It was established in 1673 as the main trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company.

This summer, Ontario Northland's Polar Bear Express will once again offer passengers the opportunity to ride the rails and explore the historic James Bay region. The Polar Bear Express is a popular tourist rail excursion. The train operates daily this summer, except Saturdays, until Friday, August 27, 2010.

Escape the southern heat and learn about Ontario’s frontier heritage and the land the fur traders roamed. Get a feeling for what it means to live so far away from urban centres with no roads to leave by.

The Polar Bear Express takes you 186 miles north from Cochrane, through Ontario's most pristine and spectacular scenery to the edge of the Arctic at Moosonee, Ontario. It journeys through spectacular forests and rugged wetlands, and across fierce rivers once navigated by early native peoples, explorers and fur traders. Travellers will encounter the unique culture of the Cree people and step back in time to the early days of the Hudson's Bay Company.

Passengers can explore the communities of Moosonee and Moose Factory by following guided or self guided tours, or with the commentary of an audio tour that has been developed by The Discovery Channel. Passengers can also participate in one of Ontario Northland's package excursions, which include activity options and overnight accommodations in either Moosonee or Moose Factory.

For more information, contact Ontario Northland at 1.800.268.9281, or visit www.PolarBearExpress.ca.

Moose Factory, an island just south of James Bay, was established in 1673 as the main trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. It is Canada's oldest English-speaking community. The company's staff house and three servant houses recall the settlement's bygone era. The historic buildings are owned by Ontario Heritage Trust.

The Hudson's Bay Company began as a fur-trading enterprise in 1670, evolving into a trading and exploration company that spanned Canada and parts of the United States.

In 1977, the Hudson's Bay Company donated its Staff House at Moose Factory to the Ontario Heritage Trust. One of the symbols of the company's long presence in the fur trade of the north, it was constructed in 1850 to provide sleeping quarters for bachelor employees. The Staff House was built of squared logs using techniques borrowed from British ship building. Spikes joined the logs together; the corners were simply butt-ended. Between 1982 and 1984, the Trust acquired the Joseph Turner House (1864), the William McLeod House (1890) and the Ham Sackabukisham House (1926), all traditional timber frame structures built for Hudson's Bay Company trades people, and relocated them near the Staff House in Centennial Park.

These structures have been extensively restored with funds provided by the federal and provincial governments. The Moose Factory Tourism Association provides daily access to the buildings during the summer.

You can request a free brochure about Moose Factory from Ontario Heritage Trust by going to www.heritagefdn.on.ca/userfiles/HTML/nts_1_2484_1.html