Fort Chimo Research Articles

Fort-Chimo, carrefour de l’est de l’Ungava

Fort Chimo is located on the left bank of the Koksoak river 30 miles from Ungava Bay. The Koksoak was first discovered in 1811 by Kohlmeister and Kmoch, Moravian missionaries from Okak on the Labrador Coast. In 1831, two Hudsons Bay traders, Nicol Finlayson and Erland Erlandson, established the original Fort Chimo post on the right bank of the Koksoak river, six miles downstream from the present town. The post had a virtually continuous history of occupance from 1831 until very recently. In 1944, the American army established an air base on the Koksoak river at the present site of the town of Fort Chimo. A great number of the local Eskimos moved away from the old post and congregated about the air base. The Americans abandoned the base in 1948 but most of the Eskimos remained on the site. The new town of Fort Chimo is now located beside the air field and the old post bas been completely abandoned. Fort Chimo had a population of 490 Eskimos and 100-150 whites in 1963. The Eskimos are at grips with serious social and economic problems : poverty, un-employment, alcoholism, etc. However the establishment of a fishing and wood-cutting cooperative in 1961 augures well for the Eskimo community. With the exception of Schefferville, Fort Chimo is the most important centre of eastern Ungava. First a trading post, Fort Chimo now bas an important service and administration junction as well as being a major transportation centre. Fort Chimo can be reached both by air and sea from southern Québec, but most of its supplies arrive by boat.

Alan Gordon Richard Cooke (1933-1989)

Alan Cooke, a person well known to all those interested in the history and development of the subarctic and arctic regions, died in Montreal on 11 July 1989, after an illness of several months. After entering Dartmouth College in 1951, he worked with a geological field party in northern Quebec during the summer of 1953 and soon came under the influence of Vilhjalmur Stefansson, who with his famous collection of polar books, pamphlets, and letters had just taken up residence at Dartmouth. These two events set Alan firmly upon a long trail of northern studies, which he followed for the remaining four decades of his life as traveller, researcher, writer, consultant, and editor. By the time Alan graduated from Dartmouth he had already compiled a comprehensive bibliography of northern Quebec, which a decade later, with considerable expansion, was published in two volumes as the Bibliography of the Quebec-Labrador Peninsula, co-authored with Fabien Caron. ... [Alan] ... earned a Ph.D. in 1970 with an analysis of the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Chimo operation in the early nineteenth century. During the 1960s and early 1970s he enjoyed a close association with the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge and for three years edited its journal Polar Record. He also served as a research analyst on the staff for the Arctic Bibliography published by the Arctic Institute of North America. In 1975 he moved back to Montreal to undertake freelance editorial work. ... Alan's career included jobs as assistant librarian and/or curator of manuscripts in two of the world's best polar libraries, the Stefansson Collection at Dartmouth College and the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge. ... his knowledge of the North was not gained merely from the printed page ... [but from first hand experience in such places as McGill's Subarctic Research Station at Schefferville, the Mackenzie Delta, Fort Simpson, and the Noatak River region of Alaska.] ... his most significant and enduring scholarly contribution was the book The Exploration of Northern Canada 500 to 1920; a Chronology (1978), co-authored with Clive Holland. This indispensable annotated compendium of subarctic and arctic expeditions and events has already had a positive influence upon northern scholarship and writing, and there is no reason to think that its value will ever diminish. ...

A method to estimate active-layer thickness on the basis of correlations between terrain and climatic parameters as measured in northern Quebec

Field studies recently conducted on the west coast of Ungava Bay, in the southern part of the continuous permafrost zone, have permitted the establishment of the pattern of active-layer development for six different geomorphological and vegetational terrain types. All study sites were situated on horizontal surfaces free from local topographic influences, to permit the explanation of thaw progression, in terms of the earth materials, moisture content, and vegetation cover characterizing each terrain type. Thermal properties for organic and mineral soil, and for bedrock, were calculated from field data on texture, bulk density, and moisture content of the earth materials at the sites, and were used to explain thaw-layer development for each terrain type. A linear regression was established for each group of sites between the logarithmic transformation of thaw penetration and an atmospheric thawing index obtained through interpolations of air temperature data from the two closest meteorological stations—Kuujjuaq (Fort Chimo) and Koartaq (Cape Hope's Advance). This regression was then used to estimate the total thickness of the active layer at the end of the thaw season for each terrain type, and to assess probable variations in active-layer depths in the region over a 20 year time period. Probable spatial variations of active layers for extreme climatic variations in the Ungava Peninsula are also briefly presented. Key words: active layer, permafrost, thermal, thaw penetration, terrain analyses, Ungava.

