office in Aklavik Aklavik began to develop in the early 1900s after the
Hudson's Bay Company opened a
trading post in 1912. The
Roman Catholic Church later established a
mission here in 1926. Located on the Peel Channel, the community became a transportation hub in the Mackenzie. It was in a good
trapping area. Aklavik became part of the
Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System (NWT&Y) in October 1925. The NWT&Y system, a pioneer system, was critical in providing communications in Canada's North. It was operated by the
Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RC Sigs). In Aklavik, besides providing services to the general population, NWT&Y also provided communication for any aircraft that overflew the site, with or without radio. An aircraft without radio that was passing over one of these stations and not planning to land, would fly very low over the station so that it could be identified and the date and time of its passing could be recorded. The call sign for the NWT&Y station in Aklavik was VEF. In 1931,
Albert Johnson, also known as the "Mad Trapper of Rat River", moved into the area. A complaint was made to the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) post in Aklavik and the two members attempted, unsuccessfully, to talk with him concerning trapline tampering. A few days later, after gaining a
search warrant, they tried again to talk with him, but Johnson fatally shot one of the RCMP and fled. A 42-day
manhunt began, ending with Johnson's death. These events are considered to have been the catalyst for introducing the airplane and communications radio as tools to help track a person. Museums dedicated to Albert Johnson can be found in Aklavik and in Fort Smith. In December 1946, radio station "CHAK" went on the air at Aklavik. The AK in the call sign was the first and last letters of the location. Built and initially operated by WO2 R.A. (Red) McLeod of the RC Sigs, the station was a voluntary operation serving the Mackenzie River delta. It initially had 30 watts of power, later upgraded to 100 watts, and operated on 1490 kHz. It received its license in 1947. In 1949, the
Royal Canadian Navy established a signals intelligence station in Aklavik. It remained operational until March 1961. After it closed down, operations were moved to a newly built station in Inuvik. By the 1950s the community had developed to more than 1,600 people. However, the Peel Channel was subject to flooding, and the
river banks were being washed away. Due to the flooding, the
Federal Government built a new community at what is now
Inuvik, and intended to close Aklavik. In the 1960s, the principal of Aklavik's school, A. J. (Moose) Kerr, started a committee to help save the community. The efforts were successful and the community has survived. The local school is named for him. ==Today==