Button, Sir Thomas National Historic Person
Gillam, Manitoba
Sir Thomas Button
(© Expired)
Address :
Gillam, Manitoba
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1972-10-19
Life Date:
1580 to 1634
Other Name(s):
-
Button, Sir Thomas
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Arctic explorer, 1612 expedition discovered Nelson River
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Gillam Island at the mouth of the Nelson River Gillam, Manitoba
In 1612, Button, a Welsh naval captain, was put in charge of an expedition to seek the North West Passage which it was believed the marooned explorer, Henry Hudson had discovered. Entering Hudson Bay, Button reached and named the Nelson River, where he wintered before exploring the coasts as far north as Roes Welcome Sound. Convinced that the passage existed, though he had failed to find it, Button later helped plan the voyages of Luke Fox and Thomas James which in 1631-32 completed the exploration of Hudson Bay and disproved the existence of a passage in that direction.