This lithograph shows York Factory in 1853 during the time when it was in its heyday as the main depot of the Hudson's Bay Company. Its strategic location at the mouth of the Hayes River enabled the Hudson's Bay traders to tap directly the rich fur resources of the western hinterland. During the summer season, the fort was a hive of activity as the annual ships arrived from England with trade goods while the boat brigades arrived from the interior with the annual fur returns. York Factory was originally built in 1684, making it the oldest permanent settlement in what is today Manitoba. The buildings shown here date from the nineteenth century. Note the long wooden sidewalks which were necessary because the fort was built on swampy ground. Although the climate was severe, life at York Factory could be quite bearable. Such was the opinion of a young Scotsman stationed there in the 1820s:
Our yearly communication with England permits us many European luxuries & refinements which Inland winterers cannot obtain. Our lodgings are commodious, elegant, and impenetrable to the howling blast which rages around us during most of the year.
