1970 Canada Department of Energy Centennial Map of the Northwest Territories

A 1970 pictorial map of the Northwest Territories of Canada, celebrating the centennial of the territories' establishment, prepared by the Canadian Department of Energy's Surveys and Mapping Branch.

A Closer Look

Focusing on the present-day Northwest Territories and Nunavut (split off in 1999), this map celebrates the history, culture, and wildlife of the region, especially its gradual exploration and partial settlement by Europeans and their Canadian descendants, beginning with Leif Erikson and continuing to the time of publication, with the traverse of the American oil tanker S.S. Manhattan the preceding year (with the aid of Canadian icebreakers). Legendary explorers such as Hudson, Hearne, Mackenzie, and Franklin make an appearance. Illustrations of ships, oil rigs, explorers, indigenous people, and Arctic and subarctic animals abound. Portraits of the governors of the territory surround the map, and their dates in office are noted.

The Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories came into existence with Canadian Confederation on July 15, 1870, initially covering a land mass even larger than its current configuration. Most notably, in 1898 the Yukon Territory was split off from it, and in 1999, the eastern half of the territory became Nunavut, a self-governing Inuit entity. Frigidly cold much of the year and sparsely populated (with a majority of the population being First Nations, Inuit, or Métis), the territory is home to some of the most distinctive and starkly beautiful landscapes in the world. The waters that run through the mainland and islands of the territory constitute the long-sought Northwest Passage, which in the event proved to be too difficult and roundabout to traverse to provide the expected benefits (the first successful complete traverse of the Passage was made by Roald Amundsen's expedition in 1903 - 1905, traced here). In recent years, however, due to Arctic sea ice decline, commercial ships have been increasingly able to traverse the Passage in summer months.

A Momentous Centennial

The text at top towards left discusses the slogan and objectives of the territory's centennial, which reflects the result of recent administrative changes. As mentioned, the territory was initially administered by a council based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which shifted locations over the next century (listed towards top-left here), eventually settling in the national capital, Ottawa, in 1905. However, in 1963, the Carrothers Commission was convened to discuss the devolution of power to local government and the relocation of the seat of territorial government to the territory itself. Following months of study and preparations, the capital of the Northwest Territories was relocated to Yellowknife (the territory's largest city) in 1967. The commission also suggested that a division of the territory was likely in the long term, though, as mentioned, it would be another 30 years before the creation of Nunavut.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared in 1970 by the Canadian Department of Energy's Surveys and Mapping Branch. It is noted among the holdings of some 13 institutions in the OCLC and also appears in at least two Canadian archives (the Northwest Territories Archives and the Provincial Archives of Saskatchewan ).