MOOSE CREE EDUCATION AUTHORITY
Moose Factory, Ontario, Canada
MOOSE CREE EDUCATION AUTHORITY
Moose Factory, Ontario, Canada
Photographs of Moose Factory click here.
Brief History of Moose Factory:
Moose Factory was originally a meeting place where social gatherings took place during the summer months. It was a time of year when various family clans would come to trade and practice traditional ceremonies. In 1673, the Hudson Bay Company established a Fur Trading Post in Moose Factory. As a result of this, the Crees began settling around the fur trading post. Moose Factory holds the distinction of being the second oldest "English-speaking settlement, Kingston the oldest, in Ontario. Through colonization came capitalism, thus, the treaties were established between First Nations and the Crown (Britian). In 1905, Treaty #9 was signed, thus establishing the Moose Band, now known as the Moose Cree First Nation. The treaty had provisions, one of which included Reserves or land. Moose Factory has 2 Reserves, Reserve # 1 is where most Band Members reside, and it is located on Moose Factory Island. The other is located 10 miles up the Moose River and is virtually uninhabited for most of the year.
Geography
Location & Environment: Moose Factory is located in the district of James Bay. It's nearest neighbor is Moosonee, which is about 3 miles away. However, for southern access, Moose Factory is 186 miles north of Cochrane, Ontario which is the closest urban town. We are approximately 10 miles south of James Bay and located in an area called the James Bay Lowlands where the terrain is basically flat and the surrounding area is wetlands or muskeg. Moose Factory is also influenced by tides, which rises and falls about 6 feet on average. Where there is better drainage, such as river and creek banks or high bluffs, growth of trees such as spruce, pine, cedar, poplar, birch, aspen, are plentiful.
Size: Moose Factory is an island community approximately 3 miles X 2 miles and sits 18 feet above sea level. It has a population of 2500 inhabitants.
Accessibility: Moose Factory is accessible, via Moosonee, by plane and train. By air we are serviced by Aircreebec, with daily flights to Timmins, Ontario. and by train we are service by the Ontario Northland Railway, with scheduled arrivals to and from Cochrane, Ontario. To get to Moose Factory from Moosonee, you will need to board a water taxi during the summer months or use the Ferry Service. During the winter months an ice road makes both communities accessible by automobiles and snowmobiles. During river freeze-up and break-up transitions Moose Factory is accessible by helicopter.
Climate: The climate around Moose Factory is a moderate climate, it has wam summers and cold winters. In the summer the temperature ranges from 10ºC to 35°C. During the winter months, the temperature ranges from -10°C to -40°C.
Map of Northern Ontario
