Published On Jul 9, 2024
The people of Fort Severn, Ontario have always been keenly aware of the existence of a number of shipwrecks along the Hudson Bay coast between their community and the Manitoba border. As well, early 19th century HBC journals describe and locate ship wrecks. Currents in western Hudson Bay circulate in a counter-clockwise direction and so sources of these wrecks must be in northern Manitoba. As well, the land there is currently rebounding from the last glaciations at a rate on the order of 1 meter per century. Therefore, older wrecks are to be found at ever greater distances from the active shoreline. This presentation will review current knowledge about some of Ontario’s Hudson Bay wrecks and speculate about others that might still be high and dry, out of sight and out of mind on the unique tundra landscape of the Severn River Cree homeland.