- Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park
Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park [http://www.newparksnorth.org/bloody.htm New Parks North - Kugluk (Bloody Falls) Park, "Newsletter 14" March 2005] ] [ [http://www.nunavutparks.com/parks-special-places/kugluk-bloody-falls-territorial-park/overview.aspx Nunavut Parks - Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park, About the park] ] is located about 15 km southwest of Kugluktuk,
Nunavut ,Canada . The 10hectare park is situated around the "Bloody Falls" on theCoppermine River and was listed as anational historic site in 1978. [ [http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/lhn-nhs/det_E.asp?oqSID=0326&oqeName=Bloody+Falls&oqfName=Bloody+Falls Bloody Falls National Historic Site of Canada] ]The park is probably best known as the site of the
Bloody Falls Massacre that occurred whenSamuel Hearne 'sChipewyan guides massacred a group ofCopper Inuit they found camped at the falls. [ [http://www.youthlinks.org/article.do?articleID=1979&sl=e Youth Links - The Story of Bloody Falls] Short article written by three Kugluktuk students.]Usage
The area, both inside and outside the current park boundaries, was used by both Inuit and
First Nations people stretching back over thousands of years. Although the park today lies outside of the modern range of the Bathurst caribou herd (named forBathurst Inlet ) the area was a major hunting ground. [http://wildlife.enr.gov.nt.ca/NWTWildlife/caribou/bathurstdist.htm Bathurst Caribou - Government of the NWT] ] Evidence, such asantler huts, show that it was used by both groups as a majorBarren-ground Caribou hunting region. [ [http://www.civilization.ca/archeo/nadlok/nadcompe.html Nadlok and the Origin of the Copper Inuit at Civiliztion.ca] ] The river and falls were also a major fishing area and remain so today.Dene
Taltheilei Shale Tradition , pre-historic ancestors of theDene , campsites about 1,500 years old, may be found in the area. There is also evidence of 7,000 year old Indian campsites. [New Parks North "Newsletter 15" March 2006]Inuit
Early Paleoeskimo (pre-Dorset culture ) sites are found here and have been dated to over 3,500 years. Within the last 500 years theThule people built stone houses in the park.Today
With the division of the
Northwest Territories in 1999 the area is less used by the Dene than in previous times. Inuit from Kugluktuk still travel to the area to fish and hunt but the park is mainly a tourist attraction. The park can be reached bymotorboat , about 45 minutes,all-terrain vehicle , about two hours or by a 4 to 5 hour walk. The park also provides a camping spot forcanoe ists travelling along the river and a specialportage trail has been constructed. The campsite is situated just below the falls and is called "Onoagahiovik" inInuinnaqtun . There are plans to build an information booth in the park and a "comfort station" is already in place.Geography
The area is typical
Arctic tundra and along the sides of the river are the cliffs that lead to the falls. Rockyescarpment s can be found and it is possible to see theArctic Ocean from hills within the park. The fast flowing river, normally fairly wide, is forced through the cliffs in the park and create the falls before spreading out again.Wildlife
Besides caribou a visitor to the park may observe barren-ground grizzly bears and
wolverine . Bird species such as theGolden Eagle ,Rough-legged Buzzard (Rough-legged Hawk),Peregrine Falcon ,Gyrfalcon andSwallow s may be observed in the park. The last are found in large numbers and nest in the cliffs around the falls.Vegetation
Although the park falls within the
tree line the trees are fairly stunted and the most common is the Dwarf Willow. The black-tipped groundsel ("senecio lugens") is found in the park. The plant was named by John Richardson while travelling the river withJohn Franklin in 1821 during his first expedition. The word "lugens" is derived from theLatin word "to mourn" and is supposed to commemorate the massacre.ee also
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List of Nunavut parks References
External links
* [http://64.26.129.36/on_the_land/kugluk_bloodyfalls.cfm Kugluk/Bloody Falls Territorial Park]
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