List of National Historic Sites of Canada in the Northwest Territories facts for kids
The Northwest Territories is a huge and amazing part of Canada! It's home to many special places called National Historic Sites (or Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada in French). These sites are important because they tell us about Canada's past, like big events, famous people, or special buildings.
There are 12 National Historic Sites in the Northwest Territories. One of them, Sahoyúé-§ehdacho, is looked after by Parks Canada, which is like a special team that helps protect Canada's natural and historical treasures. The very first site chosen in the Northwest Territories was Parry's Rock Wintering Site in 1930.
Sometimes, you might see special plaques that mark not just sites, but also important events or people from history. These markers help us remember and learn about Canada's rich past.
National Historic Sites in the Northwest Territories
Church of Our Lady of Good Hope
- Location: Fort Good Hope
- What it is: This church was finished in 1885. It's an early mission church built by the Oblate missionaries in the North. It shows a simpler version of the Gothic Revival style and is one of the oldest buildings of its kind still standing.
Déline Fishery / Franklin's Fort
- Location: Deline
- What it is: This site has the remains of a fort built in 1825-1827. It was used as a winter home by Sir John Franklin and his team during their second expedition. The fort was built on a traditional fishing spot. It shows how Indigenous people and European explorers worked together in the 1800s.
Ehdaa
- Location: Fort Simpson
- What it is: Ehdaa is a very old and important gathering place for the Dene people. Even today, it's used for big events. For example, Treaty 11 was signed here in 1921, and Pope John Paul II visited in 1987.
Fort McPherson
- Location: Fort McPherson
- What it is: Established in 1840, this was a main trading post for the Hudson's Bay Company in the Mackenzie Delta area for over 50 years. It was also a center for missionaries and the first North-West Mounted Police (now the RCMP) post in the Western Arctic.
Fort Reliance
- Location: Great Slave Lake
- What it is: These are the remains of a Hudson's Bay Company fort built in 1833. It was a base for explorer George Back's journey and later used as a trading post. The ruins are now surrounded by the proposed Thaidene Nene National Park.
Fort Resolution
- Location: Fort Resolution
- What it is: This site, established in 1819, is a small piece of land where a North West Company fur post and later a Hudson's Bay Company store once stood. It's the oldest place in the Northwest Territories that has been continuously lived in since the fur trade began.
Fort Simpson
- Location: Fort Simpson
- What it is: This place, established in 1804, was a traditional meeting spot for Indigenous people where the Liard and Mackenzie Rivers meet. Both the North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company built trading posts here.
Hay River Mission Sites
- Location: Hay River Reserve
- What it is: This site, established in 1868, includes several mission buildings and cemeteries. The missions were located on an important water route. They represent the meeting of Dene and European cultures.
Kittigazuit Archaeological Sites
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- Location: Inuvik Region
- What it is: This archaeological site on Kittigazuit Island was lived in from about 1400 to 1900. It was the biggest place where Inuit people gathered seasonally in Northern Canada. It was a traditional hunting spot for Beluga whales for the ancestors of people living in Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk today.
Nagwichoonjik (Mackenzie River)
- Location: Tsiigehtchic
- What it is: This part of the Mackenzie River is a very important cultural landscape for the Gwichya Gwich'in. It has deep cultural, social, and spiritual meaning for them.
Parry's Rock Wintering Site
- Location: Melville Island
- What it is: This site, chosen in 1930, features a large sandstone rock. It marks the spot where explorer William Parry and his team spent the winter in 1819 while trying to find the Northwest Passage.
Saoyú-ʔehdacho
- Location: Great Bear Lake
- What it is: This is a sacred site for the Sahtu people. It's the largest National Historic Site in Canada, about the size of Prince Edward Island! It was also the first site chosen and protected after talking with Indigenous peoples.
See also
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