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Fort McPherson

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The first NWT community you’ll encounter driving on the Dempster Highway, Fort McPherson has a rich and storied history. This Gwich’in hamlet of about 800 served as the principal Hudson’s Bay Company trading post in the Mackenzie Delta for over 50 years.

Its traditional name, Teet’lit Zheh, translates to “Place at the head of the waters,” evoking the community’s location on a bluff above the east bank of the Peel River and facing the breathtaking Richardson Mountains. Explorer John Bell opened a trading post nearby in 1849, but after numerous floods that settlement was moved about six kilometres inland to what became the current site of Fort McPherson.

Here you’ll also find the final resting place of the RCMP’s fabled “Lost Patrol.” In 1911, a four-man team set off from Fort McPherson on their way to Dawson City by dogsled. They never arrived. Corporal Jack Dempster, the namesake of the Dempster Highway, led the search for the missing men. Their bodies were eventually recovered and buried here in Fort McPherson. The grave site was turned into a memorial that’s still visited by many travellers.

Today, Fort McPherson is a vibrant community full of enterprising residents who remain closely tied to the area’s historic roots. Travellers should make sure to visit the renowned Fort McPherson Tent and Canvas Shop, which sells durable custom canvas tent walls and other practical items for adventurers. Also stop by the Chii Tsal Dik Gwizheh Tourism and Heritage Centre, which hosts a range of cultural activities, from live fiddle music and dance demonstrations, to storytelling, sewing classes, and more.

Drivers can access Fort McPherson year-round on the Dempster Highway, with the exception of spring break-up and fall freeze-up. There is also a small airport with seasonal flights to Inuvik when the Peel River is closed.

Fort McPherson Tent and Canvas
Fort McPherson Tent and Canvas Shop is located above the Arctic Circle in a Gwich'€™in community of approximately 800 people. The Fort McPherson Tent and Canvas Shop started as a government project in 1970 and continued in that manner until 1990. Today the Canvas Shop, as it came to be known acr...
Nataiinlaii Territorial Park
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Peel River Inn
Adventurers and explorers have used the Peel River Inn as the place to stay since 1972. With 8 comfortable guestrooms, the Peel River Inns North hotel has the staff and facilities to ensure your stay is restful and stress-free. Accommodates 16 in eight rooms, private bath, TV, laundry, gas, groce...
Nataiinlaii Territorial Park
This park is perched on a cliff overlooking the Peel River and surrounded by stands of white birch and white spruce trees. It's an ideal place to unwind for a few nights on the long journey up or down the Dempster. The visitor centre offers a fascinating glimpse of the life of the Gwich’in Dene peop...
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The Lost Patrol graves
In the shadow of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Fort McPherson lies the final resting place of the infamous Lost Patrol. Here visitors can pay homage to one of the tragic episode in Northern history. It began on a lonely trail straddling the Yukon and Northwest Territories over a century ago. Ins...
Nataiinlaii Territorial Park Visitor Centre
Perched on a cliff overlooking the Peel River, tucked in amongst the white birch and spruce trees, Nitaiinlaii Territorial Park is an ideal place to unwind after an epic journey on the Dempster Highway Though the park is best known as a campground, it’s also a popular picnic day-use area and ...