Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
Encyclopedia
Fort Simpson is a village
in the Dehcho Region
of the Northwest Territories
, Canada
. The community is located on an island at the confluence of the Mackenzie
and Liard River
s. Both rivers were traditionally trade route
s for the Hudson's Bay Company
and the native Dene
people of the area.
Fort Simpson is the regional centre of the Dehcho and is the gateway to the scenic South Nahanni River
and the Nahanni National Park Reserve
. Fort Simpson can be reached by air, water and road and has full secondary
and elementary school
service. The Mackenzie Highway
was extended to Fort Simpson in 1970-71.
The central section of the community is on an island near the south bank of the Mackenzie River, but industrial areas and rural residential areas are located along the highway as far as the Fort Simpson Airport
, just beyond which is the Liard River ferry crossing.
, up over 4 percent from the 2001 census (1,163). The majority of the residents are First Nations
and the main languages are South Slavey
and English
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 1,283 with an average yearly growth rate of -0.1 from 1996.
constructed a trading post, naming it for George Simpson
, then the Governor
of Rupert's Land
. Until 1910 Fort Simpson was "a company town", with some participation by the Anglican and Roman Catholic Missions. The Dene know it as Liidli Kue, meaning The place where the rivers come together.
Pope John Paul II
attempted to visit the community in September 1984 as part of his Canadian tour, but was prevented from landing due to fog; in an address over the radio from Yellowknife, he promised to visit in the future. He did so in September 1987 near the end of the tour of the United States
, making a side trip to Fort Simpson.
The first which is held in March is known as the "Beavertail Jamboree". This is a winter carnival which includes traditional games, snowmobile races, & talent shows.
The other festival is the "Open Sky Festival" which is held annually on or around the July 1 long weekend ("Canada Day"). The Open Sky Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts festival which has occurred annually since 2001. Festival events include musical, theatrical, & other performances as well as traditional Dehcho Dene Crafts, visual arts, & new media exhibitions, workshops, & demonstrations. The Open Sky festival is hosted by the Open Sky Creative Society, a multi-disciplinary arts organization serving artists working in the Dehcho region.
The Dene
of the community are represented by the Liidli Kue First Nation and the Métis
by Fort Simpson Métis Local 52. Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the Dehcho Region
Dehcho Region
The Dehcho Region is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories. The region consists of six communities with the regional office situated in Fort Simpson. All communities in the Dehcho are predominately First Nations.-Communities:...
of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The community is located on an island at the confluence of the Mackenzie
Mackenzie River
The Mackenzie River is the largest river system in Canada. It flows through a vast, isolated region of forest and tundra entirely within the country's Northwest Territories, although its many tributaries reach into four other Canadian provinces and territories...
and Liard River
Liard River
The Liard River flows through Yukon, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Rising in the Saint Cyr Range of the Pelly Mountains in southeastern Yukon, it flows southeast through British Columbia, marking the northern end of the Rocky Mountains and then curving northeast back...
s. Both rivers were traditionally trade route
Trade route
A trade route is a logistical network identified as a series of pathways and stoppages used for the commercial transport of cargo. Allowing goods to reach distant markets, a single trade route contains long distance arteries which may further be connected to several smaller networks of commercial...
s for the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
and the native Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
people of the area.
Fort Simpson is the regional centre of the Dehcho and is the gateway to the scenic South Nahanni River
South Nahanni River
The South Nahanni River is a major tributary of the Liard River, located roughly 500 kilometres west of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is the centerpiece of Nahanni National Park Reserve...
and the Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve
Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, approximately west of Yellowknife, protects a portion of the Mackenzie Mountains Natural Region. The centrepiece of the park is the South Nahanni River. Four noteworthy canyons reaching in depth, called...
. Fort Simpson can be reached by air, water and road and has full secondary
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
and elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
service. The Mackenzie Highway
Mackenzie Highway
The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at Mile Zero in Grimshaw, Alberta...
was extended to Fort Simpson in 1970-71.
