CHURCHILL, MANITOBA

                     A Small Town in the Canadian North

A blizzard blew into Churchill the night before our arrival, so we were greeted with new fallen snow.

 In 1610, Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson Straight, which is named for him, and in 1619 Jens Munck, a Dane, discovered the mouth of the Churchill River. Only Munck, and two other members of his team, survived that harsh winter. In the spring, indigenous people discovered the bodies of those who subsumed and buried them near the river they called River of Strangers.

In 1686, John Abraham discovered the Churchill River, which he named after Lord Churchill, the then governor of the Hudson Bay Company. In 1912 the borders for the province of Manitoba were defined and established.     Churchill is 700 air miles from Winnipeg, Manitoba’s capitol, or a 1000 mile train ride. No roads connect Churchill to the outside world so one must arrive either by train or plane.

Building of the railroad commenced in 1911, and in 1929 train service  started in Churchill. The railroad was crucial for shipment of grain, from southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, to grain elevators in Churchill. Even today, Churchill remains the northern most terminus for the railroad.

Over 3000 men worked at a frantic pace to complete the 70,000 ton (2.5 million bushel) grain handling facility by 1931. The complex can load 60,000 bushels of grain an hour.  The elevators define the skyline, and are a symbol of the town’s historic growth. Ships, from all over the world, still go to Churchill to fill their holds with grain. It is not uncommon for ships to stay off shore for several days, before they can enter the port. Churchill is the only international harbor on Hudson Bay, and its seaport is 1000 miles closer to Europe than it is to Montreal. There is a 12 foot tide in the Churchill area.

Churchill lies in the middle of the endless Canadian tundra, and is the same latitude as Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway. Here, in the polar bear capitol of the world the aurora borealis or northern lights are clearly visible  certain times of the year. Extremes and contrasts characterize the small town of Churchill established in 1700. The present town, about 80 years old, is rich in history. (The town was moved across the river after the building of the grain facility.)

       The confluence of four regions creates four large and distinct habitats. There is a  wealth of natural life in the Churchill area. The Churchill River lies to the north, the salty Hudson Bay to the east, and the tree line to the south and west. Since 1980, Churchill has become an internationally renowned center for wildlife research and ecotourism. It is one of the most easily accessible human habitats to view the Northern Lights, beluga whales, arctic and sub-arctic birds, and polar bears in the wild.

Dogs are not allowed to run loose in Churchill.  Most of the housing in Churchill is owned by the Province of Manitoba.  Houses are built above ground on pillars sunk deep into the permafrost. The air space between the floor and the ground prevents heat from melting the permafrost which would create a real mess. Wind whistles pretty good under the house, so most houses now are skirted, and the buildings are well insulated.  The city’s water is pumped from upstream in the Churchill River. It is heated three times before actually reaching the faucet in a building. All the pipes are sunk well underground, and water is kept moving all the time.  The old fire house houses oil spill equipment. A 925-foot runway is always kept cleared. The largest jet could land in an emergency---here in the middle of nowhere! It’s nice to know that there is a safe emergency landing,

     St. Paul’s Anglican Church was on the east side of the river until 1892. The pretty little church was built in England, taken apart, and shipped to Churchill, where the minister reassembled it--- with a little help. Quite a character, this minister! He’d see a parishioner, invite him home to visit, then add, “And bring your hammer and tools with you.” After awhile when seeing the minister, people started ducking around the corner.

While roofing, the minister fell, breaking several ribs. He was most distraught, as he was anxious to finish his

church. Being the creative man he was, he decided his wife’s corset would make a good brace for those broken ribs---not a bad thought!.

Meanwhile a high tide washed much of his roofing materials into the bay. It took the poor man two weeks, but he finally retrieved all the parts with incoming tides, and eventually the church was completed.

When the church moved from the east side of the river, it was put on a sled and moved across the frozen river.  Later, when storm tides lapped at its front door, the church was again moved up the hill, to its present location.

   In the midst of the uncompromising wilderness, sits a multi-million dollar modern health and recreation facility.  The present population, of about 750, enjoy life here as a mix of modern technology and traditional skills. Churchill has a post office and its own special stamp which many of us had stamped in our passports. The tourist industry is limited by the motel and restaurant number and capacity. So no big cruise ships visit, as the passengers would overrun the town. It’s a quaint little town and we had a wonderful time—in spite of the fact that I do not like cold weather. My friend had been at me for three years to make this trip and I finally relented when I realized I could borrow my daughter’s ski clothing. I stayed comfy warm and am grateful I did a friend a favor, as she died the following spring.

POLAR BEARS

                                      I Hope They Will Survive

Mid October each year, 600-1000 polar bears gather along 100 miles of coast, stretching from Nelson to Churchill, Manitoba. It is the largest concentration of polar bears in the world. About 300-350 bears congregate in the Churchill area, waiting for the bay to freeze over.( I hope this will continue to be true!)

The indigenous people, the Inuits, called the polar bear Nanook. The Ursus Maritimus is the world’s largest terrestrial carnivore. The King of the Arctic, is a gentle, ever caring mother, who has an intense curiosity. Females weigh 500-700 pounds, and males from 1000-1500 pounds.  Standing on its hind legs, some bears can reach a height of 10-12 feet!

