This church (Anglican) was built by shipbuiders. A good thing, too, because during the spring breakup floods one year it floated downriver with the parting ice. It was carefully towed back to Moose Factory.

Shipbuilders built much of the original town of Moose Factory and some buildings still stand. The name "Factory" comes from the title for the person in charge of the fur trading post which was "Factor"
Inside you can certainly see the influence that the builders had on the design of the architectural space.
Below is a fur press used by the Hudson's Bay Company to bundle and pack fur pelts.
During the winter freeze-up an ice bridge is constructed to allow traffic to cross the river between Moose Factory and Moosonee. Yes, it is slippery, and yes, trucks fall in. In the summer, this area is called Tidewater Provincial Park.

When the ice is gone, you usually have to take a water taxi to cross the river.
In this teepee a delectable treat is being prepared. The bracing fragrance of spruce comes from the branches used to cover the ground inside.

The old forge is still fully functional. During the summer months, there are guided visits
Jane is wrapping the bannock dough onto a stick and baking it over a fire. She prepares dough in advance and keeps it in a cooler.

Originally, bannock came to the Cree people through Scottish sailors and settlers. In Scotland, it is a sweet scone cooked on a griddle or in the oven.
You can make your own bannock, but of course it won't have that elusive quality that comes only from baking in a teepee on an open fire surrounded by spruce branches and having it handed gently to you by Jane in Moose Factory.

From: Nishnabe Delights,
Ojibwe Cultural Foundation; Woodland Studios, publisher. Edited by Mary Lou Fox with illustrations by Martin Panamick.

You can write to me for other recipes, but only if you have company coming and a moose nose that you don't know how to cook. (Just kidding.) I would love to hear from you, especially if you enjoy my site about Moosonee and Moose Factory.
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