Anderson River (Northwest Territories)

Last updated
Anderson River
Beghula
Canada relief map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Location of the Anderson River in Canada
Native nameKuuk (Inuinnaqtun)
Location
CountryCanada
Territory Northwest Territories
Physical characteristics
Sourcelakes north of Great Bear Lake
 • location Sahtu Region
 • coordinates 67°18′N125°43′W / 67.300°N 125.717°W / 67.300; -125.717
 • elevation244 m (801 ft)
Mouth Arctic Ocean
 • location
 Beaufort Sea, Inuvik Region
 • coordinates
 69°43′N129°00′W / 69.717°N 129.000°W / 69.717; -129.000
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length692 km (430 mi)
Discharge 
 • locationbelow Carnwath River [1]
 • average141.56 m3/s (4,999 cu ft/s) [1]
 • minimum4.65 m3/s (164 cu ft/s)
 • maximum1,520 m3/s (54,000 cu ft/s)
Basin features
Tributaries 
 • leftCarnwath River
River source, [2] names [3] [4]

The Anderson River (Inuvialuktun: Kuuk, river) is in the Northwest Territories in northern Canada. It originates in lakes northwest of Great Bear Lake; its headwaters are possibly on the north side of Colville Lake in the vicinity of the hamlet of Colville Lake. [2] [3] It flows north and west in the area between the Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers. Its mouth is on the Beaufort Sea on the Arctic Ocean near the eastern end of Liverpool Bay at about 70 degrees north latitude. Its main tributary is the Carnwath River. Originally known as the Beghula River it was renamed to the Anderson River in 1857 by Roderick MacFarlane after James Anderson, both of the Hudson's Bay Company. Anderson was the Chief Factor in the Mackenzie District. [5]

Contents

Geography

The Anderson River's northwestern sloping drainage basin is a part of the Anderson Plain High Subarctic (HS) Ecoregion, itself a subsection of the Taiga Plains Ecozone and the Anderson Upland Low Arctic north (LAn) Ecoregion, which is part of the Southern Arctic Ecozone. [6] [7] The river encompasses wildly varied landscape. Canyons are common in the upper and middle sections, the largest of which is Falcon Canyon, at 6 km (3.7 mi) long and approximately 40 m (130 ft) deep. The upper sections of the river are in taiga, with black spruce being the dominant tree. White spruce and shrublands grow on the river's floodplain and valley slopes. There are large deposits of alluvial terraces, along with cretaceous shales, Devonian limestone, and Devonian dolomite. Closer to the ocean, the river pulls above tree line, and continues through rolling tundra east of Inuvik. [6] [7]

Whitewater is most intense in the middle section of the river (around Falcon Canyon and upstream). A couple of class III rapids, many class I and II, and no major falls make the Anderson a fun, but not overly demanding whitewater run for experienced paddlers.

Wildlife

Wildlife is abundant on the Anderson. The Bluenose barren-ground caribou herd, which calves further east near Bluenose Lake, Nunavut, migrates south down parts of the Anderson River valley in July. Muskox, moose, and grizzly bears are also common along the river. [6] [7]

Bird life is also abundant and varied. However, the Canadian Wildlife Service's 1999 to 2008 Field Project at the Anderson River Delta entitled "Impact of Increased Harvest on the Western Arctic Snow Goose Population" shows a decline in snow geese. [8] [6] [7]

The last 50 km (31 mi) of the river is listed as an Important Bird Area with an area of 759.2 km2 (75,920 ha; 187,600 acres). [9] [10] There is a larger area, 118,417 ha (292,610 acres; 1,184.17 km2), known as the Anderson River Delta Migratory Bird Sanctuary. [11] [12]

On the delta and on the Arctic Ocean, ringed seals and bearded seals may be seen. On the ocean itself, pods of beluga whales are not uncommon. [6] [7]

