This collectible Yellowknife NWT Canada coin celebrates the 50th anniversary of the city's establishment. Made of gold tone metal, it features a commemorative design that showcases the beauty and history of the region. With its unique design and limited production, this coin is a must-have for any collector of Canadian coins.
Certification for this item is currently uncertified and the circulated/uncirculated condition is unknown. However, this does not detract from the rarity and value of this collectible piece. Add it to your collection or give it as a unique gift to a fellow coin enthusiast.
All items are sold used and is. Feel free to message me with any questions, and also check out the other stuff in my store! I am always willing to make a good deal on multiple items & will combine shipping!
Yellowknife (/ˈjɛloʊnaɪf/; Dogrib: Sǫǫ̀mbak’è)[11] is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River.
Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe, who were known as the "Copper Indians" or "Yellowknife Indians", today incorporated as the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They traded tools made from copper deposits near the Arctic Coast. Its population, which is ethnically mixed, was 20,340 per the 2021 Canadian Census.[4][5] Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Sǫǫ̀mbak’è (Athapascan pronunciation: [sõːᵐbakʼe], "where the money is").[12][13] Modern Yellowknives members can be found in the adjoining, primarily Indigenous communities of Ndilǫ and Dettah.
The Yellowknife settlement is considered to have been founded in 1934,[2] after gold was found in the area, although commercial activity in the present-day waterfront area did not begin until 1936. Yellowknife quickly became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and was named the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a mining town to a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of diamonds north of the city in 1991,[14] this shift began to reverse. In recent years, tourism, transportation, and communications have also emerged as significant Yellowknife industries.
The area around the community is the historic and traditional home of the Yellowknives Dene, the land's First Nations residents. Dettah was the first formal settlement in the area, which was founded by the Yellowknives in the 1930s and located on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay.[16] The name Dettah means Burnt Point and refers to a traditional fishing camp that the Dene used for 100s of years. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was first occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.[17]
A Klondike-bound prospector, E.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in 1898. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike Gold Rush and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.[18]
In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's Arctic regions. Samples of uranium and silver were uncovered at Great Bear Lake in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals.[19] In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about 30 km (19 mi) up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples 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.[21] From 1935 to 1937, one prospector and trapper named Winslow C. Ranney staked in the area between David Lake and Rater Lake with few commercial results. The nearby hill known as Ranney Hill is his namesake and a popular hiking destination today. 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. Some of the first businesses were Corona Inn, Weaver & Devore Trading, Yellowknife Supplies and post office, and The Wildcat Cafe. Con Mine entered production on 5 September 1938. Yellowknife boomed in the summer of 1938 and many new businesses were established, including the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Hudson's Bay Company, Vic Ingraham's first hotel, Sutherland's Drug Store, and a pool hall.
The population of Yellowknife quickly grew to 1,000 by 1940, and by 1942, five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. However, by 1944, gold production had ground to a halt as men were needed for the war effort. An exploration program at the Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife.[22] It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The Discovery Mine, with its own townsite, operated 81 km (50 mi) to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.
Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department (now Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada) of the Government of Canada. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was Jock McNiven. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status sparked what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.[24]
In 1978 the Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel was released into the environment, and Operation Morning Light—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful.[25]
A new mining rush and fourth building boom in Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 km (190 mi) north of the city in 1991.[26] The Giant Mine was the subject of a bombing during a labour dispute in 1992 that resulted in one of the deadliest mass murders in Canada with 9 deaths.[27][28] The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On 1 April 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of Nunavut was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of Iqaluit. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population
Folk on the Rocks is a local music festival that has been an annual occurrence since 1980. The event features a wide variety of musical acts; it is not limited to only Folk. In the past, it has drawn acts such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, the Trailer Park Boys, The Weakerthans, African Guitar Summit, Corb Lund, Fred Penner, Stan Rogers, Gord Downie, Tanya Tagaq, Dan Mangan, Sam Roberts Band, Sloan, The Strumbellas, Joel Plaskett, Ron Sexsmith and Hawksley Workman.[124]
The Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, with games played through the city's well-lit summer nights, is also a significant cultural event.[125]
During the winter, there is the Snowking Winter Festival, featuring a snow castle on Great Slave Lake which hosts a month of cultural activities[126]
The Long John Jamboree,[127] a new winter festival, took place 23–25 March 2012 on the frozen Yellowknife Bay next to the Snowking castle, in Yellowknife's Old Town neighbourhood. Events include an ice sculpture contest sponsored by De Beers Canada, cultural events like Dene hand games, games, live music, a beer garden, food vendors, skating rink, artist's market, and much more.
