Fort Chipewyan
| Fort Chipewyan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Location in Alberta | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Alberta | ||
| Regional Municipality: | Wood Buffalo | ||
| Coordinates : | 58 ° 43 ′ N , 111 ° 9 ′ W | ||
| Height : | 220 m | ||
| Area : | 10.24 km² | ||
| Residents : | 915 (as of 2006) | ||
| Population density : | 89.4 inhabitants / km² | ||
| Time zone : | Mountain Time ( UTC − 7 ) | ||
| Municipality number: | 0707 | ||
| Postal code : | T9K | ||
| Foundation : | 1788 | ||
Fort Chipewyan is the oldest European settlement in the Canadian province of Alberta . The settlement now has the status of a hamlet ( English Hamlet ) and was founded in 1788 by the North West Company as a trading post. The settlement was named after the Chipewyan people who lived in this region. The fort is located on the northwest tip of Lake Athabasca and borders Wood Buffalo National Park .
The fort has about 900 inhabitants who live primarily from tourism , especially in the summer months. There are no permanent paved roads to get here, only in winter it can be reached from Fort Smith on a winter road. In summer, the fort can be reached by ship from Fort McMurray , about 280 km to the southern Athabasca River . The main mode of transport throughout the year is by air, and the city is served from Edmonton and Fort McMurray.
In recent years, an unusually high number of cancer and immune deficiency diseases have been recorded among the residents , which the local population associates with the pollution caused by the mining of oil sands 230 km upstream on Athabasca . In May 2006, the Canadian health agency opened an investigation that has not yet been completed (as of June 2006).
literature
- Patricia A. McCormack: Northwind Dreaming, Fort Chipewyan 1788–1988 , The Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton 1988
- Patricia A. McCormack and RG Ironside: Proceedings of the Fort Chipewyan and Fort Vermilion Bicentennial Conference , Boreal Institute for Northern Studies, Edmonton 1990