Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System National Historic Event

Dawson, Yukon Territory
Radio Station at Fort Simpson, N.W.T., ca. 1925 © Oswald S. Finnie / Canada. Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs / Library and Archives Canada / PA-100351
Radio Station at Fort Simpson, N.W.T., ca. 1925
© Oswald S. Finnie / Canada. Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs / Library and Archives Canada / PA-100351
Standard Radio Station, Northwest Territories and Yukon system, North Edmonton, Alta. © Canada. Dept. of Interior | ministère de l'Intérieur / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-040736Radio Station at Fort Simpson, N.W.T., ca. 1925 © Oswald S. Finnie / Canada. Dept. of Indian and Northern Affairs / Library and Archives Canada / PA-100351
Address : Dawson, Yukon Territory

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1997-09-22

Other Name(s):
  • Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System  (Designation Name)
Research Report Number: 1996-017

Importance: Pioneer in radio communications over land as well as in the extreme conditions of the North

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque:  602 Front Street, Dawson, Yukon Territory

From 1923 the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals pioneered radio communications in extreme weather and atmosphere conditions. Operated by the military, the Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System served civilian, administrative and business purposes almost exclusively. While the number and the location of its stations varied with changing economic and political circumstances, the System was an essential part of the social and cultural life of northern communities, until it was closed in the early 1960s.