Village Squire, 1976-05, Page 24Indian legend has it that a giant's campfire once went out of
control and ignited a bed of low-grade coal near what is now Fort
Norman. Indeed, the coal was burning when Alexander
Mackenzie reached this spot in 1789, possibly ignited by a flash
of lightning.
Fort Good Hope is the oldest community on the lower
Mackenzie River, the first fort having been built about 100 miles
downstream in 1804. In 1836, the community moved to its present
site at the north end of the seven -mile -long Ramparts Canyon.
Religion quickly followed the trappers and settlers to the north,
and in 1865 the Church of Our Lady of Good Hope was started by
an Oblate lay brother Patrick Kearney. The small white church
still stands, and inside it are a number of murals depicting
biblical scenes and Indian Life.
As the Norweta sails on to the town of Inuvik, you see families,
living in fishing camps along the river's banks as they did
hundreds of years ago, seemingly unaware of the encroachment
of the 20th century.
Before reaching Inuvik, the Norweta crosses the Arctic Circle,
latitude 66 degrees, 33 minutes north. Like crossing the equator,
this is an occasion which merits the breaking out of bottles of
champagne and going ashore to "walk" across the circle.
Inuvik is a town built on stilts. The buildings are all constructed
on pilings sunk into the permafrost below the tundra. If
construction is carried on directly on the tundra, the permafrost
melts and the ground becomes marshy. To avoid this, holes are
steamed into the permafrost, the pilings are driven in and the
permafrost is allowed to re -freeze. Only then is construction
begun. Sewer and water lines are carried in above -ground
conduits.
Inuvik, located on the Mackenzie River Delta, is the federal
government's western Arctic administrative centre. One of the
main industries is muskrat trapping. The town was built in 1954;
its name is Eskimo for Place of Man.
The heritage of Canada's Eskimos is evident in the architecture
of Our Lady of Victory Church which is shaped like an igloo. It is
built of wooden blocks and painted white. The dome is made of
bronze.
Inuvik is a thriving community with hotels, cocktail bars and
satellite television.
If weather and ice conditions permit, the Norweta will sail even
further north to the town of Tuktoyaktuk. Along the way, pingos
100 -foot frost boils -- can be seen on the shore.
Tuktoyaktuk means "it looks like a caribou". According to
legend an Eskimo woman was once forbidden to look at the
caribou. She disobeyed and looked at a herd wading in the
shallow water at the mouth of the Mackenzie. The caribou turned
to stone. When the tide is low at this point, the reef resembles a
herd of caribou.
On the seventh day of the cruise you board a jet in Tuktoyaktuk
for the return flight to Edmonton. A southbound cruise including
the same main stops is also available.
In 1976, the Norweta will begin cruising the Mackenzie
northbound on J une 9, and will make its last trip southbound on
October 5. Cost, including air fare from Edmonton and return is
$1,395. Cost of the cruise alone, is $1,160.
Reservations should be made well in advance.
For fanciers of saltwater cruising, there is something slightly
different on Canada's west coast.
The 3,800 ton, 329 -foot Northland Prince sails out of
Vancouver, British Columbia every Tuesday, returning the
following Monday. Besides taking freight and supplies to
communities along the coast of B.C., it carries passengers
through spectacular scenery reminiscent of the fjords of Norway.
First stop after leaving Vancouver is Ocean Falls. From there
it's on to Masset in the Queen Charlotte Islands, a group of 150
islands shrouded in mists, low clouds and Haida Indian legends
The Indian village of Haida, near Masset, is the site of new
totem poles carved by the Haida Indians, also known for their
carvings in argilite, a black hardened mud stone. The Delkatlah
Wildlife Sanctuary located here is home to geese, swans, and
ducks.
From Masset, 'the Northland Prince steams on to the ports of
Port Simpson, Stewart, located on the border with Alaska, Alice
Arm, at the end of Observatory Inlet, Kincolith, and Prince
Rupert, 30 miles south of the Alaska panhandle.
22, VILLAGE SQUIRE/MAY 1976
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