Yellowknife hosted the inaugural 1970 Arctic Winter Games, and has since hosted athletes and artists from circumpolar regions at the biennial multi-sport and multi-cultural event in 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008 Arctic Winter Games.
The Old Town Ramble & Ride Festival started in 2006 and happens every summer for three days on the August long weekend. This free outdoor festival promotes local art, culture, music, artisans, dance, storytelling, workshops, tours, children's area and more.
The Yellowknife International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the city.[128] The Dead North Film Festival, a genre film festival for horror, fantasy and science fiction films, was also staged from 2012 to 2020, but is currently on hiatus.[129]
Yellowknife Farmers Market is a seasonal farmers market in Yellowknife, held every Tuesday from June to September at Somba K'e Civic Plaza.[130]
Attractions
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The Gold Range is a prominent hotel and bar located in Yellowknife.
First opened in 1937, Wildcat Cafe is the oldest restaurant in Yellowknife.
Some notable places to visit in Yellowknife include:
The Wildcat Cafe, which first opened in 1937. The popular restaurant still operates in its original building during the summer, which was moved to its current location after being saved from demolition in the late 1970s. The Wildcat Cafe was renovated from 2011 to 2013. The City hosted a grand opening of the new Wildcat Cafe on 16 June 2013.[131]
The Gold Range Bar (also known as The Strange Range and listed in the circa 1989 phonebook as such), one of the oldest and most colourful drinking establishments in the Northwest Territories and featured in Elizabeth Hay's novel "Late Nights On Air" and Mordecai Richler's novel Solomon Gursky Was Here.[132]
Downtown contains the Capital Area Park, a short but pleasant stroll by City Hall,[133] the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[134] the Legislature.[135]
The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is a museum containing exhibits of the history and culture of Inuit, Inuvialuit, Dene, Métis and non-aboriginal peoples of the NWT. It is found just north of downtown on an attractive location overlooking Frame Lake.
Near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Northwest Territories Legislative Building houses the territory's legislative assembly.
The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located in Sir John Franklin High School and is the city's largest indoor stage for theatre and musical presentations.[136]
Elon the Muskox (Elon Muskox), a mosaiculture horticultural living sculpture of a muskox exhibited in front of City Hall.[137][138]
Centre Square Mall: Northewest Territories' largest shopping mall and the tallest building in Northern Canada. Centre Square Mall contains many shops, the Yellowknife Public Library, and the Yellowknife Visitor Centre.[139]
Other notable attractions include the Ingraham Trail, local fishing lodges, bush plane tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the Bush Pilots monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beaches.
Historical sites
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Back Bay Cemetery – pioneer graveyard, 1938
Bank of Toronto – log cabin bank, 1944
Canadian Pacific Airlines floatbase – Old Town float plane base, 1946
Fireweed Studio – Giant Mine log cabin, 1939
Hudson's Bay Warehouse – Hudson's Bay Company trading post, 1945
Log School House – Yellowknife's first school, 1939
Old Fort Providence – first trading post in the region, 1789
Weaver & Devore Trading – in operation since 1936
The Wildcat Cafe – longest serving restaurant
Post Office – community post office since 1956
Notable people
Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Alberta
Margot Kidder, film and television actress best known for playing Lois Lane in the Superman movies of the 1970s and 1980s, was born in Yellowknife
Kevin Koe, World Champion Curler.
Shane Koyczan, poet of anti-bullying poem "To This Day" among others
Tobias Mehler, film and television actor best known for his roles on Battlestar Galactica and Stargate SG-1
Vic Mercredi, Métis hockey player, first person born in the NWT to be drafted into the National Hockey League
Dustin Milligan, film and television actor; lead actor in the first season of the Beverly Hills, 90210 spinoff and regular on Schitt's Creek.
John Sissons, politician and the first judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories
Greg Vaydik, National Hockey League player
Max Ward, pioneering bush pilot and founder of Wardair, later sold to Canadian Airlines
Ewan Affleck, Canadian general practitioner and receiver of Order of Canada.