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Aklavik - Place of the Grizzly Bear

4/1/2012

3 Comments

 

Aklavik, which means "place where one finds grizzly bear", is located on the Mackenzie River Delta about 120 km from Inuvik and just over 100 km south of the Arctic Coast. The only way to drive there is along the ice road in the winter.  In the summer, you have to take a small plane or use a boat.

According to the town's website - www.aklavik.ca - "Aklavik is a peaceful fishing and trapping community of some 600 Gwich'in and Inuvialuit. Gwich'in and Inuvialuit have traditionally gathered here to trade for goods from as far away as the Pacific and Arctic coasts. From its earliest days, Aklavik has been a multi-ethnic town, home to Inuvialuit, Metis, Gwich'in and non-aboriginal cultures."

Aklavik used to be the administrative capital of the western Arctic.  There is an interesting connection between Aklavik and Inuvik... because Aklavik is so flood prone and didn't allow much room for expansion (see map below), Inuvik was created as a brand new town by the federal government in 1953 as a replacement administrative capital.  It was originally called "New Aklavik", before being renamed Inuvik.
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The town is even ready for tourists - you can get your picture taken with the "Mad Trapper", who is buried in Aklavik! 
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The story of the Mad Trapper (Albert Johnson) is an interesting one, particularly because no one knows where he came from, or if he really sabotaged local trapping lines in 1931 as he was accused of.  He became a fugitive after starting a shoot-out with the police, killing one RCMP officer and wounding others along the way, and was eventually killed on the Eagle River after a huge manhunt in the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Below is a picture of the sign outside the local cemetery where Albert is buried.
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Some more pictures of the town:
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The local Firehall.
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A local house - log cabin style.
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These folks are feeling lucky Irish!

We paid a visit to the local government office building, which houses the Hamlet office, government services offices, the community corporation office, as well as pre-school facilities (more photos of the cute kiddies in another post!).
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Inside the Hamlet office - Aklavik celebrated their 100 year anniversary in 2010.

These posters were on the walls in the building - identifying different kinds of furs and how to prepare them. In this town, this is relevant information!
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Also important information to know -- when the dentist is in town!  In some communities, dentists only visit a few times a year, and there is a long waiting list.  Some people can't wait for months until the next appointment, and end up solving their tooth problems themselves with a pair of plyers.  Ouch!
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3 Comments
Mum
4/1/2012 01:15:05 pm

Is that a photo of the Queen I see on the wall of the Hamlet office?

Reply
Top-of-the-World Girl
5/1/2012 04:14:56 am

Yes it is! She's everywhere, even in the Arctic.

Reply
Top-of-the-World Girl
3/28/2013 05:20:16 am

Thanks to a good friend who is a wealthy of random knowledge and knows everything, I can share the following interesting tidbits of information about the Mad Trapper!

"In 2009 a televised exhumation of Johnson's corpse was aired in which DNA comparisons were made to confirm Johnson's identity. A forensic team sponsored by the Discovery Channel exhumed Johnson's body on August 11, 2007 and conducted forensic tests on his remains before re-interring it in an attempt to confirm his true identity conclusively. All candidates tested against were eventually excluded with 100 percent certainty. By analyzing isotopes in Johnson's teeth, it was determined that Johnson was not Canadian but likely grew up in the corn belt of midwest America or possibly Scandinavia. It was also reported that he was in his 30s when he died.

They also did tests of his fingernails to see what he had been eating prior to his death, and it showed that he was severly malnurished, which rules out stealing animals from traps for food... so if he was innocent, why did he shoot at the police?"

Thanks buddy (you know who you are!)

Reply



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