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Yellowknife - the Old Town 
 
The original settlement was established by three local Dene Nations, the Chipewyan, the Dogrib and the Slavey as part of a process of abandoning traditional hunting grounds in favour of a central location.
 
The copper knives of the First Nation Denne gave the city its name of Yellowknife.
 
The non-aboriginal population did not explode until a gold rush in the 1930's.
 
A further population push came in 1938 when the Royal Canadian Signals station was moved from Fort Rae to Yellowknife.
 
At this time Yellowknife was a bustling boomtown of tents and log houses fulfilling the needs of mining companies and independent prospectors. The town was largely confined to what is now designated as the OLD TOWN.
 
Aviation further opened up the town beyond the OLD TOWN in the 1940's and 1950's. Bush pilots based in Yellowknife played a major role in opening up the North.
 
Yellowknife is relatively a young town having been declared the capital of the North-West Territories in 1967 and a city in 1970.
 
The city presently has a population of about 20,000. The entire population of the North-West Territories is only slightly over 40,000. At 20,000 the city of Yellowknife is by far the most impressive city in that population range that I have seen.
 
Due to the constraints of being located on the very rocky terrain of the Precambrian or Canadian Shield, Yellowknife could only expand in certain directions. Furthermore, the shores of Great Slave Lake and other much smaller lakes within the city limits also hinder the expansion or development.
 
This creates a sense of excitement just from looking at the city map which shows the lack of urban sprawl radiating from the center that is so typical of most cities.
 
The highpoint of my visit to the OLD TOWN, in both senses of the word, was my climb up the wooden stairways leading to THE ROCK and the Pilot's Monument. This is the centerpiece of Old Town and it is a great starting point as the vistas in all directions are beautiful.
The Pilot's Monument which faces north is dedicated to the many bush pilots who were so instrumental in the opening of the Canadian Far North.
On top of THE ROCK, I had to deal with a mind game. By every measure of my senses, there existed a conspiracy to create the impression of Newfoundland.
 
Perhaps it was the very name, THE ROCK that set me up for this. But there was more; the rocky surroundings, the beautiful vistas in all directions, the clapboard homes, the rustic feeling punctuated by a lack of pretentiousness and the presence of the sea. Great Slave Lake is the fifth largest lake in North America after Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Great Bear so it can create the impression of a sea.
 
I have had a warm feeling towards Newfoundland ever since 1996. In that year, I bicycled the Viking Trail (http://www.vikingtrail.org/directions.html) from Deer Lake to L'Anse au Meadows (archeological site of Viking settlement) and beyond to Red Bay in Labrador (end of the road). That same feeling came over me here in the OLD TOWN of Yellowknife.
 
The best way to tour the OLD TOWN is by walking. It is relatively small and can be seen in detail in about two hours if you include part of Latham Island.
 
There is an OLD TOWN Heritage Walking Tour pamphlet available at the tourist office. I chose to just walk the area and enjoy the interesting heritage buildings as well as the more modern houses without going into all the detail contained in the tour book.
 
Willow Flats, an area of Old Town which is located in the lead up to the peninsula is famous for Ragged Ass Drive. That is an address that one does not easily forget. Not only does it have an in-your-face name but it also has a beautiful selection of houses and trendy gardens.



An institution in The Old Town is the Wildcat Café. It was definitely on my to-do list but somehow this rustic mining camp style restaurant did not fit into my eating schedule.


The Old Town remains my favourite part of town but there is much more to explore.
 
Follow -Up Blogs:
 
Yellowknife - the New Town
 
Yellowknife - Frame Lake
 
Yellowknife - The Legislative Assembly
 
Yellowknife - the Prince of Wales Museum
 
Yellowknife - Golf Course and Airport

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