Municipality of Sioux Lookout

Gateway to Lac Seul and Vermilion Waters

History of Hudson

Originally called "Rolling Portage" (freight was portaged across Hudson from Lost Lake to Vermilion Lake); Hudson became established with the opening of a Railway Station in 1910.

Commercial fishing operations based in Hudson began in 1922. During the 1930's and 40's, Bowman Fisheries shipped four boxcars of fish bi-weekly (pickerel, whitefish, jackfish, sturgeon from the north and lake trout from Vermilion Lake) to the market.

Hudson became a transportation hub in 1926 during the Red Lake gold rush. With no existing roads, one had to take the train to Hudson, board one of the many ferryboats or canoes to navigate the water system and traverse the portages to gain access to Red Lake. During the summer, boats and floatplanes were used and tractor trains and planes on skis were utilized in the winter months.

In 1929/1930 Hudson was the second busiest freighting airport in North America (Chicago was the first). Robert W. Starratt purchased Hudson Bay Transport in 1928 and Red Lake Transport in 1929 forming Northern Transportation, which was renamed Starratt Airways and Transportation in 1932.

The opening of a road into Red Lake in 1947/1948 resulted in the decline of freighting on Lac Seul and ended an era of glory for Hudson. During this time of decline, logging increased in Hudson and several saw mills began operation. Lac Seul Land and Lumber, being one of the first mills in Hudson, was built in 1945 on the site of present day McKenzie Forest Products, a Buchanan Company saw mill. Since then, the forest industry has become a major economic force in Sioux Lookout.

Click here to read about Hudson's Political History

Interpretive History

Second Boat Bay and The Wapesi

Second Boat Bay - Scows

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