
- Churchill (electoral district)
Churchill is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1935. It covers northern Manitoba, a vast wilderness area dotted with small municipalities and First Nations reserves...
- Churchill (provincial electoral district)
Churchill is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1956, and eliminated in 1999....
- Churchill Water Aerodrome
Churchill Water Aerodrome, , is located southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada....
- Rupertsland
Kewatinook is a provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Starting with the 2011 election, the riding was renamed Kewatinook which means "from the north” in Cree....
- Sayisi Dene
The Sayisi Dene, , are Chipewyan, a Dene First Nation Aboriginal peoples of Canada group living in northern Manitoba. They are members of the "Sayisi Dene First Nation " and are notable for living a nomadic caribou-hunting and gathering existence.-Origin:The Chipewyan's ancestral homeland...
Further reading
- Dredge, L. A. Field guide to the Churchill region, Manitoba glaciations, sea level changes, permafrost landforms, and archaeology of the Churchill and Gillam areas. Ottawa, Canada: Geological Survey of Canada, 1992. ISBN 0660145650
- Eliasson, Kelsey. Polar Bears of Churchill (Munck's Cafe, 2005). ISBN 0-9780757-0-6
- MacEwan, Grant. The Battle for the Bay (Prairie Books, 1975). ISBN 0-919306-51-9
- Will Ferguson
William Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
. Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Excursions in the Great Weird North (Canongate Books Ltd, 2006). ISBN 1841956902
- Mac Iver, Angus & Bernice, Churchill on Hudson Bay, revised edition,2006, ISBN 0-9780757-3-0.
External links