Early Aklavik

In 1912, the Hudson Bay Company established a trading post on the Peel Channel near the camp of the Inuvialuit trapper, Enoch Pokiak. Some people remember that area being called Singraq, meaning 'shoelaces'. The present day community of Aklavik was established across the river in 1918.

For many years, Aklavik was the northern terminus for steamers  and, later, aircraft that brought in goods and people from the south .

In its heyday, Aklavik was the main trading post for Inuvialuit. Local trappers brought in their muskrat skins, and Inuvialuit trappers from as far away as Banks Island and Victoria Island travelled to Aklavik to trade their winter's catch of arctic fox.

The Roman Catholic and Anglican churches each established missions and schools in Aklavik. Many Inuvialuit and Gwich'in sent their children there for lengthy periods of time. Some families moved to Aklavik permanently.