Clyde River

About Clyde River

Clyde River, located on the northeast coast of Baffin Island, is sometimes called the "Gateway to the Great Fiords." It was given its English name by the Arctic explorer John Ross in 1818. It also has the Inuktitut name, Kangiqtugaapik, which means "Nice Little Inlet". The community is situated on a flood plain on the shores of Patricia Bay at the entrance to Clyde Inlet, a fiord which extends over 100km inland, almost to the tip of the Barnes ice cap. Located approximately four degrees north of the Arctic Circle at 70° 29.4' N, 68° 31.2' W, it is east of Pond Inlet and north of Qikiqtarjuaq and Iqaluit.

For generations, Inuit families have migrated through this area, traveling from as far away as Repulse Bay and the Iqaluit region to seek partners and visit relatives. Groups of Inuit scoured the fiords in winter and spring in search of marine animals. In the summer, they would travel inland to hunt caribou. It is believed that the Vikings were the first Europeans to visit the Clyde River area over 1000 years ago. Six hundred years later, British explorers Robert Bylot and William Baffin mapped the area. In the 1820, whalers crossed Greenland to Baffin Island in search of bowhead whales. As whaling declined early in the 20th century, trading increased. In 1924, the Hudson's Bay Company opened a trading post was established at Clyde River. During World War II, a US Coast Guard weather station was built at Cape Christian near Clyde River. A federal school was built in 1960, and the community moved to a new site across Patricia Bay to take advantage of a better water supply and good airstrip location.

Population: 1,096

Contact

Email: @email
Phone: 867-924-6220
Fax: 867-924-6293