York Factory National Historic Site

The Principal Hudson'S Bay Company Depot From 1684 To 1957, A Vast Complex At The Mouth Of The Hayes River Where Furs And Trade Goods Passed Through, With A Surviving Depot Building And A Cemetery. An Extremely Remote National Historic Site, Visited By Charter Flight With Parks Canada Permission · York Factory, Manitoba

York Factory stands on the low, windswept bank of the Hayes River where it meets Hudson Bay, in the far north-east of Manitoba, and for much of three centuries it was the busiest trade depot of the Hudson Bay Company. Founded in 1684, it received furs by canoe and York boat from as far away as the Rockies and sent out blankets, guns, kettles and cloth, and its ledgers tie Cree, Dene, Metis, Orkney and English families together in one story. The company closed the post in 1957. A great wooden depot building from the 1830s survives, with a cemetery, scattered foundations and the tidal flats beyond, in a landscape that has few buildings of any kind. There is no road: visitors arrive by chartered aircraft from Gillam or Churchill, or by boat or canoe with long planning. Parks Canada cares for the site, so contact them before you travel. It is also a burial ground and a place of deep meaning to York Factory First Nation, so visit quietly.

York Factory National Historic Site, on the Hayes River at the shore of Hudson Bay in north-east Manitoba, reached only by charter flight or boat from Gillam or Churchill; coordinates approximate, York Factory, Manitoba, Canada

York Factory has no fixed opening hours because there is no regular public access. Visits are normally possible only in the short summer, roughly July to early September, when aircraft can land and the Hayes River is open, and a caretaker or Parks Canada staff may be present for part of that season only (confirm). Access in other months depends on weather, ice and permission, and the buildings are normally locked. Plan the day around the tide, the aircraft schedule and a firm departure time set by the pilot. The depot grounds, cemetery and shore are open once you are on site with permission, and you should leave before the aircraft needs to turn back.

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