Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories

Fort McPherson
Teet'lit Zheh
The heart of the Gwich'in
Hamlet

A wooden church in Fort McPherson, NWT
Motto: Take what you need
Fort McPherson
Coordinates: 67°26′07″N 134°52′55″W / 67.43528°N 134.88194°W / 67.43528; -134.88194Coordinates: 67°26′07″N 134°52′55″W / 67.43528°N 134.88194°W / 67.43528; -134.88194
Country Canada
Territory Northwest Territories
Region Inuvik Region
Constituency Mackenzie Delta
Census division Region 1
Hamlet 1 November 1986
Government
 • Chief William R Koe
 • MLA Fredrick (Sonny) Blake
Area[1]
 • Land 53.39 km2 (20.61 sq mi)
Elevation 43 m (141 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
 • Total 792
 • Density 14.8/km2 (38/sq mi)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC−7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC−6)
Canadian Postal code X0E 0J0
Area code(s) 867
Telephone exchange 952
- Living cost 157.5A
- Food price index 165.7B
Website www.fortmcpherson.ca

Sources:
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[2]
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[3]
Canada Flight Supplement[4]
^A 209 figure based on Edmonton = 100[5]
^B 2012 figure based on Yellowknife = 100[5]

Official name Fort McPherson National Historic Site of Canada
Designated 1969

Fort McPherson (Gwich’in language: Teet'lit Zheh at the head of the waters) is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located on the east bank of the Peel River and is 121 km (75 mi) south of Inuvik on the Dempster Highway.

The two principal languages spoken are Gwich'in and English.

Originally the site of a Hudson's Bay Company post the community was named for "Murdoch McPherson".

The Gwich’in people of Fort McPherson are very welcoming of strangers and go out of their way to make them welcome. Most people have vehicles and regularly make trips to either Inuvik, or Whitehorse.

History

Nova Scotian Francis Joseph Fitzgerald, leader of "The Lost Patrol"

Fort McPherson was the starting point of Francis Joseph Fitzgerald's famous tragic journey of "The Lost Patrol". All four men on the Patrol, including Fitzgerald, were buried at Fort McPherson on 28 March 1911. In 1938, the graves were cemented over into one large tomb (to the right of the flag pole in above image), with cement posts at the four corners connected by a chain. In the centre is a memorial to the Royal Northwest Mounted Police Patrol of 1910.

National Historic Site

In 1969, the area comprising the boundaries of the community of Fort McPherson, as it was mapped in 1898, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada, in recognition of the fact that the site had served as the principal Hudson's Bay Company trading post in the MacKenzie Delta region for over 50 years, and had been the first North-West Mounted Police post in the Western Arctic.[6]

Transportation

Fort McPherson is accessible by road all year from Dawson City and Whitehorse, Yukon, with the exception of spring break-up and fall freeze-up on the Peel River. The community also has access to Inuvik via the Dempster Highway and crosses the Mackenzie River at Tsiigehtchic.

There is also a small airport at Fort McPherson, Fort McPherson Airport, that has seasonal flights to Inuvik (Mike Zubko) Airport on Aklak Air when the road across the Peel is closed.[7] The former Fort McPherson Water Aerodrome was listed as closed in the 15 March 2007 Canada Flight Supplement.[4]

Demographics

Population is 792 according to the 2011 Census,[1] a 2.1% increase over the 2006 Census count of 776. In 2012 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 808 with an average yearly growth rate of -0.2% from 2001.[5] In the 2006 Census 715 people identified as aboriginal, 650 as North American Indian, 30 as Métis, 30 as Inuit or Inuvialuit, 10 giving multiple or other aboriginal responses and 55 Non-Aboriginal.[8]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1996915—    
1997887−3.1%
1998861−2.9%
1999861+0.0%
2000828−3.8%
2001831+0.4%
2002807−2.9%
2003816+1.1%
2004808−1.0%
YearPop.±%
2005812+0.5%
2006807−0.6%
2007805−0.2%
2008810+0.6%
2009807−0.4%
2010804−0.4%
2011816+1.5%
2012808−1.0%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001-2012)[5]