Discovering the Inuit People

In January 1982, a group from Montreal’s le Théâtre de la Marmaille consisting of François Camirand, Emmanuel Charpentier, France Mercille, Daniel Meilleur, and myself, left for our first expedition into the far North, land of the Nouvel-Québécois. André Moreau from the Kativik Board of Education accompanied us. This vast northern space, which as children we always called the land of the Eskimos and which children today still believe to be the land of Santa Claus, is inhabited by a race that prefers to be called “Inuit” (meaning “man” in the broadest sense of the term). The Inuit inhabit that part of Quebec which is above the tree-line, from Kuujjurapik (Poste-au-Baleine) to Kuujjuak (Fort Chimo). Indeed, there are no trees, only the vast stretch of white where the native people live spread out in 14 villages in a region that we know as Le Nouveau Québec. It was Michel O. Noël, ethnologist and coordinator of Indian and Inuit Affairs at the Ministère des Affaires Culturelles, who first had the idea of touring a children’s play into Nouveau Québec and he submitted his project to us.

A Phenetic Analysis of the Redpolls Carduelis flammea flammea and C. hornemanni exilipes

A Phenetic Analysis of the Redpolls Carduelis flammea flammea and C. hornemanni exilipes

A Unique International Polar Year Contribution: Lucien Turner, Capelin, and Climatic Change

Lucien McShann Turner (1847-1909), one of the most able field naturalists in North America in his day, spent two years (1882-84) at Fort Chimo, Quebec, as meteorological observer for the U.S. Army Signal Service during the first International Polar Year. Among his many activities over and above his IPY duties was the collection and description of the fishes of the region. This paper reports on the significance of Turner's first record, in 1884, of the presence of the capelin (Malotus villosus) in very large numbers at the mouth of the Koksoak River. Mallotus is an excellent indicator of marine climate conditions, and the subsequent records of its presence and absence in Ungava Bay are reviewed in relation to climatic change in the North Atlantic-Subarctic region in general.Key words: capelin, Mallotus villosus, Ungava Bay, International Polar Year

Postglacial Emergence of the West Coast of Ungava Bay, Quebec

Field studies have provided a sufficient spread of radiocarbon-dated sea levels to enable presentation of a general history of postglacial emergence for a 300-km stretch of the west coast of Ungava Bay. In the late Wisconsin glacial stage, this coastal area was covered by continental ice moving in a generally northeasterly direction. The deglaciation of the coast took place 7500 to 7000 yr BP, the retreat of the ice front to the west and southwest being accompanied by a marine submergence which left well-defined marine limits throughout the region. The metachronous nature of the marine limit does not permit the construction of isobases or of precise tilt directions during subsequent isostatic readjustment, but isolines on the marine limit clearly imply a steady increase in elevation from 120 m a.s.l. at Diana Bay in the north, to 180 m a.s.l. at Leaf Bay and Fort Chimo. Subsequent land emergence due to isostatic readjustment is represented by two curves based on 24 radiocarbon dates at elevations varying from close to the marine limit down to 9 m above present sea level. Although the emergence can be represented reasonably well by continuous and decelerating curves, relatively temporary phases of sea-level stability are indicated by morphological evidence such as old marine deltas, bar and lagoon complexes, boulder barricades, raised beaches, and erosional bluffs.

Holocene Climate Based on Pollen Transfer Functions, Eastern Canadian Arctic

Transfer functions are developed for a north-south transect in the eastern Canadian Arctic (from Clyde River to Fort Chimo) based on surface pollen samples. The Imbrie/Kipp and multiple stepwise linear regression models are used to show the statistical association between percentages of 19 pollen taxa and climatic variables (January, June, July, and summer temperatures, Young's index of summer warmth, and summer UJJA] precipitation). Multiple correlation

Early recumbent folds in the northeastern part of the northern Labrador Trough

In the northeastern part of the Labrador Trough northwest of Fort Chimo, Quebec, a polydeformed metasedimentary sequence structurally overlies feldspathic gneisses. The gneisses are probably basement to the sediments. Rocks of the metasedimentary sequence were deformed into north-northwest vergent, isoclinal, recumbent folds and then refolded about subhorizontal northwest trending axes during the Hudsonian orogeny. The presence of early recumbent folds, apparently not involving basement, is compatible with the occurrence of gneiss domes and tight keels of metasediments in the eastern trough, as described by Dimroth, Gelinas and others. Recumbent folds like these could in part account for both the high metamorphic grades observed in the eastern trough and the commonly faulted contacts between metasediments and possible basement gneisses.

