Churchill
, river,
c.1,000 mi/1,609 km long, Sask. and Man.,
central Canada; issues from Methy L., NW Sask.; flows SE, E, and NE
across the lowlands of N Sask. and N Man. to Hudson Bay at Churchill.
It meets the Beaver R., its chief tributary, at Lac
Ile-a-la-Crosse (Sask.). Once a famous fur-trade route, it
was 1st explored (1619) by Jens Munck, a Scandinavian sent by Christian
IV, king of Denmark and Norway, to search for the Northwest Passage. In
1717 the Hudson's Bay Co. established a trading post, later called
Fort Prince of Wales, which eventually became a Br. stronghold in the
region. Captured (1782) by the French under Jean La Perouse, the
fort was regained by the British and renamed Fort Churchill; its ruins
are preserved in Fort Prince of Wales Natl. Historic Park. Exploration
of the upper reaches of the river was carried on by the Frobishers,
Peter Pond, and Alexander Henry, all of the North West Co. A
hydroelectric power station on the upper river supplies power for
mining operations in Man. Modern port of Churchill is at the
mouth.
Capital city or county seat is shown by the symbol
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