Clad in insulating fur and fat, the polar bear is able to sleep through blizzards, or plunge into near freezing arctic waters. The bear’s three layer coat consists of a big layer of fat topped by skin. A thick black under coat of dense fur traps heat. The top layer of fur consists of guard hairs, which are hollow and act as a solar collector, trapping the warm rays of the direct sun, and passing them onto the heat trapping under coat. The 4 inch outer coat appears from white to yellow, but in effect, its hollow hairs are actually transparent reflecting light. These hairs, also add buoyancy when swimming, and the matting ability and oily texture allow the animal to shed water and ice from its body.

The animals’ paws are large and rounded.  The bear is capable of flipping a 500 pound seal, from the water, with one swing of its paw! Each paw has five partially webbed claws that assist in swimming. Using the front legs to propel him, and its hind legs to stabilize and steer, the bear is a strong swimmer, able to swim up to 60 miles before needing to rest. The footpads have a heavy fur coat, to protect against frostbite, but are rough enough to add traction on ice. On solid surfaces, the paws spread to distribute weight and act like a snowshoe, making them a master at negotiating over ice.

The head is long and tapered, with small ears and powerful jaws. The 42 teeth include long sharp canines, needed for piercing flesh. Their eyesight is rather poor, except under water, where they can see 15 feet, when looking for food. They tend to be far sighted, which allows them to search large areas of their environment when feeding. Their hearing, through the small fur lined ears, is nearly equal to that of humans. The ears also contain a fine network of blood vessels, which transport thermal energy to the auricles.

     The polar bear has a phenomenal sense of smell, and it is said, he can smell a seal buried in a cave, under three feet of snow.  The bear is often seen thrusting its nose in the air to utilize its keen sense of smell. The animal, not only can smell through 3 feet of ice, but also for a distance of 10 miles. On a clear day, through binoculars, its black nose can be seen from a distance of six miles!

The polar bear liver is so rich in vitamin A that it is toxic to humans. The bears are also susceptible to a parasitic worm, which is apparently contracted from eating infected seals. A grown bear’s stomach will allow him to consume 150 pounds of food at one time! However, on average, a seal every five days is adequate to sustains a bear. Summer produces slim pickings for food, and the bear pretty much subsists on its own fat. The normal walking gait of the bear is 2 ½ miles an hour, but it is possible for him to run 25 miles an hour.

Spring, April–May, is mating season for polar bears, with the pair remaining together for a week. Courtship and mating take place on the ice.  Polar bears are induced ovulators, meaning that they do not ovulate regularly, but the mating ritual stimulates ovulation. Gestation is eight months. Mothers normally have twins, but can deliver one or up to four cubs. Cubs look like rats at birth weighting, only 1-2 pounds. When born they are hairless, blind, deaf, and helpless. By the time they emerge from the den at five months, they generally weigh 29 pounds. Moms can double her weight during pregnancy. Cubs are born November – February.  Mom nurses her babies for five months, during which time she does not hunt or feed, but stays in the den with her babies.

The size of the den is approximately 6 X 10 X 4 feet, and the temperature is 40 degrees warmer than the outside air.  There are 17 known denning areas across Canada. One, 40 miles south of Churchill, is the largest. Discovered in 1969, it is a birthing den for 150 polar bears. The cubs stay with their mother 2 ½ years. Mother generally gets pregnant about every three years.     Mother’s milk is 40% fat and is thick like condensed milk. At one month, the cubs crawl, at 6 weeks open their eyes, and by 10 weeks, they can keep their balance. They are mature at 4-5 years. The life span of a polar bear is usually 15-18 years, but can reach 30 years. Mothers with cubs are solitary. Polar bears are very good moms. It is not uncommon for her to run off a male, twice her size, to protect her cub.         Polar bears are one of the seven species of bears, and is most closely related to the brown bear, with whom they can interbreed, and produce fertile offspring. An adult female polar bear is called a sow, and a male, a boar. Adult males can be aggressive and often may hurt or kill the cubs. Two males can box over females for hours and the result can be bloody.

      A polar bear can eat 10% of its body weight in 30 minutes! The animals have well developed, strong hind leg and neck muscles. In spite of their size, they are agile in the water. Young males indulge in mock fights, called sparring, which is an impressive pastime. They spend hours wrestling on their hind legs, which will serve them well for survival and the fight for mates, territory, and food. They will lick the snow to quench their thirst. The only enemy of an adult polar bear is the human.

      Polar bears wander the frozen north and are constantly on the move, roaming hundreds of miles.  They live on ice sheets and ice floes, which provide a base for their diet of mostly ringed seals.  They’ll often wait for a seal to stick its head out of the water to breathe, then slap the seal on the head with its paw, and drag it from the water. This technique is called still hunting.   The aquatic stalk is another hunting technique; the bear quietly swims through the water where a seal is sun bathing on an ice floe. The bear suddenly leaps out of the water grabbing the seal by the neck, and before the seal knows what is happening, he has become dinner. They also eat stranded whales, walruses, carcasses, human refuge, and in the summer, plants and berries.

      We saw many polar bears during our stay in Churchill and it was a thrill every time!