A Family History of Adventure Tourism

On a beautiful spring day in 1993, Churchill Wild co-founder Mike Reimer and professional wildlife photographer Dennis Fast struck gold while flying along the coast of Hudson Bay north of Churchill, Manitoba.

They were looking for a site on which to build a wildlife ecolodge and when they saw the spot where Seal River Heritage Lodge sits today, Mike knew he’d stumbled upon something special.

After spending many years working for wife Jeanne’s family outfitting business in the Churchill area, Mike predicted that polar bear tourism was about to take off. He envisioned polar bears meandering past the lodge he would build, biding their time on land until the sea ice formed. The location was mere feet away from the Arctic Ocean where beluga whales congregate each summer, and a short plane ride away from Churchill, the Polar Bear Capital of the World.

Mike acted quickly, securing permits to the property he and Dennis had found, and the rest, as they say, is history. A history that goes back on Jeanne’s side of the family for nearly 100 years and now includes three wilderness ecolodges in the heart of polar bear territory.