Steamboats of the Mackenzie River
Encyclopedia
The Great Mackenzie River
in Canada's North is a major artery. Used for thousands of years by the Dene
, Beaver (Dunneza
), Cree
and Athabaskan natives, it was explored by the Scot who lent his name. The river was an important communication link to the North, in a land that for years did not have roads, trains or airplanes. Police, explorers, and gold prospectors
travelled by canoe and barge to get to various destinations.
In 1898 the Klondike Gold Rush
gave an impetus to the exploration of the North. Some sourdoughs even travelled to Dawson City using the Mackenzie River. It was a more difficult route than the more common but still onerous Skagway trails, but what came out of this was a deep desire to explore and inhabit the North.
Police, government agents, and the Hudson's Bay Company
were the main Canadian players in the Far North region during the period 1910–1950. This was also the active period of steamers
on the river. As the lower tributaries of the Mackenzie became settled with roads and railways (the Peace
, Athabaska
, and Nehanni), the boats moved farther north, to work the trackless Arctic. The Hudson's Bay Company ran the boat Distributor for many years.
The Northland Echo, Slave River, Athabaska River and Mackenzie River were several of the boats on the river. Others were the Weenusk, the Northland Echo, the Northern Light, the Midnight Sun, the Ingenika, the Athabasca River and Grahame. The gold mines of Goldfields, Yellowknife, the uranium
mines of Great Bear Lake
, the oil wells of Norman Wells
, and the mining exploration of Pine Point
all provided trade for the vessels. As stated, waterways on the Athabasca River near Fort McMurray became the southern service hub for the North. Boat yards and warehouses were built, as were wharves and railways. Alberta Great Waterways railway arrived in 1922. Portage links were built at Fort Fitzgerald, so the cargoes could reach Hay River
, the start of navigation on Great Slave Lake
and the Mackenzie River proper leading down to the Arctic Ocean
.
There are no further rapids on the river's thousand-mile course—Fort Providence
, Fort Simpson
, and Inuvik
were destinations in the remote land. The Great Depression
drove many people north, while the Second World War gave a huge impetus to northern shipping with the Eldorado Mine
at Great Bear Lake
, and the Canol war projects. To feed these needs, steel barges were built by the U.S. Army, as were tugs. After the war the DEW Line Project expanded shipping. Northern Transportation Co Ltd.
set up in the Hay River
. Allied Shipyard of North Vancouver built a series of knocked down barges, which were transported and welded together at waterways for service in the North.
The northern barge traffic is still essential to the heavy freight as fuel, food, and heavy equipment can be moved economically in the summer months to the North and oil fields of the Beaufort
.
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...
in Canada's North is a major artery. Used for thousands of years by 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...
, Beaver (Dunneza
Dunneza
The Dane-zaa are a First Nation of the large Athapaskan language group; their traditional territory is around the Peace River of the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, Canada...
), Cree
Cree
The Cree are one of the largest groups of First Nations / Native Americans in North America, with 200,000 members living in Canada. In Canada, the major proportion of Cree live north and west of Lake Superior, in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, although...
and Athabaskan natives, it was explored by the Scot who lent his name. The river was an important communication link to the North, in a land that for years did not have roads, trains or airplanes. Police, explorers, and gold prospectors
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
travelled by canoe and barge to get to various destinations.
In 1898 the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
gave an impetus to the exploration of the North. Some sourdoughs even travelled to Dawson City using the Mackenzie River. It was a more difficult route than the more common but still onerous Skagway trails, but what came out of this was a deep desire to explore and inhabit the North.
Police, government agents, and 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...
were the main Canadian players in the Far North region during the period 1910–1950. This was also the active period of steamers
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
on the river. As the lower tributaries of the Mackenzie became settled with roads and railways (the Peace
Peace River (Canada)
The Peace River is a river in Canada that originates in the Rocky Mountains of northern British Columbia and flows to the northeast through northern Alberta. The Peace River flows into the Slave River, a tributary of the Mackenzie River. The Mackenzie is the 12th longest river in the world,...
, Athabaska
Athabasca River
The Athabasca River originates from the Columbia Glacier of the Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada...
, and Nehanni), the boats moved farther north, to work the trackless Arctic. The Hudson's Bay Company ran the boat Distributor for many years.
