Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Yellowknife ({{coor dm|62|27|N|114|21|W|}} MST) is the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, and the only city in the territory, with a population of over 18,000. 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 for the copper knives used by the local Chipewyan and Dene who moved into the area in the early 1800s. 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.

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 settlement was occupied as a result of work by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.

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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.

Related Topics:
Gold - Klondike

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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 kilometers up the Yellowknife River, and another gold find at Homer Lake.

Related Topics:
Great Bear Lake - Yellowknife River

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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.

Related Topics:
1934 - 1935 - Con Mine - September 5 - 1938

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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.

Related Topics:
1940 - 1942 - 1944

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By 1944, an exploration program at the Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizeable 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.

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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. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much it was made a municipality with its own council and town hall. 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.

Related Topics:
Government of Canada - 1953 - Municipality - 1967

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In 1991 a new mining rush and fourth building boom for Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 kilometers 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 valued at over C$2.1 billionhttp://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/Industry/non_renew/shipment.otp. 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.

Related Topics:
1991 - Ekati Diamond Mine - Diavik Diamond Mine - 2003 - De Beers

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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.

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