Clyde River | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Clyde River

Clyde River, Nunavut, incorporated as a hamlet in 1978, population 934 (2011c), 820 (2006c). The Hamlet of Clyde River is located on the west shore of Patricia Bay on the east coast of BAFFIN ISLAND, 750 km north of IQALUIT.

Clyde River, Nunavut, incorporated as a hamlet in 1978, population 934 (2011c), 820 (2006c). The Hamlet of Clyde River is located on the west shore of Patricia Bay on the east coast of BAFFIN ISLAND, 750 km north of IQALUIT. The INUIT name for the community, Kangirqtugaapik, means "a beautiful small cove (or bay)." Situated on a shallow gravel ridge and surrounded by high hills, the community was not established until 1922, when the HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY set up a post. At that time, the company relocated many Inuit from the Baffin region to Clyde River to exploit the plentiful fur resources in the area.

A US Coast Guard weather station was established here during WWII and provided the Inuit with an alternate form of employment. Although the Inuit here have become renowned for their soapstone and whale-bone sculptures as well as their silkscreening designs, many still live a quiet, traditional life closely tied to the land.

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