Churchill (2006 Population 923) is a town on the shore of Hudson Bay in Manitoba, Canada, situated at the estuary of the Churchill River at Hudson Bay. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116 sq mi of North America Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open The Churchill River (French Rivière Churchill) is a major River in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. The small community stands at an ecotone, the juncture of three ecoregions: the boreal forest to the south, the Arctic tundra to the northwest, and the Hudson Bay to the north. An ecotone is a transition area between two adjacent ecological communities ( Ecosystems. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons
It is most famous for the many polar bears 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 tourism industry. The polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) is a Bear native to the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four Temperate Seasons Autumn marks the transition from Summer Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel
Canada's only main port on the Arctic Ocean, Churchill is linked to the rest of the country only by the Hudson Bay Railway and by airplane. The 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 Hudson Bay Railway (HBRY is a Canadian regional railway operating over 1300 Kilometres (810 Miles of trackage in northern Manitoba
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History
A variety of nomadic Arctic people lived and hunted in this region. The Thule people arrived around 1000 A. The Thule (ˈtuːli or proto-Inuit were the ancestors of all modern Canadian Inuit. D. from farther west, and later evolved into the present-day Inuit culture. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting The Dene people arrived around 500 from farther north. The Dene ( Dené) are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. Events By Place Europe Possible date for the Battle of Mons Badonicus: Romano-British and Celts defeat an Anglo-Saxon Since before the time of European contact, the region around Churchill has been predominantly inhabited by the Chipewyan and Cree peoples. The Chipewyan ( Denésoliné or Dënesųłiné) are a Dene Aboriginal people in Canada, whose ancestors were the Taltheilei Not to be confused with the Creek. Cree is an Exonym applied to various people indigenous to North America namely the Nehiyaw Nehithaw Nehilaw
Europeans first arrived in the area in 1619 when a Danish expedition led by Jens Munk wintered where Churchill would later stand. Jens Munk (1579-1628 was a Danish Navigator, born near Arendal, Norway. Only 3 of 64 expedition members survived the winter and journeyed back to Denmark. [1]
The first permanent settlement was a log fort built at the mouth of the Churchill River in 1717 as a part of the extensive fur-trading network established by the Hudson's Bay Company — mostly to capitalize on the northern trade, out of the reach of York Factory. Year 1717 ( MDCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a York Factory was a settlement located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada at the mouth of the Hayes The town gains its name from John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, an ancestor of Winston Churchill, who was governor of the Hudson's Bay Company in the late 1600s. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 The company replaced it with Prince of Wales Fort, a large stone fort finished in 1741. For other uses of the name "Prince of Wales" see Prince of Wales (disambiguation. Year 1741 ( MDCCXLI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The fort was taken without firing a shot by French warships and razed in 1782, and a new fort was built a short distance upriver. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Year 1782 ( MDCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It dealt mainly with the Chipewyan peoples living north of the boreal forest. Due to its distance from the lands of heavy competition between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company, it remained a relatively stable, if not extravagantly profitable, source of furs. For the grocery chain see The North West Company. The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal
Between the years of decline in the fur trade 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 Railway and then the false promises of the Canadian Northern Railway, western governments banded together and fought for the creation of a major new northern shipping harbour on Hudson Bay, linked by rail from Winnipeg. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( The Canadian Northern Railway ( CNoR) is a historic Canadian Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population Initially Port Nelson was selected for this purpose in 1912. Port Nelson was a short-lived community on the north shore at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, Manitoba Canada After several years of effort and millions of dollars, this project was abandoned and Churchill was selected as the alternative after World War One. Surveys by the Canadian Hydrographic Service ship CSS Acadia opened the way for safe navigation. History Acadia was designed in Canada for the Hydrographic Survey of Canada and built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Newcastle-on-Tyne However, construction and use of the railroad was extremely slow and the rail line itself did not come to Churchill until 1929. Year 1929 ( MCMXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
Even once the link from farm to port was completed, commercial shipping took many more years to pick up. In 1932 John Walter Grant MacEwan was the first person to cross through Churchill customs as a passenger. Year 1932 ( MCMXXXII) was a Leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. See also Grant MacEwan College John Walter Grant MacEwan, OC, best known as Grant MacEwan This was purely due to his determination in taking the Hudson Bay route to Saskatchewan from Britain — most passengers returned via the Saint Lawrence River. Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Saint Lawrence River (in French: fleuve Saint-Laurent; Kahnawáˀkye in Tuscarora, Kaniatarowanenneh meaning big waterway
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 and commercial satellites until closing in 1984. Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The site of the former rocket range now hosts the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, a facility for Arctic research. See Fort Churchill for the main article on this subject. Fort Churchill is a Rocket launching complex located in Churchill Manitoba at.
