( MST) is the capital of ,
Dogrib ,
South And North Slavey ,
English , and
French .
In Dogrib, the city is called ''Somba K'e'' ("where the money is").
Yellowknife has a
Semi-arid Subarctic climate and averages less than 300 milimeters of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the
Rain Shadow of mountain ranges to the west. Winters are very cold and long, and summers are short but warm. Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free
Growing Season that averages slightly over 100 days. Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.
Yellowknife is located on the
Canadian Shield , which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to Great Slave Lake. Stunted trees and bushes grow in areas with sufficient soil, but there are also many outcrops of relatively bare rock.
Traditionally,
First Nations people had occupied this region and by the 1800s they had a settlement on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay, a community now known as
Dettah . The current settlement was occupied as a result of work by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.
Gold was first reported in the area of Yellowknife Bay in the late
19th Century when a
Klondike bound prospector named E.A. Blakeney found some gold samples. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike stampede and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.
In the late
1920s , aircraft were being used to explore Canada's arctic regions. Interesting showings of
Radium and
Silver were being uncovered at
Great Bear Lake in the early
1930s , and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals. In
1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the
Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. In that season they found an interesting gold showing at Quyta Lake, about 30 km (19 mi) up the
Yellowknife River , and another gold find at Homer Lake.
The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in
1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of
1935 , a small staking rush occurred. The
Con Mine was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936-1937. The Con Mine entered production on
September 5 1938 .
The population of Yellowknife grew quickly to 1000 by
1940 and by
1942 five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. By
1944 gold production had ceased as workers were needed in the war effort.
By 1944, an exploration program at the
Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife. It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, extending the life of the mine greatly. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945-1946.
Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department of the
Government Of Canada . A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. But by
1953 , Yellowknife had grown so much it was made a
Municipality , with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was
"Jock" McNiven .
In
1967 Yellowknife became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status provided what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife, as housing went up in new subdivisions of town to accommodate an influx of government workers.
In ' "Snap Lake" project, received final approval and funding in 2005, with plans for production in 2007.
The last of the gold mines closed in Yellowknife in
2004 . Today Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines.
Yellowknife, like other frontier mining towns, has a colourful culture and society.
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