Wrigley (

South Slavey language Slavey (; also Slave, Slavé) is a group of Athabaskan languages and a dialect continuum spoken amongst the Dene peoples of Canada in the Northwest Territories – or central Denendeh – where it also has official status.Dehcho Region The Dehcho Region or ''Deh Cho'' is one of five administrative regions in the Northwest Territories of Canada. According to Municipal and Community Affairs the region consists of six communities with the regional office situated in Fort Simpson. A ...

of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The

Slavey The Slavey (also Slave and South Slavey) are a First Nations indigenous peoples of the Dene group, indigenous to the Great Slave Lake region, in Canada's Northwest Territories, and extending into northeastern British Columbia and northwestern ...

Dene The Dene people () are an indigenous group of First Nations who inhabit the northern boreal and Arctic regions of Canada. The Dene speak Northern Athabaskan languages. ''Dene'' is the common Athabaskan word for "people". The term "Dene" ha ...

community is located on the east bank of the Mackenzie River, just below its confluence with the

Wrigley River Wrigley may refer to: * Wrigley Company, a chewing gum manufacturer owned by Mars, Incorporated * EG Wrigley and Company, a British manufacturer of cars, car components and mechanical parts * Wrigley (surname), a list of people with the name * Wrig ...

and about northwest of

Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...

. Originally situated at Fort Wrigley, downstream, the community relocated to its present location in 1965, in part because it was more easily accessible due to the World War II era

Wrigley Airport Wrigley Airport is located near Wrigley, Northwest Territories, Canada. References External links Registered aerodromes in the Dehcho Region {{NorthwestTerritories-airport-stub ...

built for the Canol Project and also due to the swampy nature of the land around Fort Wrigley.Wrigley at Spectacular NWT
/ref> Today the community can be reached via the

Mackenzie Highway The Mackenzie Highway is a Canadian highway in northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It begins as Alberta Highway 2 at ''Mile Zero'' in Grimshaw, Alberta. After the first , it becomes Alberta Highway 35 for the balance of its lengt ...

. The population continues to maintain a traditional lifestyle, trapping, hunting, and fishing. The community was named for Joseph Wrigley who was the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business di ...

Chief Commissioner for British North America (1884-1891). The Franklin Mountains, which are also on the east bank of the Mackenzie River, overlook the community. Cap Mountain, , is the highest peak in the range and is within walking distance of the community. Although not as well known as the

Rabbitkettle Hot Springs Rabbitkettle Hot Springs is a naturally occurring hot spring located in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The springs are found in the Nahanni National Park Reserve, along the South Nahanni River. Rabbitkettle Hot Springs are situated on a li ...

the Roche qui trempe a l’eau sulphur springs are located downstream of Wrigley.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Wrigley 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. The majority of its 2016 population (110 people) is

First Nations First Nations or first peoples may refer to: * Indigenous peoples, for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area. Indigenous groups *First Nations is commonly used to describe some Indigenous groups including: **First Natio ...

and the predominant languages are North and South Slavey and English.

First Nations

Sternwheeler Mackenzie River and 3 barges at Fort Wrigley in 1946

The

of the community are represented by the

Pehdzeh Ki First Nation The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is a member of the Dehcho First Nations in the Northwest Territories of Canada. The Pehdzeh Ki First Nation is located in Wrigley. The community is located along the Mackenzie River and the Mackenzie Highway ends at W ...

and belong to the

Dehcho First Nations The Dehcho First Nations is a tribal council representing the Dene (South Slavey) and Métis people of the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is made up of ten First Nations bands and two Métis Locals. Membership The Deh C ...

. The last of the

Numbered Treaties The Numbered Treaties (or Post-Confederation Treaties) are a series of eleven treaties signed between the First Nations, one of three groups of Indigenous peoples in Canada, and the reigning monarch of Canada (Victoria, Edward VII or George V) ...

Treaty 11 ''Treaty 11'', the last of the Numbered Treaties, was an agreement established between 1921 and 1922 between King George V and various First Nation band governments in what is today the Northwest Territories. Henry Anthony Conroy was appoint ...

, was signed here 13 July 1921. At that time the Headman was paid $22 and $12 for everybody else.

Services

The community has one store, a

health centre A healthcare center, health center, or community health center is one of a network of clinics staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses providing healthcare services to people in a certain area. Typical services covered are family pr ...

and a two-person

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

detachment.

Education

The community has a K-9 school, Chief Julian Yendo School with an enrolment of 24 as of 2018. After completion of grade 9 students go to the Thomas Simpson Secondary School in

Fort Simpson Fort Simpson (Slavey language: ''Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́'' "place where rivers come together") is a village, the only one in the entire territory, in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, Canada. The community is located on an ...

.Chief Julian Yendo School
/ref>

Climate

Wrigley has a continental subarctic climate ( Dfc). The area combines mild to warm, short summers with long and very cold winters. The differences between the coldest and warmest month are rather extreme even by continental standards, with the January high being and the July high being according to Environment Canada. Transitional seasons are rather short.

References

{{Communities of Northwest Territories Communities in the Dehcho Region Dene communities Hudson's Bay Company trading posts Populated places on the Mackenzie River