Economy
Churchill is a popular spot for ecotourism, as well as for Arctic research. The Arctic Fox ( Vulpes lagopus) also known as the White Fox or Snow Fox, is a small Fox native to cold Arctic regions of the Ecotourism, also known as ecological tourism, is a form of Tourism that appeals to ecologically and socially conscious individuals The Arctic is the Region around the Earth 's North Pole, opposite the Antarctic region around the South Pole. The town also counts with a health center, several hotels, tour operators, some restaurants and a shipping marine port with a large grain elevator. History Grain elevators are a common sight in the grain-growing areas of the world such as the North American Prairies Larger terminal elevators are
Ecotourism
Churchill is situated along Manitoba’s 1400 km coastline, on Hudson Bay at the meeting of three major biomes: marine, boreal forest and tundra. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests In physical Geography, tundra is an area where the Tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons [2][3][4][5] Tourists can safely view polar bears from specially modified buses known as tundra buggies. The polar bear ( Ursus maritimus) is a Bear native to the Arctic Ocean and its surrounding seas Use of the buggies helps sustain local tourism, but can also cause damage the local ecology when driven outside the established trails. October and early November are the most popular times to see the bears, hundreds 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, harp seals. The Harp Seal ( Phoca groenlandica; syn Pagophilus groenlandicus) is a species of earless seal native to the northernmost Atlantic Local authorities maintain a so-called "polar bear jail" where bears (mostly adolescents) who persistently loiter in or too close to town are held after being tranquillized, 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 its every bear for himself as they hunt ring seals. The Ringed Seal ( Pusa hispida) also known as the Jar Seal and as Netsik or Nattiq by the Inuit, is an Earless seal inhabiting
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. Churchill is also a destination for bird watchers from late May until August. [6] The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) are seen in late August and from December to late April in the night skies over Churchill. The area also offers wonderful sport fishing. Several tour operators offer expeditions on land, sea and air, using all terrain vehicles, boats, canoes, helicopters and even ultralight aircraft.
Transportation
The town is the northern terminus of the Hudson Bay Railway Leased by OmniTRAX. The Port of Churchill in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada is a Port on the Arctic Ocean. Hudson Bay Railway (HBRY is a Canadian regional railway operating over 1300 Kilometres (810 Miles of trackage in northern Manitoba OmniTRAX is an American transportation services company based in Denver Colorado, operated as a subsidiary of The Broe Group It is a useful link in the export of Canadian grain to European markets, with rail-sea connections made at Churchill. The port of Churchill is also owned by OmniTRAX. It is Canada's principal seaport on the Arctic Ocean. ||-||-|-||-||-||-||-||-||-|} A port is a facility for receiving Ships and transferring cargo The 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 The Hudson Bay (passenger train) operated by VIA Rail provides service between the Churchill railway station and Union Station in Winnipeg. The Hudson Bay is a tri-weekly passenger Train operated by VIA Rail between Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba. VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; ˈviːə 'vee-ah' is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail Churchill railway station is a Railway station located in the city of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Union Station is the inter-city Railway station for Winnipeg, Manitoba. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population
Churchill is the main Arctic Ocean seaport in North America with a rail connection to the south. Lesser ports Moosonee, Ontario and Hay River, Northwest Territories also provide a rail link to the Arctic Ocean. Moosonee is a town in Ontario, Canada, on the Moose River approximately 19 kilometres south of James Bay Ontario (ɒnˈtɛrioʊ is a province located in the central part of Canada, the largest by population and second largest after Quebec Hay River, known as "the Hub of the North" Demographics Hay River has a population of 3648 and the nearby Hay River Reserve (Katl'odeeche First The Northwest Territories (ˌnɔrθˌwɛstˈtɛrɨtɔriz ( NWT or NT; French, les Territoires du Nord-Ouest) is a territory Hay River is a riverport. Cargo shipped north from Hay River travels by barge. There are no roads from Churchill leading to the rest of Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Rail passenger service is available from Winnipeg 3 times a week by Via Rail, a 35 hour trip from Winnipeg. Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population VIA Rail Canada (also referred to as VIA Rail and VIA; ˈviːə 'vee-ah' is an independent Crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail Winnipeg (ˈwɪnɨpɛg is the capital and largest city in the Canadian province of Manitoba, and 7th largest municipality in Canada with a population
Churchill is serviced by two scheduled airlines offering flights to and from Winnipeg and to points north of Churchill in Nunavut. Calm Air offers service from Churchill Airport with daily flights to Winnipeg and the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut. Calm Air International Ltd is an Airline based in Thompson, Manitoba, Canada. Churchill Airport is located east southeast of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. Kivalliq Region ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᑭᕙᓪᓕᖅ is an administrative region of Nunavut. Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Kivalliq Air provides direct flights six days per week between Churchill and Winnipeg and connections to all communities in the Kivalliq region of Nunavut. Kivalliq Air is an Airline based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The sea freezes first near Churchill because of the large volume of fresh water delivered by the nearby Churchill and Seal Rivers and because the predominant northeast wind causes ice to pile up along the shore just north of Churchill. For this reason, the port is iced in for much of the year but it is useful for shipping grain and other bulk cargoes because shipping by rail costs several times as much, per ton, as shipping by sea. Its short 3-month shipping season and shallow waters have restricted its development as an ocean port.