History

The Anderson River area was the historic home of an Inuvialuit group of Inuit called the Siglit, or Mackenzie Inuit, [13] known as the Anderson River People. [14] Although the Inuvialuktun name of the people is no longer known it is thought that they may have been called the Kuukugmiut, the Kuungmiut, as used by Emmanuel Felix, or Kramalit by Father Émile Petitot. [14] [15] The first two names are derived from the Inuvialuktun name of the river Kuuk (river) and means "people of the river". [15]

In 1857, Roderick MacFarlane, known to the Inuit as "Mitchi Paloum", [16] of the Hudson's Bay Company travelled the area looking to establish trade with the Inuit who, due to conflicts with the Gwich'in and the travel required, did not want to visit the post at Fort McPherson. On this trip he was met by a group of Inuit who proved to be hostile and he returned to Fort Good Hope. He returned again in 1858 and 1859, experiencing no difficulties and was able to begin trading with the Inuit. In 1860 he was again sent to the area, this time to establish a post for permanent trading. Construction of the post was begun in the spring of 1861 and finished before the onset of winter. The post, called Fort Anderson (named after James Anderson, chief factor of the Mackenzie River District from 1856 to 1857), was located on the east bank of the river about 183 km (114 mi) south of Liverpool Bay and 50 km (31 mi) north of the Anderson River Forks. While there MacFarlane was visited by Robert Kennicott and at Kennicott's urging began collecting for the Smithsonian Institution. He collected over 5,000 objects which are housed in the MacFarlane Collection. The post was successful until 1864–65. In 1864 a number of the dogs used to pull the sled were killed by distemper and then in 1865 a combination of scarlet fever and measles killed the majority of the Inuit and First Nations hunters in the area. MacFarlane remained at the fort until 15 July 1866, at which time the post was closed since it was unprofitable, and he was sent to Fort Simpson. [4] [17] [18] [19]

The Hudson's Bay Company also had a trading post at the river's mouth, later renamed as Stanton after Father Stanton ( 69°48′N128°41′W / 69.800°N 128.683°W / 69.800; -128.683 (Stanton) ), which is now abandoned. [5] [20] Sometime after 1925, possibly as late as 1950, a reindeer substation, called Anderson River ( 69°42′N128°58′W / 69.700°N 128.967°W / 69.700; -128.967 (Reindeer Substation Anderson River) ), was opened around 16 kilometres (10 mi) south of Stanton. [5] [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Territories</span> Territory of Canada

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately 1,144,000 km2 (442,000 sq mi) and a 2016 census population of 41,790, it is the second-largest and the most populous of the three territories in Northern Canada. Its estimated population as of 2023 is 45,668. Yellowknife is the capital, most populous community, and only city in the territory; its population was 19,569 as of the 2016 census. It became the territorial capital in 1967, following recommendations by the Carrothers Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackenzie River</span> Largest river system in Canada

The Mackenzie River is a river in the Canadian boreal forest. It forms, along with the Slave, Peace, and Finlay, the longest river system in Canada, and includes the second largest drainage basin of any North American river after the Mississippi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aklavik</span> Hamlet in Northwest Territories, Canada

Aklavik is a hamlet located in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. Until 1961, with a population over 1,500, the community served as the regional administrative centre for the territorial government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herschel Island</span> Island in Yukon, Canada

Herschel Island is an island in the Beaufort Sea, which lies 5 km (3.1 mi) off the coast of Yukon in Canada, of which it is administratively a part. It is Yukon's only offshore island.

Inuvialuktun comprises several Inuit language varieties spoken in the northern Northwest Territories by Canadian Inuit who call themselves Inuvialuit. Some dialects and sub-dialects are also spoken in Nunavut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuinnaqtun</span> Inuit language of Canada

Inuinnaqtun, is an Inuit language. It is spoken in the central Canadian Arctic. It is related very closely to Inuktitut, and some scholars, such as Richard Condon, believe that Inuinnaqtun is more appropriately classified as a dialect of Inuktitut. The government of Nunavut recognises Inuinnaqtun as an official language in addition to Inuktitut, and together sometimes referred to as Inuktut. It is spoken in the Northwest Territories as well and is recognised as an official language of the territory in addition to Inuvialuktun and Inuktitut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuvialuit</span> Inuit subgroup

