Digges Island

The Digges Islands stand at the meeting of Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay, off the northwestern tip of the Ungava Peninsula. A narrow channel separates the eastern island from Cape Wolstenholme, and immense colonies of thick-billed murres nest on the cliffs. Inuit visited these shores to obtain birds and other food from the sea.

In 1610 Henry Hudson sailed through the passage and named the headlands for backers of his voyage. The following year, after casting Hudson adrift in James Bay, the remaining crew of Discovery returned to the islands to gather birds and eggs. Several sailors went ashore seeking food from Inuit they encountered; a violent confrontation followed in which four sailors were killed. The survivors continued the difficult voyage home.