Hubbard Point Excavating Ancient Thule Ruins By Dr. Virginia Petch In 1997 while conducting a helicopter survey of archaeological sites along Manitoba’s coast north of Churchill, Dr. Virginia Petch discovered a most significant site at Hubbard Point on Hudson Bay. Her findings suggest a once thriving seasonal settlement that was home to a small Thule settlement almost 1,000 years ago. In 2014, with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts’ Oceans North Canada, Ducks Unlimited, Winnipeg Branch and the Inuit Heritage Trust, a small research team, including Elders and resource users from nearby Arviat and Rankin Inlet, and led by Dr. Petch, returned to Hubbard Point to begin recording the ancient ruins. Radiocarbon dating at the site indicated a date at 960 ±30 years. One of over 100 tent rings that line the ridge at Hubbard Point. Over 100 boulders went into the construction of this large dwelling. The linear feature of rocks in the background may have been a natural sea wall that the Thule added to for extra shelter. © The Pew Charitable Trusts (2014)
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