A Richard Rohmer Omnibus. Richard Rohmer

      “The Mackenzie River has been the prime route into the Western Arctic since its discovery by Alexander Mackenzie in 1789. In the early days, canoes carried trading goods and furs along its waters. In modern times, barges transport products north to Norman Wells and Tuktoyaktuk. Recently the aircraft has begun to play a major role in the Corridor as well as throughout the entire Arctic. During the 1960’s and into the 70’s, Pacific Western, a regional air carrier was securely established, running from Edmonton to Yellowknife and Inuvik. And Inuvik, a relatively new town situated to the east of Aklavik in the Mackenzie Delta, is now the regional centre for that entire area.

      “After 1968, when the Prudhoe Bay discovery was announced, the pace of exploration in the Mackenzie Delta region quickened. Then, with the first discovery of oil at Atkinson Point on the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula in January 1970, the importance of the area as a source of hydrocarbons, both gas and oil, was firmly established, and drilling rigs really began to get to work. By the winter of 1972, there were thirteen rigs in operation in the Delta. Major finds had been made on Richards Island as well as on the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, and natural gas was being found in increasing amounts. By 1974 there were sufficient reserves to meet the minimum requirements for the creation of a pipeline from the Mackenzie Delta to the American market even without the Prudhoe Bay flow.