Tulita

History

Fort Norman originated as a Hudson's Bay Company trading post in the 19th century and has occupied a number of geographical locations prior to the settling of the modern community. A post by the name of Fort Norman occupied several locations, on the Mackenzie River, on the islands within it, on Bear River, and on the shore of Great Bear Lake near the present location of Deline. Who the name 'Norman' commemorates is unclear, but it may have been either Alexander Norman McLeod or Archibald Norman McLeod, both of whom were prominent in the northwest in the early 19th century. Between 1863 and 1869, Fort Norman was located on Great Bear Lake, a short distance west of what later became Deline (Fort Franklin), and was an HBC post commanded by Nichol Taylor. Roman Catholic missionary Émile Petitot operated a small mission here during that period. In 1869, Nichol Taylor moved Fort Norman to its present position at the confluence of the Mackenzie and Bear Rivers. Fort Norman rose to importance during the 1920s oil staking rush along the Mackenzie River, downstream of the community, where oil was developed and marketed at what became known as Norman Wells. It has also become a permanent settlement for predominately Sahtu Dene people on whose traditional land the original trading post was built. In 1996, the name of Fort Norman was officially changed to Tulita, which translates in Dene to "where the rivers or waters meet."

Most-observed species

• White-crowned Sparrow

  Zonotrichia leucophrys (J.R.Forster, 1772) · Aves
  5
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  3
• muskox

  Ovibos moschatus (Zimmermann, 1780) · Mammalia
  2
• Sharp-tailed Grouse

  Tympanuchus phasianellus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2
• Sandhill crane

  Grus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet

  Regulus calendula (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2
• Snow/Ross's Goose

  Anser caerulescens (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2
• Common Freckle Pelt Lichen

  Peltigera aphthosa (L.) Willd. · Lecanoromycetes
  2