Northwestern Labrador 
And the Crossing from Hudson to Ungava Bay 
By STEPHEN P. M. TASKER 
T he entire northern and western part of 
Labrador peninsula is almost wholly un¬ 
known. Even so far south as Richmond 
Gulf the country has only been crossed four 
times by white men, while our knowledge of 
the enormous tract, which extends northward 
from here to Hudson Strait, is dependent on 
such inexact accounts as can be obtained from 
the Eskimo. It is known, however, that the 
rolling country of the south grows mountainous 
as we approach the extreme north, and that the 
gently sloping shores of Hudson Bay become 
more abrupt, though they prol ably nowhere ap¬ 
proach the remarkably rugged and precipitous 
forms which are so characteristic of the Atlantic 
coast. 
The crossing from Richmond Gulf to Ungava 
Bay was first made by some Hudson Bay Com¬ 
pany men in 1824, who left, so far as I am 
aware, no account of the trip. It was next made 
in 1885 by the Rev. John Peck, a missionary, 
and in 1896 by A. P. Low, an intrepid explorer, 
who knows more of Labrador than anyone else; 
lastly it was made by my wife and me in the 
summer of 1906. 
Our trip began on the morning of Aug. 4, 
when we paddled out from Great Whale River 
into Hudson Bay and turned our canoe north¬ 
ward toward Richmond Gulf. The weather 
throughout the trip was perfect with light north¬ 
west winds and a slight current to the north¬ 
ward. I believe that the whole eastern shore 
can be navigated easily in an open canoe; a 
good landing can be made almost anywhere and 
there are numerous small islands for shelter. 
Fresh water can be found in the crevices of 
the rocks and the streams are numerous. We 
have paddled our canoe to the mouths of fresh 
water streams and drank from the bow while 
the stern was in salt water. 
The mainland coast is of rounded mounds 
of dull somber colored rock, rising directly from 
the water with here and there small bays and 
sheltered corners where the drift has accumulated 
to form a pebbly beach. In marked contrast to 
this are the many Ijeautiful islands which, on 
account of the inclination of their strata, slope 
upward toward the east and terminate in abrupt 
cliffs facing the shore. The coloration of these 
island walls is very beautiful; stains of red, 
salmon-pink, white and yellow cover them in 
layers or in irregular designs. There is iron 
on the islands, but probably of low per cent.; on 
the mainland, where I understand galena has 
been found, a better grade of ore may be dis¬ 
covered, together with other valuable minerals. 
Such at least is the belief of one party that we 
met as they were returning from Little Whale 
River. They had been out nearly all summer 
but had had only a few days of actual prospect¬ 
ing on account of head winds and bad weather. 
On arriving at the mouth of Richmond Gulf 
we found it an almost landlocked bay, separated 
from Hudson Bay by a long narrow ridge of 
rock about one thousand feet high. As is the 
case throughout this whole region, the rocks 
have been completely rounded off by the past 
action of glaciers. The only entrance to the 
gulf is through a narrow break in the rocks 
through which the water rushes in and out with 
great violence with the rising and falling of 
the tide. The passage can only be made in 
slack water and even then it is dangerous. 
From coast to coast the crossing of Labrador 
was nothing but a succession of rapids more 
or less dangerous, with good and bad portages 
which ranged from a few feet to a few miles 
in length. These portages were often within 
a hundred yards of each other. Some of them 
were over the rocks, some through small 
growths of timber and many through swamps 
and marshes. This is where in the heat of the 
(lay—which reached 90 degrees and one night 
did not go below 70 degrees—with a heavy pack 
and a pound of mosquitoes looking for exposed 
places, and black flies working up our sleeves, 
we realized as we sank into the swamp up to 
our knees at each step the drawbacks of our 
expedition. But in a short time we would be 
through, a cool breeze perhaps sprang up, and 
good fishing, hot tea and undercooked beans 
helped to make us contented and happy. And 
we have found that when our whole trip is oyer 
and we are back in civilization again, the desire 
for the solitude and mysteries of the wild con¬ 
tinually calls us. 
One who has not made the crossing can hardly 
realize how dangerous some of the rapids are. 
Frequently, owing to the rapid current of the 
rivers, their sharp curves and high banks, we 
were in the rapids before we had opportunity 
to land. In these cases the great speed of the 
canoe was the only thing that saved us, as be¬ 
fore we could ship enough water from a large 
breaker to swamp us, the canoe had dived 
through it and the danger was passed. The 
one shown in the illustration on page 90 could 
only be undertaken by two skilled men. in an 
empty canoe. 
One thing above almost everything else which 
made a deep impression upon us was the re¬ 
markable clearness of the water. This was true 
of Hudson Bay and of all the inland rivers and 
lakes to within a short distance of Ungava Bay. 
When not in the rapids, the river, though flow¬ 
ing with great velocity, seemed without a rip¬ 
ple ; it was as if the canoe were resting on 
plate glass which might at any moment break 
and let us fall on to the boulders far below. 
Frequently, a curious optical effect was pro¬ 
duced ; it seemed as if the canoe was floating 
up or down a steep incline, and it was difficult 
to persuade ourselves that the surface of the 
water was really nearly level. This strange 
illusion occurred again and again. 
The whole interior of the country is a suc¬ 
cession of low hills formed of rock and smoothly 
rounded by glacial action. At the bases of these 
and often along the rivers there are innumer¬ 
able rounded boulders left by the glaciers. 
CLEARWATER RTSIPI, LABRADOR. 