Glacial History and Palaeoecology of Northeastern Nouveau-Québec and Northern Labrador

Between mid-July and mid-August 1975, a reconnaissance was made of a large tract of subarctic and arctic terrain bounded by Schefferville, Fort Chimo and the Torngat Mountains north to latitude 59°31' N. A float-plane was used for the purpose. Three main areas received special attention: the southern and central Torngat Mountains between Hebron Fiord and Ryans Bay; the lower George River between Wedge Hill and Port Nouveau Québec, and the Quebec-Newfoundland boundary area north of Schefferville. This work was designed to provide radiometric dating control for earlier studies in the same region carried out between 1955 and 1965. It was intended to lay a foundation for future detailed investigations of Holocene climatic and ecological history, including fluctuations in the position of the northern treeline, final disappearance of the late-Wisconsin Laurentide Ice Sheet, and the early development of human occupation of the area. Specific objectives included: 1. confirmation that three distinct rock weathering zones, related to discrete glacial stades, were indeed correlative with rock weathering zones recognized in Baffin Island through quantitative studies; 2. resolution of the questions of the existence of ice-free areas during the Wisconsin Maximum (Saglek Glaciation) and of the earlier total glacial inundation of the Torngat Mountains. The second question hinges on the interpretation of anomalous blocks on high mountain tops as glacial erratics; 3. dating of the major glacial lake shorelines in the George River basin (Naskaupi and McLean glacial lakes) and location of other suspected glacial lake systems; 4. determination of the date of final disappearance of late-Wisconsin ice in the central region of Labrador-Ungava; 5. study of the fluctuations in the position of the forest-tundra ecotone over the last 8,000 years and comparison with those in the Districts of Keewatin and Mackenzie, N.W.T.; 6. analysis of Holocene climatic and environmental fluctuations affecting plant communities and human occupancy.

Television and the Eskimo People of Frobisher Bay

In 1972, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) extended its Frontier Television Service to the people of Frobisher Bay in the Northwest Territories. Although certain other northern communities had been receiving the service for more than a year, no television programmes had ever before been transmitted to a predominantly Eskimo community lacking any previous experience of the medium. … The reaction of the Eskimo people to the service was investigated after a year by means of a survey. A questionnaire was distributed to heads of households, not only in the area served, but also, for purposes of comparison, in the community of Fort Chimo, Quebec, which was without television. Commencing in February 1973, 131 out of a total of 200 Eskimo heads of household within the Frobisher Bay community were interviewed, and in mid-July 1973, 84 out of a total of 96 heads of household in the community of Fort Chimo were surveyed. … Interviews were … conducted by Eskimo people native to, and familiar with, the study area and the local dialects. … It was possible to draw certain conclusions from the results of the survey, the most striking of them concerning social attitudes. After one year of television, the Frobisher Bay respondents were more inclined to put forward ideas for the employment of their children than were the respondents in Fort Chimo. It was apparent that the role of the daughter in relation to the mother had changed, and that there was increasing acceptance of the idea that a daughter could, if she wished, seek employment. In Frobisher Bay, there was more interest in opportunities for travel to locations outside the North, and respondents were more national than local in their preferences. They were more aware of international problems and could propose solutions to them. … An unhappy fact that emerged from the investigation was that many participants felt their opinions were valueless. … Some future study might serve to reveal whether the native peoples' fundamental understanding is being greatly enriched, and their horizons broadened, by visual information being presented to them over such considerably increased periods of time. …

: Fort Chimo and Payne Lake, Ungava, Archaeology, 1965 . Thomas E. Lee. ; Archaeological Discoveries, Payne Bay Region, Ungava, 1966 . Thomas E. Lee. ; Archaeological Findings, Gyrfalcon to Eider Islands, Ungava, 1968 . Thomas E. Lee.

Book reviewed in this article: Archeology: Fort Chimo and Payne Lake, Ungava, Archaeology, 1965. THOMAS E. LEE. Archeology: Archaeological Discoveries, Payne Bay Region, Ungava, 1966. THOMAS E. LEE. Archeology: Archaeological Findings, Gyrfalcon to Eider Islands, Ungava, 1968. THOMAS E. LEE.

A Synopsis of the westermanni Group of the Genus Euxoa Hbn. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) With Descriptions of Two New Species

AbstractThe westermanni group of the genus Euxoa is defined, and a key to the eleven constituent North American species is presented. Two species are described as new: chimoensis from Fort Chimo, Quebec, and luteomaculata from montane areas of southern Alberta, southern British Columbia, and northern Washington.

The Angnasheotik: An Account of the Invention of a Spiritual Entity Among the Ungava Eskimos

Discusses fears of ghosts and graveyards among the Labrador Eskimos, resulting from contacts with whites. Among spirits feared are the Angnasheotik, described by three informants from the Fort Chimo area of northern Quebec as ghosts of white men who molest Eskimo and Naskopi Indian women. The origin of belief in the Angnasheotik is considered, and the hypothesis discussed that they represent expression of hostile attitudes toward whites.

