Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

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City of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Downtown Yellowknife

Flag

Seal

Motto: Multum In Parvo (Much In Little)

Coordinates: 62°27′N 114°24′W

Country

Canada

Territory

Northwest Territories

Established

1936/1937

City Mayor

Gordon Van Tighem

Governing Body

Consensus government

Legislature

List of Yellowknife MPs and MLAs

Area

- City

105.20 km² (40.6 sq mi)

Elevation

200 m (656 ft)

Population

- City (2001)

16,541

- Density

157.2/km² (407.1/sq mi)

(2004 city estimate = 19,056)

Time zone

Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)

Website: City of Yellowknife

Yellowknife (62°27′N 114°21′W MST) is the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, with a population of approximately 20,000 as of 2006. Located on the north shore of Great Slave Lake on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River, Yellowknife and its surrounding waterbodies were named after the local Yellowknives tribe, who made tools from regional copper deposits. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eight official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Chipewyan, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French.

In Dogrib, the city is called Somba K'e ("where the money is").

1 History
2 Climate and Physical Geography
3 Culture
4 Regional Mines
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

Traditionally, First Nations people had occupied this region and by the 1800s they had a settlement on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay, a community now known as Dettah. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was occupied as a result of work by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.

Gold was first reported in the area of Yellowknife Bay in the late 19th century when a Klondike bound prospector named E.A. Blakeney found some gold samples. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike stampede and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.

In the late 1920s, aircraft were being used to explore Canada's arctic regions. Interesting showings of radium and silver were being uncovered at Great Bear Lake in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals. In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. In that season they found an interesting gold showing at Quyta Lake, about 30 kilometres (19 mi) up the Yellowknife River, and another gold find at Homer Lake.

The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred. The Con Mine was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936-1937. The Con Mine entered production on September 5, 1938.

The population of Yellowknife grew quickly to 1000 by 1940 and by 1942 five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. By 1944 gold production had ceased as workers were needed in the war effort.

By 1944, an exploration program at the Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife. It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, extending the life of the mine greatly. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945-1946.

From 1950 to 1969, the Discovery Mine, with its own townsite, operated 81 km to the north-northeast.

Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department of the Government of Canada. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. But by 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was "Jock" McNiven.

In 1967 Yellowknife became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status provided what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife, as housing went up in new subdivisions of town to accommodate an influx of government workers.

In 1978 The Soviet Nuclear powered satellite Cosmos 954 crashed to earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel was released into the environment and "operation morning light" -an attempt to retrieve it was only partially successful.

In 1991 a new mining rush and fourth building boom for Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of the city. The Ekati Diamond Mine opened in 1998. A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine, began production in 2003. Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was 12,618,000 carats (2,500 kg) valued at over C$2.1 billion[1]. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, De Beers' "Snap Lake" project, received final approval and funding in 2005, with plans for production in 2007.

The last of the gold mines closed in Yellowknife in 2004. Today Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines.

Downtown Yellowknife

[edit] Climate and Physical Geography

Yellowknife has a semi-arid subarctic climate and averages less than 300 millimeters (12 in) of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the rain shadow of mountain ranges to the west. Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days. Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Avg Temp °F °C	-18.2°F -27.9°C	-13.0°F -25.0°C	-0.7°F -18.2°C	19.8°F -6.8°C	40.3°F 4.6°C	54.7°F 12.6°C	61.2°F 16.2°C	57.2°F 14.0°C	44.2°F 6.8°C	29.5°F -1.4°C	6.3°F -14.3°C	-11.0°F -23.9°C
Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Yellowknife is located on the Canadian Shield, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to Great Slave Lake. Trees such as pine and birch are abundant in the area as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen.

[edit] Culture

Yellowknife, like other frontier mining towns, has a colourful culture and society.

The Wildcat Cafe
The Gold Range
Events such as the Float Plane Fly-In, Folk On the Rocks, Raven Mad Daze and the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, and Caribou Carnival.
The Ingraham Trail, local fishing lodges, aviation culture, Old Town architecture.

[edit] Regional Mines

Yellowknife was originally established as a supply center for numerous gold mines operating in the region in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The following is a list of the major mines, all of which are now closed. There were also tungsten, tantalum, and uranium mines in the vicinity.