York Factory
| York Factory | |
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York Factory in 1853
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| Location | Manitoba, Canada |
| Area | 102 hectares (250 acres) |
| Founder | Hudson's Bay Company |
| Built | 1788 to 1850 |
| Original use | Fort; military structure; fur trading post |
| Governing body | Parks Canada |
| Website | Parks Canada official website |
| Designated | 1936 |
York Factory was a settlement and Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) factory (trading post) located on the southwestern shore of Hudson Bay in northeastern Manitoba, Canada at the mouth of the Hayes River, approximately 200 kilometres (120 mi) south-southeast of Churchill. York Factory was one of the first fur-trading posts established by the HBC, built in 1684 and used in that business for more than 270 years. The settlement was headquarters of the HBC's Northern Department from 1821 to 1873. The complex was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1936.
In 1957, the HBC closed it down. It has been owned by the Canadian government since 1968 and the site is now operated by Parks Canada. There is currently no one living permanently at York Factory, aside from a summer residence for Parks Canada staff and nearby seasonal hunting camps. The wooden structure at the park site dates from 1831 and is the oldest and largest wooden structure built on permafrost in Canada.
York Factory is located on the north bank of the Hayes River about 11 kilometres (7 miles) inland. The mouth of the Nelson River is to the north, across "Point of Marsh". The Hayes is a more practical canoe route, although the Nelson is much larger (it drains Lake Winnipeg). Seagoing ships anchored at Five Fathom Hole 11 km (7 mi) from the fort due to the shallow bottom, and goods were transferred by smaller boats. The Shamattawa Airport and Gillam Airport are close.
During the 17th through late 19th century, the depot at York Factory and its predecessors were the central base of operations for the Hudson's Bay Company's (HBC)'s control of the fur trade and other business dealings with the First Nations throughout Rupert's Land, the vast territory comprising the entire watershed of Hudson Bay, and which now forms much of Canada.
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