Moosonee

Moosonee is a town of 1,500 people (2016) in Northern Ontario. Called the "Gateway to the Arctic", it is Ontario's only saltwater port where goods are transferred from trains to aircraft and barges to more northerly communities. Although it is on the same latitude (51° N) as Calgary, Saskatoon, London (UK), and slightly south of Berlin, it is still an isolated community as there is no year-round road access.

History
The first European-Canadians to settle at Moosonee were Annie Hardisty and her two daughters in 1900. However, the place was not fully developed until 1903 when a crew of 21 fur traders of Revillon Frères arrived to establish the Moose River Post, which became their most important location. It was quickly expanded with a staff house, carpenter's shop, warehouse, and sawmill. Although this outpost was prosperous, it remained isolated with supply ships only arriving once a year from Montreal and mail only arriving four times a year. Scows that travelled along the Pagwachuan, Kenogami, and Albany Rivers from Pagwa were the only supply lines for Moose River Post until 1932. In that year, the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway was extended to Moose River Post from Cochrane, and the town was renamed Moosonee from the Cree word Moosoneek meaning "at the Moose (River)".

In 1936, Revillon Frères sold its Canadian operations to the Hudson's Bay Company and the Moosonee post closed. The HBC also exited the fur trade and opened a retail store in Moosonee (now Northern Store part of the North West Company). With the end of the fur trade business, Moosonee's economy became centred on transportation.

In 1962, Moosonee became the site of Royal Canadian Air Force Station Moosonee that was part of NORAD's Pinetree Line chain of radar stations. It closed in 1975 and some of its buildings were used by the town after the closure, including the base swimming pool and recreation centre.

In 1968, the town was classified as a Development Area Board. In November 2000, it was incorporated as the Town of Moosonee.

In 1987, the town created the Moosonee salt water port. It is the only salt water port in Ontario.

Climate
Moosonee experiences a humid continental climate, generally featuring long cold winters and short warm to hot summers, with James Bay acting as a thermal reservoir to moderate spring and fall temperatures. Freeze-up on the Moose River normally occurs between late November and mid-December, with mean daily minimum January temperatures approximately −27 °C (−17 °F). Spring break-up, or spring thaw, usually occurs in April. Mean annual precipitation is approximately 682 millimetres (26.9 in), and mean annual snowfall is approximately 213 centimetres (83.9 in). Severe thunderstorms can occur from time to time.

By plane



 * Seaplanes arrive and depart from the Moosonee Water Aerodrome.

By car
The only road access to Moosonee is by winter ice roads.


 * The Wetum Road links Moosonee and Moose Factory to an all-season forestry road near Otter Rapids, which connects to the provincial highway network via Highway 634 near Abitibi Canyon.
 * The James Bay Winter Road travels northwest along the coast of James Bay, linking Moosonee to Fort Albany, Kashechewan and Attawapiskat. It is mostly used by trucks for mining operations.

Get around

 * Northway Taxi, +1 705-336-3000
 * Mahekun Taxi, +1 705-336-6700
 * DC Cab, +1 705-336-3333

See
Notable attractions in Moosonee include:

Connect
Cellular service is available in Moosonee and Moose Factory. Wi-fi is available at the railway station.

Moose Factory
Accessible by water taxi in the summer ($15 one-way) and by ice road in the winter (usually December to March; taxi $10 one-way). During the spring ice break-up and fall freeze in the river, accessible only by helicopter ($40 one-way).



Go next
With limited options for onwards travel, you'll probably need to go back the way you came.
 * Cochrane — the southern terminus of the Ontario Northland Railway's Polar Bear Express.
 * Timmins — the nearest city; served by scheduled flights.