Wrigley, Northwest Territories: Mackenzie River History, Pehdzeh Ki and Dehcho Travel Guide
Wrigley is a small Dene community on a high bluff above the Mackenzie River in the Dehcho region of the Northwest Territories. It is known traditionally as Pedzéh Kı̨́ or Pehdzeh Ki, often translated as “clay place,” and it is the northernmost Dehcho community.
The community’s setting is direct and dramatic: Mackenzie River below, Franklin Range nearby, and the Mackenzie Mountains to the west. Wrigley is small, but its location connects river travel, Dene history, the Canol wartime route, and the northern end of practical road access in the Dehcho.
How Wrigley Started
NWT Bureau of Statistics traces the local settlement story to the early 1800s. After the Northwest Trading Company’s Fort Alexander post closed in 1821, Slavey Dene settled at Old Fort Island, north of the present community. A Hudson’s Bay Company post followed in 1870.
Hard years followed in the early 1900s, including famine and tuberculosis. Many people later moved to Fort Wrigley, and the present community site was chosen in 1965 because wet ground and poor living conditions made the older site difficult. The new site also had the advantage of a wartime airstrip built for the Canol Project.
What Wrigley Is Like Today
Wrigley is now a designated authority represented by Pehdzeh Ki First Nation. Its population is small, and local life remains closely tied to hunting, trapping, fishing, river travel, and community services. NWT Tourism describes Wrigley as a bluff-top community with the Franklin Range behind it and the Mackenzie River below.
The route into Wrigley shapes the visitor experience. The community can be reached by air and by road seasonally, but access around river breakup and freeze-up requires current information. It feels much more remote than the map distance suggests because weather, river crossings, and service limits still matter.
Things to Do and Places Nearby
Start with the Mackenzie River view. The bluff setting gives Wrigley a strong sense of place, especially when looking across the river toward mountain country. Cap Mountain, the highest peak in the Franklin Range, is a major local landmark, and NWT Tourism also notes the Roche qui trempe a l’eau sulphur springs downstream from the community.
Wrigley is also part of the Dehcho’s wider river and road story. Travellers should keep the focus local: river views, Dene community history, mountain scenery, and the practical reality of travelling at the edge of the all-season road network.
Quick Facts
- Territory: Northwest Territories
- Region: Dehcho
- Community type: Designated authority
- Population: 135
- Main travel access: Air service, Mackenzie Highway access, and seasonal river-crossing conditions
- Key visitor themes: Mackenzie River, Pehdzeh Ki First Nation, Franklin Range, Cap Mountain, Canol history
Travel Notes
Confirm current road, ferry, ice, and weather conditions before travelling. Services are limited, so visitors should carry supplies and plan overnight details ahead of time. On-the-land travel, river outings, and access to local landmarks should be arranged with local knowledge and respect for community priorities.
The bluff viewpoint, river scale, and mountain backdrop are the strongest low-impact ways to understand Wrigley’s setting.