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Fort Chipewyan

Coordinates: 58°42′52″N 111°09′30″W / 58.71444°N 111.15833°W / 58.71444; -111.15833 (Fort Chipewyan)
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Fort Chipewyan
Hamlet
Aerial view of Fort Chipewyan
Aerial view of Fort Chipewyan
Country Canada
Province Alberta
RegionNorthern Alberta
Census division16
Specialized municipalityR.M. of Wood Buffalo
Settled1788[1]
Government
 • TypeUnincorporated
 • MayorSandy Bowman
 • Governing body
Wood Buffalo Municipal Council
  • Ken Ball
  • Funky Banjoko
  • Lance Bussieres
  • M. Shafiq Dogar
  • Allan Grandison
  • Nicholas Keith McGrath
  • Kendrick Cardinal
  • Loretta Waquan
  • Stu Wigle
  • Jane Stroud
Area
 (2011)[2]
 • Total10.23 km2 (3.95 sq mi)
Elevation
220 m (720 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total847
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
Postal code
T9K
Area code+1-780

Fort Chipewyan, commonly referred to as Fort Chip, is a hamlet in northern Alberta, Canada within the Regional Municipality (R.M.) of Wood Buffalo.[3] It is located on the western tip of Lake Athabasca, adjacent to Wood Buffalo National Park, approximately 223 kilometres (139 mi) north of Fort McMurray.

Fort Chipewyan is one of the oldest European settlements in the Province of Alberta. It was established as a trading post by Peter Pond of the North West Company in 1788.[1] The Fort was named after the Chipewyan First Nation living in the area. One of the establishers of the Fort, Roderick Mackenzie of Terrebonne, always had a taste for literature, as was seen years later when he opened correspondence with traders all over the north and west, asking for descriptions of scenery, adventure, folklore and history. He also had in view the founding of a library at the fort, which would not be only for the immediate residents of Fort Chipewyan, but for traders and clerks of the whole region tributary to Lake Athabaska, so that it would be what he called, in an imaginative and somewhat jocular vein, "the little Athens of the Arctic regions." This library became, perhaps, the most famous in the whole extent of Rupert's Land.[4][5][6] From about 1815 to 1821 the Hudson's Bay Company maintained a competing Fort Wedderburn on Coal Island a mile and a half from the North West Company's fort.[7]

Economy

Tourism plays a key role in Fort Chipewyan's economy, especially in the summer months.

Demographics

As a designated place in the 2011 Census, Fort Chipewyan had a population of 847 living in 302 of its 358 total dwellings, a 12% change from its 2006 population of 756. With a land area of 10.23 km2 (3.95 sq mi), it had a population density of 82.80/km2 (214.44/sq mi) in 2011.[2]

The population of Fort Chipewyan according to the R.M of Wood Buffalo's 2007 municipal census is 1,007,[8] which makes the hamlet eligible for town status.[9] The subsequent 2008 municipal census recorded a population of 1,016.[10] However, with the overall 2008 municipal census result for the R.M. of Wood Buffalo not being accepted by Alberta Municipal Affairs due to the use of extrapolation,[11] Therefore, Fort Chipewyan's 2008 population may be more of an estimate compared to its 2007 figure.

The hamlet had a population of 902 living on a land area of 10.24 square kilometres (3.95 sq mi) as of the 2001 census.[12]

The hamlet's population is predominantly made up of Cree First Nations, Chipewyan (Dene) First Nations, and Metis people.

Transportation

Air

The hamlet is served by the Fort Chipewyan Airport. Air is one of two methods of access to Fort Chipewyan in the summer.[13]

Water

In the summer, the hamlet also can be accessed by boat[13] from Fort McMurray via the Athabasca River.

Road

There are no all-weather roads to Fort Chipewyan, but it can be reached via winter roads in the winter.[13] These include roads from Fort Smith to the north and from Fort McMurray to the south. Although the Alberta government has previously conducted studies on all-weather road access, no action has been taken.[citation needed] In December 2005, one-third of Fort Chipewyan's residents signed a petition to request the government to build a 50 km (31 mi) all-weather road to connect with existing roads to the northwest that provide access to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories.[citation needed] The major expenditure would be a bridge over the Slave River.

