Churchill Tourist Attractions

It is possible to reach Churchill by rail or air.Inuits or aboriginals lived in the Churchill region at least as long ago as 1700 bc. The first European settlers arrived when the Danish seafarer Jens Munck spent the winter of 1619-20 here during his unsuccessful search for the Northwest Passage. Of his original crew of 65 only Munck and two sailors survived the winter to return to Denmark. In 1717 the Hudson's Bay Company built a trading-post in Churchill. Between 1731 and 1771 Fort Prince of Wales was built.Churchill, popularly known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World" and an important corn transporting center, lies on the harsh rocky coast of Hudson Bay. It is the terminus of the Hudson Bay Railway which was completed in 1929 by 3000 men who had to struggle through freezing conditions and bogs.The spectacular aurora borealis lights up the long sub-arctic nights. The main attractions for visitors to Chruchill are the polar bears. Visitors come from all over the world to see the polar bears that migrate through Churchill, heading out onto the ice flows. Tundra Buggies are the usual vehicles used to get close to the bears.Fauna and floraIn and around the town there is a thriving animal kingdom, including some species not found anywhere else in the world. It is a paradise for bird-lovers. Countless geese, cranes and 200 other species of birds pass along the coast of Hudson's Bay and through the town on their way to their nesting sites in the Arctic. For a number of years now even the rare and beautiful Ross gull, which originates from Siberia, has been nesting here.Various kinds of seals surface in the harbor, and the protected beluga whales frolic in the waters between June and early September. Caribou can also be spotted along the coast at that time of year.In autumn polar bears wander onto the ice-floes in the bay to hunt seals. The visitors who come here every year can go on tours in tundra-buggies - giant large-wheeled vehicles - of the places where the bears collect.Along the harsh coast trees have been lashed by the wind and withered away. In spring - which starts in the middle of June - and autumn the Arctic flora, lichen and miniature bushes present a marvelously colorful scene.In the Visitor Reception center at Bayport Plaza, films are shown on various subjects, such as polar bears, the construction of the railroad and the Arctic landscape, and furs, muskets and trade goods used by the Hudson's Bay Company in the 18th and 19th c. are also on display