Fort Simpson

Fort Simpson was first started as a fur trading site in 1803 then named Fort of the Forks. The Village of Fort Simpson was a permanent settlement in July 1822 when the Hudson's Bay Company constructed a trading post, naming it for George Simpson, then the Governor of Rupert's Land. Until 1910 Fort Simpson was "a company town", with some participation by the Anglican and Roman Catholic Missions. The Dené know it as Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́, meaning the place where the rivers come together. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1969. Pope John Paul II attempted to visit the community in September 1984 as part of his Canadian tour, but was prevented from landing due to fog; in an address over the radio from Yellowknife, he promised to visit in the future. He did so in September 1987 near the end of the tour of the United States, making a side trip to Fort Simpson. ==Culture==

There are two main annual festivals which occur in Fort Simpson. The first which is held in March is known as the "Beavertail Jamboree". This is a winter carnival which includes traditional games, snowmobile races, and talent shows. The other festival is the "Open Sky Festival" which is held annually on or around the Canada Day long weekend. The Open Sky Festival is a multi-disciplinary arts festival which has occurred annually since 2001. Festival events include musical, theatrical, and other performances as well as traditional Dehcho Dene Crafts, visual arts, new media exhibitions, workshops, and demonstrations. The Open Sky festival is hosted by the Open Sky Creative Society, a multi-disciplinary arts organization serving artists working in the Dehcho region. The Dene of the community are represented by the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation and the Métis by Fort Simpson Métis Local 52. Both groups belong to the Dehcho First Nations. File:Welcome to Fort Simpson (5878148063).jpg |Welcome to Fort Simpson File:Radio Station, Fort Simpson, Northwest Territories - Station de radio, Fort Simpson (Territoires du Nord-Ouest) (38766481151).jpg |Radio Station, Fort Simpson, circa 1925 File:Fort Simpson - Canada day 2011.jpg|Ehdaa National Historic Site of Canada on Canada Day 2011 File:Lafferty Ferry dry docked for winter.jpg|Lafferty ferry dry docked for winter File:Liard River ferry Lafferty.jpg|Liard River ferry Lafferty ==Demographics==

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Fort Simpson had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021. In 2016, 890 people identified as Indigenous peoples. Of these the majority, 770, of the residents are First Nations with 95 Métis and 20 Inuit. The main languages are South Slavey and English. ==Climate==

Fort Simpson has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc) with long, cold winters and warm but short summers. July temperatures are unusually warm for such northerly areas, which demonstrates the extreme continental nature of the area's climate. However, the heat quickly turns into cold winters when daylight hours turn drastically shorter. Transition seasons are extremely short, and the year is on average dominated by the winter and to a lesser extent, summer. The average monthly temperatures range from in January to in July. Most of the precipitation falls during the summer months. The highest temperature ever recorded in Fort Simpson was on 25 July 1994 and 13 July 2014.{{cite web == Notable residents ==

• Jim Antoine, eighth premier of the Northwest Territories • William Lafferty, politician, Canadian Forces officer and newspaper columnist • Melaw Nakehk'o, actress, artist, and activist • Nick Sibbeston, fourth premier of the Northwest Territories. • Dahti Tsetso, Tłı̨chǫ environmentalist and educator, born in Fort Simpson ==See also==