Climate

Fort Chipewyan has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, very cold, dry winters and short, warm, wetter summers..

Climate data for Fort Chipewyan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.5
(50.9) 		11
(52) 		14.5
(58.1) 		27.1
(80.8) 		32
(90) 		34.4
(93.9) 		34
(93) 		34
(93) 		29
(84) 		26.5
(79.7) 		17
(63) 		8.8
(47.8) 		34.4
(93.9)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) −17.6
(0.3) 		−13.3
(8.1) 		−5
(23) 		5.8
(42.4) 		14.8
(58.6) 		20.2
(68.4) 		22.6
(72.7) 		20.7
(69.3) 		13.3
(55.9) 		5.1
(41.2) 		−6.8
(19.8) 		−15.2
(4.6) 		3.7
(38.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −23.2
(−9.8) 		−19.3
(−2.7) 		−11.8
(10.8) 		−0.1
(31.8) 		8.6
(47.5) 		14.2
(57.6) 		16.7
(62.1) 		14.8
(58.6) 		8.2
(46.8) 		0.8
(33.4) 		−11.3
(11.7) 		−20.5
(−4.9) 		−1.9
(28.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −28.7
(−19.7) 		−25.2
(−13.4) 		−18.6
(−1.5) 		−6
(21) 		2.4
(36.3) 		8.1
(46.6) 		10.7
(51.3) 		8.9
(48.0) 		3.2
(37.8) 		−3.5
(25.7) 		−15.7
(3.7) 		−25.8
(−14.4) 		−7.5
(18.5)
Record low °C (°F) −50
(−58) 		−46.7
(−52.1) 		−43.5
(−46.3) 		−34.1
(−29.4) 		−10.6
(12.9) 		−4
(25) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		−4.2
(24.4) 		−12.2
(10.0) 		−30
(−22) 		−39
(−38) 		−47.8
(−54.0) 		−50
(−58)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19.3
(0.76) 		15.7
(0.62) 		17.8
(0.70) 		18.5
(0.73) 		25.3
(1.00) 		51.7
(2.04) 		70.8
(2.79) 		47.6
(1.87) 		38.4
(1.51) 		34
(1.3) 		29.1
(1.15) 		23.7
(0.93) 		391.9
(15.43)
Source: Environment Canada[14]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Athabasca Tribal Council - Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
  2. ^ a b c "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and designated places, 2011 and 2006 censuses (Alberta)". Statistics Canada. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2012-04-07.
  3. ^ Alberta Municipal Affairs (2010-04-01). "Specialized and Rural Municipalities and Their Communities" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  4. ^ The Rev George Boyce, MacKenzie - Selkirk - Simpson - The Makers of Canada[1]
  5. ^ http://www.electricscotland.com/history/canada/makers/mackenzie3.htm
  6. ^ Campbell, Wilfred; Bryce, George, "The Scotsman in Canada", Toronto, Musson Book Co.,1911[2]
  7. ^ James Raffan, "Emperor of the North :Sir George Simpson and the Remarkable History of the Hudson's Bay Company", 2007, pages 108-119,
  8. ^ R.M. of Wood Buffalo (2007). "2007 Municipal Census Report" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  9. ^ Alberta Queen's Printer. "Municipal Government Act". Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  10. ^ R.M. of Wood Buffalo (July 15, 2009). "2008 Municipal Census Report" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  11. ^ R.M. of Wood Buffalo (July 15, 2009). "Wood Buffalo's population passes 100,000, reports 2008 Municipal Census". Retrieved February 14, 2009.
  12. ^ Statistics Canada (Census 2001). "Wood Buffalo Regional Municipality - Population counts". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  13. ^ a b c "Fort Chipewyan". Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
  14. ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000, accessed 24 July 2009

58°42′52″N 111°09′30″W / 58.71444°N 111.15833°W / 58.71444; -111.15833 (Fort Chipewyan)

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