James Bay
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2013) |
James Bay | |
---|---|
Location | Southern end of Hudson Bay, between Ontario and Quebec, politically part of Nunavut |
Coordinates | 53°30′N 80°30′W / 53.500°N 80.500°W[1] |
Basin countries | Canada |
Max. length | 443 km (275 mi)[2] |
Max. width | 217 km (135 mi)[2] |
Surface area | 68,300 km2 (26,400 sq mi) |
Average depth | 60 m (200 ft)[2] |
James Bay (
Numerous waterways of the James Bay watershed have been modified with dams or diversion for several major hydroelectric projects. These waterways are also destinations for river-based recreation. Several communities are located near or alongside James Bay, including a number of Aboriginal Canadian communities, such as the Kashechewan First Nation and nine communities affiliated with the Cree of northern Quebec.
As with the rest of Hudson Bay, the waters of James Bay routinely freeze over in winter. It is the last part of Hudson Bay to freeze over in winter, and the first to thaw in summer.
History
Human presence along the shores of the bay began after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the
James Bay is important in the history of Canada as one of the most hospitable parts of the Hudson Bay region, although it has had a low human population. It was an area of importance to the Hudson's Bay Company and British expansion into Canada. The fur-trapping duo of explorers Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers convinced the English Crown, primarily Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a favoured nephew of Charles I and cousin to Charles II, that a colonial enterprise in the north would yield wealth in minerals and fur. Des Groseilliers accompanied Captain Zachariah Gillam on the ketch Nonsuch and they jointly founded Charles Fort, the first European fur-trading post on James Bay.
Their success was such that the company was chartered by Charles II on their return, although they did not bring any minerals. This charter granted a complete trading monopoly to the company of the whole
Significant fur trapping has continued in the region. In general, the east coast or East Main of James Bay was too easily accessed by French and independent traders from the south. The Hudson's Bay Company emphasised from an early period trading relations with tribes in interior trapping grounds, reached from the west coasts of James and Hudson bays. East Main was, nevertheless, the gateway to British settlements in what would become Manitoba (Winnipeg, for example) and as far west as the Rocky Mountains.
Geography
James Bay represents the southern extent of the
Hundreds of rivers flow into James Bay. The geography of the region gives many of them similar characteristics. They tend to be wide and shallow near the Bay (in the James Bay Lowlands), whereas they are steeper and narrower farther upstream (as they pour off the
Hannah Bay
Hannah Bay is the southernmost bay of James Bay. Here the
The shores in this area are a mixture of intertidal mud, sand, and salt flats, estuarine waters, intertidal marshes, freshwater ponds, swamps, and forested peatlands.[6] These elements make an abundance of wildlife.
Islands
James Bay contains numerous islands.[2] The largest of the islands is Akimiski Island, which covers 3,002 square kilometres (1,159 sq mi).[2]
All of northern Ontario and northern Quebec were part of the Hudson Bay Company's proprietary colony of Rupert's Land, and after Rupert's Land was purchased by Canada in 1869, the area became part of the North-West Territory. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Canada transferred much of the North-West Territory to Ontario and Quebec, thus forming modern northern Ontario and northern Quebec. However, all of the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay remained part of the North-West Territory.[2] Following the partition of the North-West Territory in 1999, the islands in Hudson Bay and James Bay were transferred to the new territory of Nunavut.