The central section of the community is on an island near the south bank of the Mackenzie River, but industrial areas and rural residential areas are located along the highway as far as the Fort Simpson Airport
Fort Simpson Airport
Fort Simpson Airport is located east southeast of Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada.-Accidents and incidents:*On 26 June 1994, Douglas C-47A C-FROD of Buffalo Airways crashed on approach due to fuel exhaustion. The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Trout Lake Airport. There were two...
, just beyond which is the Liard River ferry crossing.
Demographics
Population is 1,216 according to the 2006 CensusCanada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
, up over 4 percent from the 2001 census (1,163). The majority of the residents are First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
and the main languages are South Slavey
Slavey language
Slavey is an Athabaskan language spoken among the Slavey First Nations of Canada in the Northwest Territories where it also has official status....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In 2009 the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 1,283 with an average yearly growth rate of -0.1 from 1996.
History
Fort Simpson was first started as a fur trading site in 1803 then named Fort of the Forks. The Village of Fort Simpson was permanent settlement in July 1822 when the Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
constructed a trading post, naming it for George Simpson
George Simpson (administrator)
Sir George Simpson was a Scots-Quebecer and employee of the Hudson's Bay Company . His title was Governor-in-Chief of Rupert's Land and administrator over the Northwest Territories and Columbia Department in British North America from 1821 to 1860.-Early years:George Simpson was born in Dingwall,...
, then the Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land
Rupert's Land, or Prince Rupert's Land, was a territory in British North America, consisting of the Hudson Bay drainage basin that was nominally owned by the Hudson's Bay Company for 200 years from 1670 to 1870, although numerous aboriginal groups lived in the same territory and disputed the...
. Until 1910 Fort Simpson was "a company town", with some participation by the Anglican and Roman Catholic Missions. The Dene know it as Liidli Kue, meaning The place where the rivers come together.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
attempted to visit the community in September 1984 as part of his Canadian tour, but was prevented from landing due to fog; in an address over the radio from Yellowknife, he promised to visit in the future. He did so in September 1987 near the end of the tour of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, making a side trip to Fort Simpson.
Culture
There are two main annual festivals which occur in Fort Simpson.The first which is held in March is known as the "Beavertail Jamboree". This is a winter carnival which includes traditional games, snowmobile races, & talent shows.
The other festival is the "Open Sky Festival" which is held annually on or around the July 1 long weekend ("Canada Day"). The Open Sky Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts festival which has occurred annually since 2001. Festival events include musical, theatrical, & other performances as well as traditional Dehcho Dene Crafts, visual arts, & new media exhibitions, workshops, & demonstrations. The Open Sky festival is hosted by the Open Sky Creative Society, a multi-disciplinary arts organization serving artists working in the Dehcho region.
The Dene
Dene
The Dene are an aboriginal group of First Nations who live in the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dené speak Northern Athabaskan languages. Dene is the common Athabaskan word for "people" . The term "Dene" has two usages...
of the community are represented by the Liidli Kue First Nation and the Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
by Fort Simpson Métis Local 52. Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations
Dehcho First Nations
The Dehcho First Nations is an organization representing the Dene and Métis people of the Northwest Territories, Canada.-Members:*Acho Dene Koe Band - Fort Liard*Fort Liard Métis Local 67 - Fort Liard Métis*Deh Gah Gotie Dene Council - Fort Providence...
.
Climate
See also
- Fort Simpson Island AirportFort Simpson Island AirportFort Simpson Island Airport , is located adjacent to Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada. Prior permission is required to land except in the case of an emergency....
- Fort Simpson Island Water AerodromeFort Simpson Island Water AerodromeFort Simpson Island Water Aerodrome , adjacent to Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories, Canada on the Mackenzie River and open from the middle of June until October....
- Fort Simpson/Canadian Helicopters Heliport
- Fort Simpson/(Great Slave) Heliport