The York Factory area, Hudson Bay

Abstract

York Factory and the Hayes River estuary, located on the southwestern coastline of Hudson Bay, have an unique heritage of early trade and exploration. In 1957 this historic fur trading post closed after two hundred and seventy-five years of trading with the Indians. A series of early maps, dating from the 17th Century, when compared with contemporary surveys, indicate the distinct seaward progression and changes in the configuration of Beacon Point. An inter-disciplinary studies group comprising representatives from the fields of Botany, Geomorphology, History and Soil Science visited the York Factory area during the l969 and 1970 summer field seasons. The objective was the collection of botanical, geomorphological and pedological data concerning the existing environmental patterns, and the evolution of the point of land between the mouths of the Nelson and Hayes Rivers. This data has subsequently been synthesised within a geographical framework...