This series highlights Canada's stunning parks and sites that protect the environment and showcases the various historic aspects of our country. Parks Canada protects and administers 37 national parks, 10 national park reserves, 171 (out of 1004) national historic sites, 5 national marine conservation areas, and one national urban park (as of 2023).
Set in the remote Hudson Bay wilderness at the north bank of the Hayes River, the isolated York Factory NHS post (northern Manitoba) was a vital fur trade hub for more than 250 years, being the gateway to the vast interior for British trade goods, settlers and soldiers. The depot structure was built between 1831 and 1838 and is the oldest and largest wooden building in Canada standing on permafrost (which is now melting and posing a huge concern regarding encroaching riverbank erosion). York Factory developed an extensive trading post and settlement with 50 on-site buildings (most now destroyed) and a permanent workforce.
Underneath the depot are the preserved remains of the "Old Octagon", constructed between 1788 and 1795 in the same spot where the Depot now stands. The Octagon was a star-shaped fort with four five-sided structures flankers at each corner. By 1831, after being used for only 35 years, the Octagon had to be replaced. Its weakness was its rigid stone and brick foundation and the solid wood and brick walls. It was not flexible enough for the heaving and pressure of the Canadian permafrost.
In the early 1980s, a Parks Canada archaeologist exploring the depot building stumbled upon what is perhaps the most significant piece of art to be discovered at York Factory. Scenes of everyday life at the post had been painted on wooden panels by an unknown resident in the late 18th century, and then later reused as warehouse shelving (see gallery for images). In the 1990s further archaeological excavations (of which the CO was a participant) revealed thousands of artifacts from the indigenous peoples and fur traders at York Factory.
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