The Inuvialuit or Western Canadian Inuit are Inuit who live in the western Canadian Arctic region. They, like all other Inuit, are descendants of the Thule who migrated eastward from Alaska. Their homeland – the Inuvialuit Settlement Region – covers the Arctic Ocean coastline area from the Alaskan border, east through the Beaufort Sea and beyond the Amundsen Gulf which includes some of the western Canadian Arctic Islands, as well as the inland community of Aklavik and part of Yukon. The land was demarked in 1984 by the Inuvialuit Final Agreement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuktoyaktuk</span> Hamlet in the Northwest Territories, Canada

Tuktoyaktuk, or TuktuyaaqtuuqIPA:[təktujaːqtuːq], is an Inuvialuit hamlet located near the Mackenzie River delta in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada, at the northern terminus of the Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway. One of six Inuvialuit communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, it is commonly referred to by its first syllable, Tuk. It lies north of the Arctic Circle on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, and is the only place on the Arctic Ocean connected to the rest of Canada by road. Known as Port Brabant after British colonization, in 1950 it became the first Indigenous settlement in Canada to reclaim its traditional name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aulavik National Park</span> National park in Northwest Territories, Canada

Aulavik National Park ; from the Inuvialuktun for "place where people travel") is a national park located on Banks Island in the Northwest Territories of Canada. It is known for its access to the Thomsen River, one of the most northerly navigable rivers in North America. The park is a fly-in park, and protects approximately 12,274 square kilometres (4,739 sq mi) of Arctic Lowlands at the northern end of the island. The most practical way to visit the park is to charter a plane, and currently the park has four landing sites. Aulavik is considered a polar desert and often experiences high winds. Precipitation for the park is approximately 300 mm (12 in) per year. In the southern regions of the park a sparsely vegetated upland plateau reaches a height of 450 m (1,480 ft) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuktut Nogait National Park</span> National park in Northwest Territories, Canada

Tuktut Nogait National Park is a national park located in the Northwest Territories of Canada that was established in 1998. Meaning "young caribou" in Inuvialuktun, the park is home to the calving grounds of the Bluenose-West caribou herd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siglitun</span> Inuit language dialect

Sallirmiutun is the dialect of Inuvialuktun spoken by the Siglit, an Inuit group of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is mainly used in the Inuvialuit communities of Paulatuk, Sachs Harbour and Tuktoyaktuk. Sallirmiutun was once the principal dialect of the Mackenzie River delta, nearby parts of the coast and Arctic Ocean islands, but the number of speakers fell dramatically following outbreaks of new diseases in the 19th century and for many years Sallirmiutun was believed to be completely extinct. It was only in the 1980s that outsiders realised that it was still spoken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ulukhaktok</span> Hamlet in Northwest Territories, Canada

Ulukhaktok and known until 1 April 2006 as Holman or Holman Island) is a small hamlet on the west coast of Victoria Island, in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of the Northwest Territories</span>

The Northwest Territories is a territory in Northern Canada, specifically in Northwestern Canada between Yukon Territory and Nunavut including part of Victoria Island, Melville Island, and other islands on the western Arctic Archipelago. Originally a much wider territory enclosing most of central and northern Canada, the Northwest Territories was created in 1870 from the Hudson's Bay Company's holdings that were sold to Canada from 1869-1870. In addition, Alberta and Saskatchewan were formed from the territory in 1905. In 1999, it was divided again: the eastern portion became the new territory of Nunavut. Yellowknife stands as its largest city and capital. It has a population of 42,800 and has an area of 532,643 sq mi (1,379,540 km2). The current territory lies west of Nunavut, north of latitude 60° north, and east of Yukon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper Inuit</span> Inuit in Canada

