_FORT CHURCHILL._
With our arrival at Fort Churchill, with its well-filled storehouses,
the successful termination of the long journey seemed pretty well
assured. Here was abundance of provisions to feed our small party for
an indefinite length of time, so that we could either spend the winter
at the post, and go south by canoes in the spring, or else remain long
enough to recruit, and then continue the journey on foot.
Adjoining the Master’s house, and ranged in two irregular, detached rows
on the rocky bank of the Churchill River, were four or five old frame
buildings, used as storehouses and servants’ lodges. Two or three hundred
yards down the shore was a neat little church and mission-house.
Drawn up on the beach near the church were several large open
coast-boats, used during the summer by the Hudson’s Bay Company in
carrying on trade with the Eskimos, and beside these was a small landing
and warehouse, while down at the mouth of the river, five miles distant,
could be seen the ruins of old Fort Prince of Wales, once a massive
cut-stone fortification.
The buildings of the traders were very old, some of them being in a
half-wrecked condition, but those of the mission were new and trim,
having been only recently erected by the Rev. Jos. Lofthouse, who, with
his family, occupied the dwelling. In this ideal little home, from
the hour of our arrival at the Fort, we were given a most hearty and
hospitable welcome.
One of the first duties requiring attention, after arranging for rations
and shelter, was the treatment of poor Michel’s frozen feet, which upon
examination were found to be in a shocking condition. Fortunately in a
pocket medicine-case the proper remedies for treating him were found, and
with attention and care his condition from the first began to improve,
though it was evident that at best it would be many weeks, if not months,
before he would again be able to walk.
Having arranged almost immediately upon our arrival at Churchill that we
should proceed southward on foot as soon as the condition of the party
(and that of the Churchill River, now running full of ice) would admit,
we lost no time in getting into training for the tramp, which would
amount to nearly one thousand miles. Daily walks were prescribed for all
but Michel, and the stronger of the men were sent out to shoot ptarmigan,
so that they might not only exercise their limbs, but, at the same time,
supplement their daily rations, in which endeavors they were quite
successful.
As regards my brother and myself, our short constitutionals almost
invariably ended at the Mission House, where many pleasant hours were
spent with Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse and their little daughter Marjorie.
From the time of the establishment of the Churchill Mission—the history
of which would of itself form an interesting chapter—to the time of our
visit, Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse had been devoting their lives to the noble
work of teaching and helping the natives, both Indians and Eskimos,
wherever they found them, and already the fruits of their labors were
apparent.
[Illustration: REV. JOSEPH LOFTHOUSE AND FAMILY.
_Fort Churchill, Hudson Bay._]
Close to their home stood a neat substantial church, capable of seating
three hundred people, and every nail in the structure—which would be a
credit to many a village in Ontario—was driven by the missionary’s own
hand. Part of the year, during the absence of the moving population of
the district, such a seating capacity is unnecessarily great, but at
other seasons, when the natives come in with the produce of the hunt,
the little building is usually crowded.
Mr. Lofthouse preaches in the Cree, Chippewyan and Eskimo languages, and
having won the esteem and affection of his people, he has a powerful
influence over them, and is teaching them with much success. He and Mrs.
Lofthouse together conduct a day-school for the benefit of the children
of the permanent residents. These number twenty-one, and the total
population of Churchill is only fifty-one. On visiting the school I was
much pleased with the advancement of the children, even the smallest
of whom could read from the Bible. The girls were being taught by Mrs.
Lofthouse to do various kinds of needle-work, and by way of encouragement
were being supplied with materials.
At the trading station, besides Mr. Matheson, Capt. Hawes and his family
were staying at the time, he in an unofficial capacity. He was shortly to
succeed Mr. Matheson, who was to be removed to some other post. Although
not so well acquainted with the Captain as with Mr. and Mrs. Lofthouse,
his face was also a familiar one to me, as we had met at Churchill in
former years, when he was master of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s ship, _Cam
Owen_, since wrecked on the coast.
For nearly two hundred years it had been the practice of the Hudson’s
Bay Company to send out from England every year one or two small sailing
vessels with supplies to their trading stations on Hudson Bay. Almost
without exception these little crafts were able to make their passages
successfully, deliver their cargo, and return to England with a wealth of
furs, oil, and other goods obtained in trade from the natives.
Now this practice is all changed. Instead of the small sailing vessels,
one large steamship is employed for the trade, and Churchill, possessing
the only safe harbor on the west coast, is made the shipping port for the
Bay, all goods being distributed from this centre by schooners to the
other posts, and the furs here collected for shipment. Over this work of
distributing and collecting goods the Captain was to have charge.
During the stay at Churchill every day brought noticeable improvement
in the condition of our party. On several occasions, the weather being
favorable, snowshoeing expeditions were formed and much enjoyed, though
usually accompanied by great fatigue. Knowing, however, that by means
of such travel we must return home in a short time, we realized the
necessity of gaining strength for the long journey.