Human development
Coastal communities
The shores of James Bay are sparsely populated. On the eastern shore in Quebec there are four coastal communities belonging to the
- Waskaganish
- Eastmain
- Wemindji
- Chisasibi
On the western shore in Ontario there are five coastal communities (from south to north):
- Moose Factory
- Moosonee
- Fort Albany
- Kashechewan
- Attawapiskat
Economic development
Since 1971, the
A proposed development project, the
Recreation
Canoeing
Many of the rivers flowing into James Bay are popular destinations for wilderness canoe-trippers. Among the more popular rivers are:
- Albany River (Ontario)
- Moose River (Ontario)
- Missinaibi River (Ontario)—recognised as a Canadian Heritage River
- Broadback River (Quebec)
- Rupert River (Quebec)—diverted in 2009 for hydroelectric development and no longer a popular destination
Two less-travelled rivers are the Groundhog River and the Harricana. The Groundhog is less travelled in modern times due to a series of seven dams that are about a day or two up-river from the Moose. Canoeists can contact the dam company and arrange to be portaged around the dams on company trucks, but they must make arrangements specific to the hour, and they cannot be late. The Groundhog flows into the Mattagami. The Mattagami then flows into the Moose; it is at the meeting of the Missinaibi and Mattagami rivers that the Moose river begins, marked by an island known as Portage Island. This point is about two or three days travel by canoe to Moosonee. Though the Missinaibi and the Groundhog are both fairly high in the summer, the Moose is often quite low. Depending on the tides, groups have had to walk long stretches of the river. Rapids on the Groundhog tend to be bigger and more technical than those on the Missinaibi, but the campsites are few and poor, because the volume of travel is so much less.
The Harricana River is wild, powerful, dangerous river that flows into James Bay 40 miles (64 km) east of
The most common access point for paddlers to this area is Moosonee, at the southern end of James Bay. A campsite at Tidewater Provincial Park provides large campgrounds with firepits and outhouses on an island across the river from the town. Water taxis will ferry people back and forth for about C$20 each. Many of these rivers finish near Moosonee, and paddlers can take the Polar Bear Express train south to Cochrane at the end of a trip. This train regularly features a 'canoe car' enabling paddlers to travel with their canoes.
References
- ^ "James Bay". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ a b c d e f Tikkanen, Amy. "James Bay". Encyclopedia Britannia. University of Chicago. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Baie James". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada.
- ^ "Sustainable Development in the Hudson Bay / James Bay Bioregion". Archived from the original on 2016-07-14. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
- ^ Beluga whales in James Bay: a separate entity from eastern Hudson Bay belugas?
- ^ Southern James Bay Migratory Bird Sanctuary fact sheet[permanent dead link]
Further reading
- Dignard, N. Habitats of the Northeast Coast of James Bay. [Canada]: Environment Canada, Canada Wildlife Service, 1991. ISBN 0-662-18947-7
- Francis, Daniel, and Toby Elaine Morantz. Partners in Furs A History of the Fur Trade in Eastern James Bay, 1600-1870. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1983. ISBN 0-7735-0385-4
- Kenyon, Walter Andrew. The History of James Bay, 1610-1686 A Study in Historical Archaeology. Archaeology monograph, 10. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: ISBN 0-88854-316-6
- McCutcheon, Sean. Electric Rivers The Story of the James Bay Project. Montréal: Black Rose Books, 1991. ISBN 1-895431-18-2
- Niezen, Ronald. Defending the Land Sovereignty and Forest Life in James Bay Cree Society. Cultural Survival studies in ethnicity and change. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. ISBN 0-205-27580-X
- Reed, Austin. Goose use of the coastal habitats of northeastern James Bay. Ottawa, Ont: Canadian Wildlife Service, 1996. ISBN 0-662-25033-8
- Salisbury, Richard Frank. A Homeland for the Cree Regional Development in James Bay, 1971-1981. Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1986. ISBN 0-7735-0550-4
- Siy, Alexandra. The Eeyou People of Eastern James Bay. New York: Dillon Press, 1993. ISBN 0-87518-549-5
External links
- "James Bay Road website" Extensive and detailed information on the James Bay region of Quebec, as well as the James Bay and Trans-Taiga Roads.
- "The Rupert River website" Read about and see this endangered river soon to be diverted by Hydro-Québec.
- "Dammed river" special feature on James Bay from Canadian Geographic.
- CBC Digital Archives - James Bay Project and the Cree