Climate

Climate data for Fort McPherson Airport
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 9.0 7.6 8.2 15.7 28.3 38.8 34.0 35.7 27.0 24.1 4.4 4.6 38.8
Record high °C (°F) 6.0
(42.8)		 8.5
(47.3)		 9.0
(48.2)		 16.0
(60.8)		 26.0
(78.8)		 32.0
(89.6)		 33.3
(91.9)		 33.0
(91.4)		 27.0
(80.6)		 24.1
(75.4)		 10.0
(50)		 9.0
(48.2)		 33.3
(91.9)
Average high °C (°F) −23.8
(−10.8)		 −20.8
(−5.4)		 −14.9
(5.2)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 6.9
(44.4)		 18.5
(65.3)		 20.2
(68.4)		 16.4
(61.5)		 8.4
(47.1)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −17.2
(1)		 −20.8
(−5.4)		 −2.9
(26.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) −27.5
(−17.5)		 −24.9
(−12.8)		 −20.3
(−4.5)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 2.1
(35.8)		 13.0
(55.4)		 15.2
(59.4)		 11.8
(53.2)		 4.6
(40.3)		 −7.0
(19.4)		 −20.5
(−4.9)		 −24.4
(−11.9)		 −7.3
(18.9)
Average low °C (°F) −31.1
(−24)		 −29.0
(−20.2)		 −25.7
(−14.3)		 −15.7
(3.7)		 −2.7
(27.1)		 7.5
(45.5)		 10.2
(50.4)		 7.2
(45)		 0.8
(33.4)		 −9.9
(14.2)		 −23.8
(−10.8)		 −28.1
(−18.6)		 −11.7
(10.9)
Record low °C (°F) −50.5
(−58.9)		 −50.3
(−58.5)		 −46.0
(−50.8)		 −37.5
(−35.5)		 −24.5
(−12.1)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 0.9
(33.6)		 −3.0
(26.6)		 −19.5
(−3.1)		 −37.5
(−35.5)		 −44.0
(−47.2)		 −45.0
(−49)		 −50.5
(−58.9)
Record low wind chill −58.9 −56.8 −54.4 −41.6 −32.6 −9.2 0.0 −4.8 −17.5 −40.2 −50.0 −59.7 −59.7
Average precipitation mm (inches) 14.9
(0.587)		 14.8
(0.583)		 12.7
(0.5)		 10.9
(0.429)		 17.2
(0.677)		 25.5
(1.004)		 46.4
(1.827)		 39.4
(1.551)		 33.1
(1.303)		 37.0
(1.457)		 29.0
(1.142)		 17.0
(0.669)		 297.7
(11.72)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.3
(0.012)		 8.2
(0.323)		 25.1
(0.988)		 46.4
(1.827)		 39.1
(1.539)		 25.7
(1.012)		 1.2
(0.047)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 145.9
(5.744)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 14.9
(5.87)		 14.8
(5.83)		 12.7
(5)		 10.6
(4.17)		 9.0
(3.54)		 0.4
(0.16)		 0.0
(0)		 0.3
(0.12)		 7.4
(2.91)		 36.4
(14.33)		 29.0
(11.42)		 17.0
(6.69)		 152.5
(60.04)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 6.4 5.1 6.0 4.1 5.2 7.0 9.9 11.3 11.0 11.8 9.9 6.8 94.3
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 2.5 6.9 9.9 11.3 8.8 0.8 0.0 0.1 40.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 6.4 5.1 6.0 4.0 2.9 0.2 0.0 0.2 2.6 11.2 9.9 6.7 55.1
Source: Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fort McPherson, HAM Northwest Territories (Census subdivision)
  2. ↑ "NWT Communities - Fort McPherson". Government of the Northwest Territories: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  3. ↑ "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Yellowknife: Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  4. 1 2 Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 24 July 2014 to 0901Z 18 September 2014
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fort McPherson - Statistical Profile at the GNWT
  6. ↑ Fort McPherson National Historic Site of Canada. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Flight Schedule
  8. ↑ Fort McPherson Aboriginal profile
  9. ↑ "Fort McPherson A" (CSV (3069 KB)). Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2201601. Retrieved 2014-01-09.

Further reading

  • Carefoot, E. I., and N. A. Lawrence. Utility Study Settlement of Ft. McPherson for Department of Public Works, Government of the Northwest Territories. Edmonton: Associated Engineering Services, 1972.
  • Gallupe, Scott. Husky Lake, Fort McPherson Area Historic Hydrocarbon Exploration Investigation June 29, 1992. Inuvik, NT: Northern Affairs Program, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, 1992.
  • Kakfwi, Stephen. Literacy Program Funding, Fort McPherson. Yellowknife?, N.W.T.: Northwest Territories, Executive Council, 1991.
  • Manitoba Free Press. Pemmican Made at Fort McPherson, a Hudson's Bay Company's Post Sixty-Five Miles Within the Arctic Circle and Two Thousand Nine Hundred and Seventy-Eight Miles Northwest of Winnipeg A Christmas Present from the Manitoba Free Press. Winnipeg: [s.n.], 1902. ISBN 0-665-78324-8
  • Northern Engineering Services Company, and Canadian Arctic Gas Study Limited. Report on All-Weather Road from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Fort McPherson, N.W.T. [Canada?]: Northern Engineering Services, 1972.
  • Northwest Territories, and Jane Gilmartin Gilchrist Collection (Newberry Library). Gwich'in Alphabet Posters Fort McPherson Dialect. [Fort McPherson]: Northwest Territories, Dept. of Education, Programs and Evaluation Branch, 1981.
  • Ripley, Klohn & Leonoff International Limited. Community Granular Materials Inventory Fort McPherson, N.W.T. [s.l.]: Dept. of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, 1972.

External links

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