Founded in 1673 on traditional Môsonîw Ililiw (Cree) lands, Moose Factory is the second oldest Hudson’s Bay Company post.

In the early 19th century, it became the Company’s Southern Department headquarters. After 1821, it supplied posts inland as far as Lake Timiskaming on the Ottawa River watershed. By the 1870s, it had ship-builders, a printing press, a bishop, and a growing multicultural population. With the fur trade’s decline, Moose Factory transitioned from a company town to a permanent settlement for the Ililiw.

Photo: švabo, Wikimedia commons, CC-BY-3.0