On Sunday we took a drive out to Nanisivik. We hadn’t been there for awhile and I wanted to see what was left of the town. I also wanted to get out and see if I could find some Snow Buntings as I had friends tell me that they’ve been back for a week or so, but I’d yet to see one, or even hear one for that matter.
It was a beautiful sunny evening when we left, and although I kept my eyes peeled my luck (or lack thereof) was holding and I still hadn’t seen any of the buntings. That wasn’t to be the worse part of the trip though, that was going to happen just outside of Nanisivik. Now I have to confess straight up that I am an idiot. I’ve been driving around without a spare tire for almost a year now. And on tires that have gone past their prime. I’ve been waiting to bring in a set of tires on the next sealift as I don’t want to pay the $1500 or so for freight for five tires. Up until Sunday though I had cheated the odds.
As we came down the hill towards the tailings pond the truck began to make a strange sound, sure enough the left rear tire had given out. To make matters worse I forgotten the satellite phone at home. So we limped into Nanisivik and pulled into the garage. We went to one of the worker’s places to see if we could get the tire patched but when we got back it was obvious that riding the distance we did on the rim had finished off the tire, and that there was no hope of it’s being used again.
So while I stayed to take the tire off, Leah and the others went back to phone someone from Arctic Bay to bring us a spare. They got back, arrangements apparently made and we waited for the tire to arrive. And waited. And waited. Turned out that the person couldn’t come after all. Norman, the fellow from Nanisivik was kind enough to give us a ride back to Arctic Bay, despite the lateness of the hour.
And two days later I grabbed a spare tire and returned to pick up the truck. But curse me for not checking, the spare was on a 15′ rim which didn’t fit my truck. Fortunately I managed to scrounge up a tire that fit my rim and the mechanics there replaced it for me.
And what of Nanisivik? Well it’s almost gone. Gone are the bunkhouses, the Pamo building (apartments), all of the community center but the gym, the Dome (cafeteria) and all but nine houses. It is a very strange sight to see.
This is the townsite in March 2005…
and this is what it looks like today…
Oh, and on the trip back with my truck. I finally got to see my first Snow Bunting of the year. Spring has arrived, on small white and black wings.
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4 responses
Well, what happened to it? Is it a regular occurence in the Arctic for towns to disappear? Coming from such well-established urban areas, it’s difficult for me to imagine.
Glad to hear that spring has reached you! I was hearing my first yellow warbler of the year today, at Fort San in the Qu’Appelle Valley.
Hi Karen,
Nanisivik was a mining community up here. It was the first mine north of the Arctic Circle, the first ore went out in 1976. But, eventually it ran out of profitable ore and has shut down. It is presently being decommissioned. The concept of “towns” up here is relatively new. Arctic Bay for instance was a Hudson’s Bay Company post starting in about 1933, but Inuit didn’t really start moving off the land until the late 60’s. My in-laws for instance lived much the way people lived up here for thousands of years until 1969 when they moved into town.
Laura,
Cool, a yellow warbler. I’d say send him up here but he probably wouldn’t fare very well.
I remember reading a post you’d written around the time of your son’s birthday – having the party “on the land” out at you in-laws’ tent.
Life as I know it seems so far removed from your existence. My husband and I talk often about traveling to Nunavut to see it for ourselves. I got the bug when someone in Iqaluit ordered clothing from my e-commerce site – I had to look it up on a map and started going through websites about life in the High Arctic.
You’ll be the first person we contact when it’s time…