Fort Resolution

Fort Resolution
Deninu Kue
Hamlet
Fort Resolution
Coordinates: 61°10′18″N 113°40′18″W / 61.17167°N 113.67167°WCoordinates: 61°10′18″N 113°40′18″W / 61.17167°N 113.67167°W
Country Canada
Territory Northwest Territories
Region South Slave Region
Constituency Tu Nedhe
Census division Region 5
Hamlet 5 January 2011
Government
 • Mayor Garry Bailey
 • Senior Administrative Officer Tausia Kaitu-Lal
 • MLA Tom Beaulieu
Area[1]
 • Land 455.22 km2 (175.76 sq mi)
Elevation 160 m (520 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 474
 • Density 1.0/km2 (3/sq mi)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
Canadian Postal code X0E 0M0
Area code(s) 867
Telephone exchange 394
- Living cost 142.5A
- Food price index 125.8B
Sources:
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2]
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3]
Canada Flight Supplement[4]
^A 2009 figure based on Edmonton = 100[5]
^B 2010 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[5]

Fort Resolution (Deninu Kue "moose island") is a hamlet[6] in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is situated at the mouth of the Slave River, on the shore of Great Slave Lake, and at the end of Fort Resolution Highway (Highway 6).

It is the oldest documented community in the Northwest Territories, and was a key link in the fur trade's water route north. Fort Resolution is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada as the oldest continuously occupied place in the Northwest Territories with origins in the fur trade and the principal fur trade post on Great Slave Lake.[7]

Fort Resolution features "Deninoo School", offering schooling for children K-12. The town also has a hockey arena, community hall, nursing station, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, bed and breakfast, a 'Northern' general store with a "Quick-Stop" convenience store and two gas stations. A small airport, Fort Resolution Airport, services charter and medivac flights only. The oldest building in town is the historic Roman Catholic Church, built in the early 19th century. A second, Protestant, church offers an alternative worship option. The beach along Great Slave Lake is a prime spot for summer swimming, bird watching or relaxing. Local people engage in fishing, hunting, and trapping year-round.

The nearby site of Pine Point was once a thriving lead mine. When the value of lead plummeted in the 1980s, the Pine Point Mine closed, and the township was evacuated. Pine Point houses were sold cheaply, and many of the buildings were then moved to Fort Resolution (including the hockey arena), Hay River and Northern Alberta.[8]

"Deninoo Days" in late August celebrate the beginning of moose hunting season with parades, traditional races, games and talent competitions. Recreational opportunities include camping, canoeing and fishing (self-guided, or available through several outfitters). "Little Buffalo River Crossing" is a nearby territorial park, with historical and natural attractions, accessible by road and featuring a campground with 12 sites.

Demographics

Population is 474 according to the 2011 Census, a decrease of 2.1% from 2006.[1] In the 2006 Census there were 484 people and 450 were listed as Aboriginal. The majority of townspeople are of Dene or Métis descent but there were some Inuit.[9] The predominant languages are English, Chipewyan and Michif. In 2012 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 497 with an average yearly growth rate of -1.3% from 2001.[5]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1996566—    
1997558−1.4%
1998564+1.1%
1999574+1.8%
2000566−1.4%
2001567+0.2%
2002570+0.5%
2003553−3.0%
2004525−5.1%
YearPop.±%
2005506−3.6%
2006502−0.8%
2007505+0.6%
2008517+2.4%
2009511−1.2%
2010502−1.8%
2011496−1.2%
2012497+0.2%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001-2012)[5]

First Nations

Fort Resolution is represented by the Deninu Kue First Nation and are part of the Akaitcho Territory Government.[10]

Climate

Climate data for Fort Resolution
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −25
(−13)		 −20
(−4)		 −14
(6)		 0
(32)		 10
(50)		 17
(62)		 21
(69)		 18
(64)		 11
(51)		 2
(35)		 −9
(15)		 −17
(2)		 −0.5
(30.8)
Average low °C (°F) −31
(−23)		 −27
(−16)		 −24
(−11)		 −11
(12)		 0
(32)		 5
(41)		 10
(50)		 9
(48)		 3
(37)		 −3
(26)		 −15
(5)		 −25
(−13)		 −9.1
(15.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 15
(0.6)		 8
(0.3)		 13
(0.5)		 10
(0.4)		 30
(1)		 30
(1.2)		 28
(1.1)		 36
(1.4)		 36
(1.4)		 28
(1.1)		 33
(1.3)		 15
(0.6)		 282
(10.9)
Source: Weatherbase[11]

See also

References

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Resolution.
  • Deprez, P., & Bisson, A. (1975). Demographic differences between Indians and Métis in Fort Resolution. Winnipeg: Center for Settlement Studies, University of Manitoba.
  • Driedger, L. C. (1990). Kinship, marriage and residence in Fort Resolution, N.W.T. Ottawa: National Library of Canada. ISBN 0-315-55603-X
  • Fields, G., & Sigurdson, G. (1972). Northern co-operatives as a strategy for community change; the case of Fort Resolution. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba, Center for Settlement Studies.
  • Fort Resolution Education Society. (1987). That's the way we lived an oral history of the Fort Resolution elders. Fort Resolution, N.W.T.: Fort Resolution Education Society.
  • Kim, C. J.-H. (1996). Assessment of cadmium intake from the consumption of traditional food in Fort Resolution, Northwest Territories. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada. ISBN 0-612-12213-1
  • Lafontaine, C. (1997). Concentrations of metals and trace elements in muscle and liver of fish collected from Great Slave Lake, Fort Resolution area, NWT final report. Yellowknife: The Division.
  • Mercredi, M. (1988). An outline for a traditional skills camp proposed by the Fort Resolution Settlement Council. Yellowknife?: Govt. of the Northwest Territories].
  • Smith, D. M. (1982). Moose-Deer island house people a history of the native people of Fort Resolution. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
  • Smith, D. M. (1973). INKONZE: magico-religious beliefs of contract-traditional Chipewan trading at Fort Resolution, NWT, Canada. Mercury series. Ottawa: National Museum of Man, National Museums of Canada.
  • Van Kessel, J. C. (2004). Taking care of bison community perceptions of the Hook Lake Wood Bison Recovery Project in Fort Resolution, N.T., Canada. Ottawa: National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada. ISBN 0-612-81493-9