Modern Times

Museum Churchill has become Canada’s only Arctic seaport, and ocean trade came to the town in the early 20th century. Grain was the focus most trade, and one the Hudson Bay Railroad was completed in 1929, the first shipment of grain took place in 1931. In the late 1990s the port was sold by the Government of Canada to American company Omni TRAX. The port still operates today, with shipments coming and going from mid-July until early November. Fuel, building materials and other goods for communities further north than Churchill also come through the port.

Fort Churchill was built established in 1942, and was located around ten kilometres east of Churchill, near the original Fort Churchill; it was established by the United States Air Force as part of the Crimson Route, a proposed overseas route to support the Allied forces in Europe. It became a training and experimental centre after World War II, and was subsequently closed in 1980.

Science also plays a large role in Churchill’s recent history. In 1957, the Churchill Rocket Research Range was established; over 3000 sounding rockets were launched in conjunction with experiments relating to northern lights and the ionosphere. The base was decommissioned in the mid-1960s, and is now home to the Churchill Northern Studies Centre.

Churchill’s economy now relies on both the Port of Churchill and its burgeoning tourist industry – famous for polar bears, beluga whales, northern lights and more, it continues to be a secluded destination for visitors from around the world.