Health care
The town also counts with a modern health centre, the Churchill Regional Health Authority, which employs about 100 people. It counts with 44 beds, dental care and diagnostic laboratories to service the residents of Churchill and the communities of the Keewatin Region of the Territory of Nunavut. Nunavut (ˈnuːnəvʊt ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓄᓇᕗᑦ is the largest and newest territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the [7]
Arctic research
The Northern Studies Center is a non-profit research and education facility located 23 km 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. [8]
Culture
About half of the population is Caucasian and the other half are Aboriginal, mostly Chipewan and Swampy Cree. Not to be confused with the Creek. Cree is an Exonym applied to various people indigenous to North America namely the Nehiyaw Nehithaw Nehilaw A minority is composed of Inuit natives. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting Hunting, trapping and fishing is still an important activity to most of these men. The main language is English and several residents also speak Cree language. Cree (also known as Cree-Montagnais Cree-Montagnais-Naskapi is the name for a group of closely-related Algonquian languages spoken by approximately 117000 people across [9]
The town has a modern multiplex center housing a public library, hospital, health center, day care, swimming pool, ice hockey rink, curling rinks, gym, basket ball courts, indoor playground, one cinema and a cafeteria. Nearby is the "Eskimo Museum", with over 850 high quality Inuit carvings on permanent display. Inuit (plural the singular Inuk, means "man" or "person" is a general term for a group of culturally similar Indigenous peoples inhabiting The exhibits include historic and contemporary sculptures of stone, bone, and ivory, as well as archaeological and wildlife specimens. [10] Parks Canada visitor center also has artifacts on display and makes use of audiovisual presentations of various topics involving the region's natural and archaeological history. Parks Canada (French Parcs Canada) is a Government of Canada agency that is mandated to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's
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 a way that the community and polar bears have benefited. Parks Canada (French Parcs Canada) is a Government of Canada agency that is mandated to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada's
Local media
Radio
CHFC 1230 AM - CBC Radio One Weekday mornings (Tuesday-Friday) from 8:15-8:30, David Caskey hosts the local morning announcement program. CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information Radio network of the publicly-owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
NCI-FM 96. 9 FM - NCI
Television
Newspapers
Churchill has one newspaper called The Hudson Bay Post. CBWT is a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Television station in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is a monthly newspaper, published occasionally, according to the front page.
Famous people from Churchill, Manitoba
- Susan Aglukark, singer
- Jordin Tootoo, NHL hockey player
Further reading
- Dredge, L. Susan Aglukark OC, ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᓲᓴᓐ ᐊᒡᓘᒃᑲᖅ) (born 27 January 1967 is an Inuk musician whose blend of Inuit Jordin John Kudluk Tootoo ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᔪᐊᑕᓐ ᑐᑐ; born February 2, 1983 in Churchill, Manitoba, The National Hockey League ( NHL) is a professional Ice hockey league composed of 30 teams in North America 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. See also Grant MacEwan College John Walter Grant MacEwan, OC, best known as Grant MacEwan The Battle for the Bay (Prairie Books, 1975). ISBN 0-919306-51-9
- Will Ferguson. Will Ferguson (born William Stener Ferguson on October 12 1964 is a Canadian writer and novelist who is best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history Beauty Tips from Moose Jaw: Excursions in the Great Weird North (Canongate Books Ltd, 2006). ISBN 1841956902
References
- ^ February 20: Rasmus Jensen; Christian History Institute
- ^ Churchill, tundra biome [1]
- ^ Churchill, boreal forest biome [2],[3]
- ^ Chrurchill, marine biome [4]
- ^ Churchill, situated on Manitoba’s 1400 km coastline, a mix of biomes [5]
- ^ Bird watching [6]
- ^ Churchill Regional Health Authority [7]
- ^ Northern Studies Center [8]
- ^ Statistics Canada [9]
- ^ Eskimo Museum [10]
External links
- Town of Churchill home page
- Town of Churchill Community Profile
- Polar Bear Alley Blog
- Churchill Northern Studies Centre
- The Tundra Buggy
- Photos of Churchill from August 2004 - Aerial
- Churchill Photo Slideshow
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