Churchill, Manitoba Heritage Tour

On September 2, 2024 we flew from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba on a 2.5 hour Calm Air charter flight. This was part of a package tour we had booked with Lazy Bear Expeditions. 

We arrived at the small Churchill airport, and were greeted by our two excellent guides, Joe and Kelly. This interesting sign was posted in the airport. We were soon to find out that they take polar bear safety very seriously in Churchill. In fact, the people of the town leave their cars and homes unlocked so that if anyone encounters a bear, they can find refuge at the nearest place.

We were transported about 20 minutes from the airport to the lodge where a delicious buffet lunch awaited us. Churchill is only accessible by train or airplane with a population of under 800 people. It was amazing how delicious the food at the lodge was under these circumstances.

After lunch it was back on the bus where were taken on a three hour Heritage Tour of the area. Considering how remote and small this town is, there is a lot of history. First stop was the Northern store where we could load up on snacks and adult beverages as the lodge does not have a liquor license. Next we visited Canada Parks Cape Merry Battery to learn about some of the early history. Here was the sign we saw upon arrival.

Next thing we see is our driver, Joe, pulling out a loaded shot gun to sweep the area for bears before we could get off the bus. Safety first!! All clear, so we got off and walked to what remains of the walls of the battery. The British arrived here in the early 1700s to establish the Hudson Bay Trading Company. They built this cannon battery at the mouth of the Churchill River for protection. In 1731, they built the Prince of Wales Fort across the river for further protection. The fur trading business was very profitable.

Prince of Wales Fort

Our guides told us that Parks Canada has a promotion where red Adirondack chairs are placed throughout their parks for people to have their pictures taken at. Of course, we had to comply. The funny thing is none of our Canadians friends have heard of this. I looked it up, and it is a thing!

Next stop was the polar bear jail. This facility is for locking up bothersome bears who come into town and cause trouble. During the summer, the bears are in a waking state of hibernation. They eat very little all summer, waiting to migrate out to the ice in the winter to hunt seals. When they are caught, they are placed in a cage in this building for 30 days in the dark without food. It is meant to teach them that coming into town has unhappy consequences. Behind the jail, was a trap that is used to catch bears.

Polar Bear Jail building with beautiful mural

That's a big trap!

As we were driving around town, we saw lots of murals on buildings. In 2016, the town's port had closed and flooding had washed out the rail line. The town was suffering. A Winnipeg artist organized a massive art project where eighteen artists from around the world volunteered their time to paint murals on empty buildings all over town. There is a documentary called Know I'm Here about it. How amazing! Here are other murals we saw.

We stopped at the site where a cargo plane crashed in 1979 after experiencing engine failure. It almost made it to the airport.  Joe took his gun and checked for bears, and out we came. If you look closely, you can see him through the hole in the plane with his gun, watching out for us. The plane is nicknamed Miss Piggy because these planes were often overloaded and once carried pigs. It also has a mural painted on it.

Next we headed to a beach very close to town on the Hudson Bay. Once again, there were many signs warning of bears, and certain areas you could not go past. We actually saw these bear tracks in the sand. Wow!

There is an old shipwreck on the beach named the Beluga. You can climb around on it.

There is also a large Inukshuk sculpture on the beach. These sculpture were traditionally used by the aboriginal people as route markers. Today they are a symbol of friendship and welcome.

Across the street from the beach is Churchill's Community Center. It is a huge building which houses the school, health center, indoor playground, movie theater, swimming pool, library, curling rink, hockey arena and a gym. The winters are quite long and harsh, so this is a very nice perk for the citizens of this small town. Along the road in front of the community center are a number of painted rocks. They are beautifully done!

I found this "weather station" to be quite funny!

Here's a picture of the huge grain elevator which was completed in 1932, and was the second largest in the world at time of completion. They used to ship tons of grain out of the Churchill port. Grain shipments were stopped around 2010 for numerous reasons, and the town suffered greatly. The port has since been sold, and there is hope they will begin shipping ore instead of grain.

We ended our day back at the lodge for a delicious dinner. The food here was outstanding. I had elk stew, which tasted kind of like beef stew and was very tender. The lodge is rustic and charming. 

This is their postcard

They had this cute window in the restaurant.

Our first day was great. Tomorrow we are off to try and find beluga whales!

 Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!