The Northland Echo, Slave River, Athabaska River and Mackenzie River were several of the boats on the river. Others were the Weenusk, the Northland Echo, the Northern Light, the Midnight Sun, the Ingenika, the Athabasca River and Grahame. The gold mines of Goldfields, Yellowknife, the uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
mines of Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
, the oil wells of Norman Wells
Norman Wells, Northwest Territories
Norman Wells is the regional centre for the Sahtu Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada...
, and the mining exploration of Pine Point
Pine Point, Northwest Territories
Pine Point was the townsite built at the Pine Point Mine in the Northwest Territories, Canada, which was an open-pit lead and zinc mine.The first buildings were erected in 1952 during the original exploration and development campaign, and even before that a number of log cabins had been built in...
all provided trade for the vessels. As stated, waterways on the Athabasca River near Fort McMurray became the southern service hub for the North. Boat yards and warehouses were built, as were wharves and railways. Alberta Great Waterways railway arrived in 1922. Portage links were built at Fort Fitzgerald, so the cargoes could reach Hay River
Hay River, Northwest Territories
Hay River , known as "the Hub of the North," is a town in the Northwest Territories, Canada, located on the south shore of Great Slave Lake, at the mouth of the Hay River. The town is separated into two sections, a new town and an old town with the Hay River Airport between them...
, the start of navigation on Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake
Great Slave Lake is the second-largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada , the deepest lake in North America at , and the ninth-largest lake in the world. It is long and wide. It covers an area of in the southern part of the territory. Its given volume ranges from to and up to ...
and the Mackenzie River proper leading down to the Arctic Ocean
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
.
There are no further rapids on the river's thousand-mile course—Fort Providence
Fort Providence, Northwest Territories
Fort Providence is a hamlet in the South Slave Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada...
, Fort Simpson
Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories
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 Rivers...
, and Inuvik
Inuvik, Northwest Territories
Inuvik is a town in the Northwest Territories of Canada and is the administrative centre for the Inuvik Region.The population as of the 2006 Census was 3,484, but the two previous census counts show wide fluctuations due to economic conditions: 2,894 in 2001 and 3,296 in 1996...
were destinations in the remote land. The Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
drove many people north, while the Second World War gave a huge impetus to northern shipping with the Eldorado Mine
Eldorado Mine
Eldorado Mine is located at Port Radium, Northwest Territories, Canada.It is also known as Port Radium, a name adopted for use at this specific site after 1942...
at Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely within Canada , the third or fourth largest in North America, and the seventh or eighth largest in the world...
, and the Canol war projects. To feed these needs, steel barges were built by the U.S. Army, as were tugs. After the war the DEW Line Project expanded shipping. Northern Transportation Co Ltd.
Northern Transportation Company Limited
Northern Transportation Company Limited is a marine transportation company in the Canadian and American Arctic owned by Norterra, a holding company jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut...
set up in the Hay River
Hay River (Canada)
Hay River is a large river in northern Alberta and southern Northwest Territories, Canada.It originates in the muskeg of north western Alberta, flows west to British Columbia, then returns to Alberta, where it follows a northern course towards the Northwest Territories, where it discharges in the...
. Allied Shipyard of North Vancouver built a series of knocked down barges, which were transported and welded together at waterways for service in the North.
The northern barge traffic is still essential to the heavy freight as fuel, food, and heavy equipment can be moved economically in the summer months to the North and oil fields of the Beaufort
Beaufort Sea
The Beaufort Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of the Northwest Territories, the Yukon, and Alaska, west of Canada's Arctic islands. The sea is named after hydrographer Sir Francis Beaufort...
.
See also
- Steamboats of the Peace RiverSteamboats of the Peace RiverThe Peace River, which flows from the Rocky Mountain in British Columbia to Peace-Athabasca Delta and Lake Athabasca in Alberta, was navigable by late nineteenth and early twentieth century steamboats from the Rocky Mountain Falls at Hudson's Hope to Fort Vermilion, where there was another set of...
- Northern Transportation Company LimitedNorthern Transportation Company LimitedNorthern Transportation Company Limited is a marine transportation company in the Canadian and American Arctic owned by Norterra, a holding company jointly owned by the Inuvialuit of the Northwest Territories and the Inuit of Nunavut...
- Northern Alberta RailwaysNorthern Alberta RailwaysNorthern Alberta Railways was a Canadian railway which served northern Alberta and northeastern British Columbia. Jointly owned by both Canadian National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway, NAR existed as a separate company from 1929 until 1981....