Salmon Investigations on the Koksoak River, 1957

Continuing the investigations that were begun at the George River in 1956, the salmon population of the Koksoak River was examined during the summer of 1957. Sampling was by the use of nylon gill nets placed at various stations along the river and its two major tributaries, the Kaniapiskau and the Larch. A fairly large sample of juvenile salmon was obtained by angling. It was found that probably the majority of the Koksoak salmon travel up the Larch River to spawn. How far they can ascend is not known, but they do so for a minimum of 60 miles and probably can go much farther. Only the lower 20 miles of the Kaniapiskau River are accessible to salmon, beyond this they are stopped by the 60-foot Limestone Falls. On the basis of catches of adult salmon twenty times as many ascend the Larch than the Kaniapiskau; however, since only one salmon was taken in the Kaniapiskau in 30 net nights, this estimate is probably not reliable. The Eskimo salmon fishery at Fort Chimo was observed when it was in full swing and a good sample of the catch was examined. This fishery can hardly be described as intensive and undoubtedly the Eskimo could obtain far more salmon. The major obstacles are (1) the high cost of gear; (2) the difficulties of fishing the Koksoak River at Fort Chimo due to the large size of the stream and the strong tidal currents; (3) the coincidence of the fishing season and the time of seasonal employment in loading and unloading the ships. This occupation is very attractive because the Eskimo can earn $1.40 per hour, whereas fishing does not bring in cash, only a supply of dog food for the winter. ... In addition to collecting, physiological studies on the speckled trout [brook trout] and the Atlantic salmon were continued. These involved measurements of the basal oxygen consumption of these fish under different temperature regimes at different seasons. Results obtained for the speckled trout in previous years suggested that diurnal temperature fluctuations at low temperatures had an exaggerated effect on the oxygen consumption of the fish. To complement the hourly measurements of temperatures made in conjunction with the physiological experiments, a number of continuous recordings were obtained using a thermograph .... The results of these investigations, which were supported by a Banting Fund grant from the Arctic Institute of North America and a grant from the Department of Fisheries, Quebec, will be published in detail later.

The Ionosphere Over Northern Canada

Contains review of communication problems in northern Canada. Shortwave radio via sky-wave tranmission is the most economical method of communication, but suffers from occasional failures due to ionospheric disturbances. Ionospheric research conducted in Canada to improve short-wave radio is discussed. Eight ionospheric recording observatories were established. Four of these, at St. John's in Newfoundland, Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Prince Rupert, skirted the southern part of the auroral zone from east to west. Stations at Churchill and Fort Chimo were near the line of maximum auroral occurrence, and those at Baker Lake and Resolute Bay extended the line of observations from Winnipeg to a point north of the magnetic pole. In 1954 the stations at St. John's, Fort Chimo, and Prince Rupert were discontinued. Research on spectra, luminosity, height, and electron density of the aurora is briefly discussed.

Notes on the birds of the Fort Chimo, Ungava District

Notes on the birds of the Fort Chimo, Ungava District

Scientific Serials

American Journal of Science, June.—Othniel Charles Marsh—portrait and obituary notice.—The Camden Chert of Tennessee and its Lower Oriskany Fauna, by J. M. Safford and C. Schuchert. The latter describes in detail a peculiar chert formation discovered by the former.—Recent discovery of rocks of the age 01 the Trenton formation at Akpabok Island, Ungava, by J. F. Whiteaves. Describes the fossils collected by Dr. R. Bell, of the Canadian Geological Survey, on Akpabok Island, between Ashe Inlet and Fort Chimo, and concludes that they belong to a lower geological horizon than the Hudson River formation as at first supposed.—Studies in the Cyperaceæ, No. 10, by T. Holm. Describes the North American species of Fimbristylis, Vahl.—On Roscœlite, by W. F. Hillebrand and H. W. Turner. Roscoelite is a vanadium mica, some specimens of which show a tendency to crystallise in little rosettes. It occurs most frequently embedded in quartz at Placerville, California. It contains 45 per cent. SiO2, 24 per cent. V2O3, 11 per cent, alumina, 10 per cent, potash, 4 per cent, water, and traces of magnesia and ferrous oxide.—Gravitation in gaseous nebulæ, by F. E. Nipher. If R be the radius of a spherical mass of gas of cosmical dimensions, and T its temperature, the product TR is constant. The heat capacity of such a gravitating mass is negative. If heat leaves the gas, it contracts and becomes warmer. The physical condition to be satisfied in order that a central mass or core, having a radius equal to that of the sun, should contain a mass equal to that of the sun, is that its temperature is 20 million degrees Centigrade. The pressure at the surface of this sphere is 366 million atmospheres. The average density of the spherical mass, which is three times the density at the surface of the hydrogen sun, is about 7 per cent, less than the average density of the sun itself, but the nature of the gas is immaterial. In the sun as it is, the rarefied external parts of the solar nebula have parted with their heat, and the temperature throughout the mass has ceased to be uniform. But the abolition of cosmical pressure has almost wholly compensated the fall in temperature of the sun from 20 millions at least to perhaps 10,000 degrees.