Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
The one-of-a-kind York Factory National Historic Site. © Parks Canada / Mercier, F.
ture today is a huge grain elevator be-
side the docks.
The city's Eskimo Museum main-
tains one of the world's pre-eminent
collections of Inuit artifacts. Founded
in 1944 by the local Roman Catholic
Diocese, it contains artifacts dating
from as far back as 1700BC. A set of
ornately carved walrus tusks is among
its most impressive pieces.
The townsite is also located right in
the middle of the migratory path of the
area's polar bear population, which is a
mixed blessing for the town's inhabit-
ants. While these majestic animals at-
tract visitors from around the world to
this remote spot every autumn, they
also wander right into town occasion-
ally, posing a potential risk to anyone
who crosses their path. In addition to
the bears, people also come here. They
come to see caribou, seals, birds and
especially white beluga whales in sum-
mer. And there is always the possibility
of an astonishing display of the aurora
borealis, or northern lights.
The York Factory National Historic
Site , 250km southeast of
Churchill, is what remains of the
Hudson Bay Company fur-trade post
that fi rst established the English in
western Canada. A wooden depot built
in 1832 still stands here, and there are
ruins of a stone gunpowder magazine
and a cemetery with markers dating
back to the 1700s.
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