The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1921-02-18
THE LEAvENWORTH ECHO

trip. In 1909 he anchored his fam
Gus Half Moon close 10 the present
location Of New York's Goddess Of
Liberty, and the following year. still
searching for the elusive Northwest
Passage, he sailed into Hudson Bay
and followed its eastern shore south
to near the present Moose factory.
1T was there in James Bay. the
shallow southern arm Of Hudson Bay.
that Henry Hudson suffered the keen
ness of disappointment that can come
only TO the worlds great dreamers.
His dream was TO find a passage to
the South Sea and therefore a short
cut TO India. When he sailed into
Hudson Bay and found that il was
great body of water he was sure his
dream was about to be realized. But
when he reached the shallow James
Bay, and dosing across. found that
there was a west coast to the great
eXpanse Of water. his dream came TO
an end.
ut was on the shores of James Bay
that Hudson and his surly crew win
tered following his discovery. and
only a short distance to the north
that the great explorer met his tragic
end next spring. when. bound BY mu-
tineers he was set adrift in small
boat with a handful of sick men. to
perish.
"'The Company of Gentlemen Ad-
venturers Trading to Hudson's Bav.
which carved dominion for Great
Britain across North America. estab-
liShed its first post near Moose fac
tory soon after King Charles II sign
ed its charter in 1870 and blithelv
made itS members true and absolute
lords of "a of a continent. vested
them with trading monopolies. rights
to pass laws and impose punishment,
and even gave them power to make
war on non-Christian peoples. During
the three and a half centuries since
that time Moose Factory has remain
ed one of the important posts Of the
Hudson Bay company. gathering a
rich harvest of furs. It was the scene
of many raids and counter raids in
the early days between the French
and the Company's employees.
Hudson Bay IS one of the most
characteristic features on the map of
North America. standing out as str-ik-
ingly as the Gulf of Mexico and COW
ering almost as great an area. Though
its falls far short Of furnishing a pas
sage 10 the South Sea as the early
explorers hoped. its westernmost
coast is on the very center-line Of the
continent. Much of the surrounding
territory Of the bay is UNEMPLOYED will
derness. This is especially true Of the
east coast toward Labrador
"On the west coast are Port
Churchill. the bays best port. and
about 100 miles TO the south. Port Mel
son. g
Both these ports are to be connected
/ by railroads with Winnipeg and the
wheat and cattle country to the west
Sailing vessels ply Hudson Bay be-
tween July Is and October I. al
steamers for slightly longer period.
When the railroads increase the in.
portance Of Hudson Bay ports II is be
lieved that ice-crushing ships Will
make possible the shipping Of CARGO,
between June Is and November I. pv
the Hudson Bay Route Edmonton. Al
belta. is 1000 miles nearer Liverpool
than by the Montreal route.
Moose Factory at the southern
most reaches of Hudson Bay. though
isolated from the settled pa1+ of Can
ada by forests and swamps in sum
mer and frozen wastes in winter j.
only about as far from New York as
Chicago The distance from Ottawa
TO Moose Factory is about equal "a
that from New York TO Pttsburg."