Port Nelson, Manitoba
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Port Nelson is today a ghost town at the mouth of the Nelson River on Hudson Bay, in Manitoba, Canada. Its peak population was about 1000 people. Immediately to the south is the mouth of the Hayes River. Although the Nelson is much larger, the Hayes is a better route into the interior. Therefore, most of the Hudson's Bay Company's trade was done from York Factory on the Hayes. Note that some books use 'Port Nelson' to mean the region around the mouths of the two rivers.
Port Nelson was named, but not founded, by Thomas Button who wintered here in 1612. It, and the river, were named after the master of the Resolution who died and was buried here. An early version of York Factory was built nearby in 1684.[1]
In the early 1900s, the Government of Canada felt that a major harbour on Hudson Bay was needed for shipping grain from central Canada. In 1912 Port Nelson was selected as the site over Churchill (at the mouth of the Churchill River) to become the terminus of the Hudson Bay Railway, the construction of which had already begun from The Pas in 1910.
In the winter of 1912-13 the site was surveyed and construction of a wharf began in the spring, followed by buildings and other infrastructure built during the summer. But the whole project was fraught with problems from the start. Material shortages, labour disputes, storms, fires, and boating accidents led to major delays. Another setback was the necessity to completely redesign the harbour because the fast flowing Nelson River was building up silt on both sides of the wharf. Therefore the harbour was changed to a small man-made island farther out in the river, connected with a seventeen-span truss bridge (built by Dominion Bridge Company from Montreal).
When Canada entered the First World War, it resulted in further material and labour shortages, and more significantly, the loss of political and financial support. The project was able to continue a few more years until 1918 when all work stopped and the site was abandoned. The whole project was greatly criticized by several politicians, the media (calling it a "gigantic blunder"), and even the project's chief engineer.
The Hudson Bay Railway never reached Port Nelson and its tracks lay abandoned until 1927 when Churchill was chosen to become the northern shipping hub. Construction was restarted and completed by 1929. A wrecked ship currently lies on the island at 57°02′19″N 92°35′37″W / 57.03861°N 92.59361°W.
[edit] References
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- ^ Robert Hood, C. Stuart Houston (1994). To the Arctic by Canoe, 1819-1821: The Journal and Paintings of Robert Hood, Midshipman with Franklin. Google Books. p. page 23. ISBN 9780773512221. http://books.google.ca/books?id=hPvCru48DL0C&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=%22Mansel+Island%22+OR+%22Ile+Mansel%22+OR+%22Isle+Mansel%22&source=bl&ots=nJiwcpBoWL&sig=YZ0WddHWDU8J7S6DryPL2dmQYlY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=16&ct=result#PPA14,M1. Retrieved 2008-09-28. "Port Nelson, on the north shore of the peninsula and only twelve miles from York Factory, preceded York as an H.B.C. post in 1682-83. It is at the mouth of the Nelson River, discovered by Sir Thomas Button in 1612 and named after Button's sailing master, who died on the voyage."
- Malaher, David (Autumn 1984). "Port Nelson and the Hudson Bay Railway". Manitoba History (Manitoba Historical Society) (8). ISSN 0226-5036. http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/08/hudsonbayrailway.shtml. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
Coordinates: 57°03′17″N 92°35′54″W / 57.05472°N 92.59833°W