Copper Inuit, also known as Inuinnait and Kitlinermiut, are a Canadian Inuit group who live north of the tree line, in what is now the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in the Inuvik Region of the Northwest Territories. Most of them historically lived in the area around Coronation Gulf, on Victoria Island, and southern Banks Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuvialuit Settlement Region</span> Region in Canada

The Inuvialuit Settlement Region, abbreviated as ISR, located in Canada's western Arctic, was designated in 1984 in the Inuvialuit Final Agreement by the Government of Canada for the Inuvialuit people. It spans 90,650 km2 (35,000 sq mi) of land, mostly above the tree line, and includes several subregions: the Beaufort Sea, the Mackenzie River delta, the northern portion of Yukon, and the northwest portion of the Northwest Territories. The ISR includes both Crown Lands and Inuvialuit Private Lands.

The Baillie Islands are located off the north coast of Cape Bathurst in the Northwest Territories, Canada. The islands formed part of the area used by the Avvaqmiut who are a branch of the Inuvialuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inuit Nunangat</span> Inuit regions of Canada

Inuit Nunangat refers to the land, water, and ice of the homeland of Inuit in Canada. This Arctic homeland consists of four northern Canadian regions called the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, the territory Nunavut (ᓄᓇᕗᑦ), Nunavik (ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) in northern Quebec, and Nunatsiavut of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kendall Island is one of the irregularly shaped, uninhabited Canadian arctic islands in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in Mackenzie Bay at the northern tip of the Mackenzie River Delta. Richards Island is to the southwest of Kendall Island. Kugmallit Bay is bounded by Garry, Pelly Island and Kendall Islands. The northeast portion of the island is high.

The Sallirmiut are an Inuit group residing in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reindeer Station</span> Uninhabited locality in Northwest Territories, Canada

Reindeer Station is an uninhabited locality in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is located in the Caribou Hills, along the Mackenzie River's eastern channel. The community was established in 1932 to house a herd of 3,442 reindeer purchased by the Government of Canada. The venture was intended to replace the traditional livelihood of the local Indigenous peoples, but few chose to become reindeer herders, so the government eventually sold the animals and Reindeer Station was abandoned in 1969. Most of its residential buildings were relocated to the larger centres of Tuktoyaktuk and Inuvik.

References

  1. 1 2 "Anderson River below Carnwath River". R-ARCTICNET. 1969–2002. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  2. 1 2 spectacularnwt.com Archived May 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  3. 1 2 Anderson River Region at Inuvialuit Living History
  4. 1 2 Two Nest Searches for the Eskimo Curlew -- A Century Apart Archived 2014-05-02 at the Wayback Machine
  5. 1 2 3 Gazetteer of the Northwest Territories Archived 2013-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , page 16
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Ecological Regions of the Northwest Territories Taiga Plains Archived 2014-04-21 at the Wayback Machine , page 34
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Ecological Regions of the Northwest Territories Southern Arctic Archived 2014-04-21 at the Wayback Machine , page
  8. ↑ "Field Projects: Geese and Swans". gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  9. ↑ Anderson River Delta
  10. ↑ Anderson River Delta map, site NT038
  11. ↑ Migratory Bird Sanctuaries Northwest Territories
  12. ↑ "Anderson River Delta Migratory Bird Sanctuary". Government of Canada. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Chronicling Siglit Identities: Economy, Practice, and Ethnicity in the Western Canadian Arctic
  14. 1 2 "Anderson River People". Archived from the original on 2013-10-21. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  15. 1 2 Anderson River Inuvialuit at Inuvialuit Living History
  16. ↑ Roderick MacFarlane at Inuvialuit Living History
  17. ↑ Fort Anderson at Inuvialuit Living History
  18. ↑ The Inuvialuit Smithsonian Project: Winter 2009-Spring 2011 Archived 2014-05-20 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Hudson's Bay Company - Fort Anderson". pam.minisisinc.com. Keystone Archives Descriptive Database, Archives of Manitoba. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Anderson River". The Canadian Encyclopedia . Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  21. ↑ "1935 Reindeer Herding in the Northwest Territories". Yellowknife, Northwest Territories: Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.