In the course of one of our outings we reached a place called Sloops
Cove, about half way to Prince of Wales Fort, and there made some
interesting observations. This cove owes its name to the fact that in
the year 1741 the two sloops, _Furnace_ and _Discovery_, sent out from
England in command of Captain Middleton to search for the long-looked-for
North-West Passage, spent the winter there. How two vessels could have
been forced into this cove is a question which has given rise to much
speculation on the part of Canadian scientists, for the cove does not now
contain more than sufficient depth of water, at high tide, to float a
small boat, and it is doubtful if even such a boat could get in through
the rocky entrance. The historical fact remains, however, that this cove
was the winter quarters of these two sloops, and as proof of the fact a
number of ring-bolts to which the vessels were secured may still be seen
leaded into the smooth glaciated granite shores. Besides the ring-bolts,
many interesting carvings are to be seen cut on the surface of the smooth
rocks. Amongst them are the following:—“_Furnace_ and _Discovery_ 1741,”
“J. Horner 1746,” “J. Morley 1748,” “James Walker May yᵉ 25 1753,”
“Guillford Long May yᵉ 27 1753,” “J. Wood 1757,” “Sl. Hearne July yᵉ 1
1767.” In addition to many other names are several picture carvings,
and notably one of a man suspended from a gallows, over which is the
inscription, “John Kelley from the Isle of Wight.” According to local
tradition Mr. Kelley is said to have been hanged for the theft of a salt
goose.
As yet during our stay at Churchill we had not been successful in
reaching the ruins of old Fort Prince of Wales, but on the 3rd of
November, the weather being cold and good for snowshoeing, we started
off, and after an enjoyable five-mile tramp reached the memorable spot,
now a scene of utter desolation. Not a tree or other sign of life could
be seen on the long, low snow-driven point of rock, but there in all its
solitary, massive grandeur stood the remains of what had more than one
hundred years ago been a noble fortress.
The construction of this fortification—which appears to have been planned
by the English engineer, Joseph Robson—was commenced in the year 1743 by
the Hudson’s Bay Company, which was then, as now, carrying on fur-trading
business in northern Canada. So large and expensive a fortification was
built probably not so much for the protection of the Company’s interests
as for the purpose of complying with a provision of its Royal Charter,
which required that the country should be fortified.
The building of the fort appears to have been carried on for many years
under the direction of the famous Samuel Hearne, already referred to as
having traversed the Barren Lands to the mouth of the Copper Mine River.
In a stone barrack within the Fort, Hearne lived and carried on business
for the Company for many years.
[Illustration: RUINS OF FORT PRINCE OF WALES.]
The fortress was in the form of a square, with sides three hundred feet
long; at the corners were bastions, and on top of the massive stone
walls, twenty feet in height by thirty feet in thickness at the base,
were mounted forty-two guns. With such a defence one would suppose
that Churchill should have been safe from attacking foes, but this does
not seem to have been the case, for history informs us that on the 8th
of August, 1782, the gallant La Perouse and his three vessels of war,
with, it is said, naught but scurvy-smitten crews, made their appearance
before the much-amazed garrison of thirty-nine men, and demanded an
unconditional surrender, which was granted without resistance, and
the gates of the great stone fort thrown open to the invaders. Taking
possession, they spiked and dismounted the guns, in places broke down the
walls, burned the barracks, and sailed away to France with Hearne, his
men, and all their valuable furs.
As La Perouse left the Fort so did we find it. For the most part the
walls were still solid, though from between their great blocks of granite
the mortar was crumbling. The guns, spiked and dismounted, were still to
be seen lying about on the ramparts and among the fallen masonry. In the
bastions, all of which were still standing, were to be seen the remains
of wells and magazines, and in the centre of the Fort stood the walls of
the old building in which Hearne and his men had lived. The charred ends
of roof-beams were still attached to its walls, where, undecayed, they
had rested for the past one hundred and eleven years.
With a continuous low temperature, such as now existed at Churchill, the
ice in the river, much to our satisfaction, began to set fast. This was
necessary to enable us to continue the journey. On Saturday, November
4th, the thermometer registered 14½° below zero (Fahr.), and with that
temperature the movement of floating ice ceased and the river was bridged
from shore to shore. Being anxious to get away as early as possible,
arrangements were made with the Company’s agent for a start for York
Factory on Monday morning. The assistance of one dog-team, with driver
and guide, was with some difficulty secured, but three other teams were
to accompany us a great part of the way, viz., to Stony River, where in
the month of September the Company’s servants had been obliged to abandon
a boat-load of supplies because of severe weather, the month in which we
had been canoeing on the coast five hundred miles farther north.
[Illustration: ICE-BLOCK GROUNDED AT LOW TIDE.]
A bill of necessary supplies was prepared, and these were weighed out
and put into sacks. Men and teams were sent off to obtain a supply of
dog-meat—an indispensable commodity—from a shanty on the south side of
the river. When they reached the place they found it in possession of
five polar bears—three large ones and two cubs. Along with the dog-meat
were brought back the skins of one old bear and the two cubs. During
Sunday the thermometer fell to 21° below zero, making the river-ice
strong and perfectly safe.