Moosonee is a tiny community situated on the west side of the Moose River and is just 12 miles from James Bay. Moosonee was first settled by the Revillon Freres fur traders in 1903 and today a museum details their exploits. The Hudson Bay Company, however, had established a post at Moose Factory, a small island not far from Moosonee, in the mid 1600's. Since then the Cree began to settle at the trading post marking the beginning of the Moosonee town site. The fur traders often referred to the post as "the moose". The Cree in turn would use Moosoneek meaning "at the moose". Once in Moosonee and Moose Factory, travelers can experience real life on James Bay. The Moosonee waterfront bustles in the summer as giant barges are loaded with everything from staples to modular buildings for shipment to remote communities far to the North. Across the river lies the island of Moose Factory, best known as the main trading post for the Hudson Bay Company since 1673. A collection of period buildings and artifacts from the early days of the Hudson Bay Company is especially worth the visit to understand the history of this oldest English speaking community in Ontario. Highlights of a visit to Moosonee include the Interpretive Centers, the Rail Car and Revillon Freres Museum, tours provided by Two Bay Enterprises and freighter canoe rides to historic Moose Factory or Shipsands Island Waterfowl Sanctuary. One of the more popular excursions is the trip down the Moose River to where it empties into James Bay. Sometimes, whales can be sighted. There is also a relaxing salt-water cruise down the Moose River on the "Polar Princess", where travelers have been known to spot white Beluga Whales. Or take a trip back into time on Fossil Island, where you can scour the shoreline for 300 million-year-old fossils. Snowmobilers have hired guides to lead them from Moosonee to the edge of the Artic.