Named after the English version of an Inuvialuit placename meaning "Resembling a Caribou", legend has it that when caribou were plentiful in the area, a woman looked at them as they waded in the water and the caribou petrified.  Reefs resembling this image may be seen at low tide.

Brief History:

Traditionally, the villages in the area were the home of the whale-hunting Inuvialuit.  In the early 1800s European whalers, who established operations at Tuk, brought epidemics that decimated the area’s population.  By the early 1930s only five families were living in Tuk.

In the late 1930s, as the population began to recover, Tuk was chosen from villages in the region as the best site to establish a regional port.  A Hudson’s Bay Store, Anglican Church, and Roman Catholic Church soon followed.

Since then Tuk has seen considerable development including;

• The Distant Early Warning Line (DEW Line) from 1955-1994.
• Oil drilling operations 1972-1982.
• A large harbor Drydock for major companies operation in the area (Amoco, Esso, Gulf, NTCL, etc.).
• Increased Tourism.
• Logistics site for ongoing arctic environmental research teams.

Tuk's population today is just under one thousand and the hamblet remains the base for Beaufort Sea resource development.

Tuk is within the grounds of the Canadian Reindeer Grazing Herd area.

There are not roads connecting Tuk to Inuvik.  However, Tuktoyaktuk has regular scheduled air service from Inuvik and, in the winter, an ice road is plowed along the Mackenzie River.

Pingos, huge ice covered hills, provide a startling backdrop to the community. Formed by a combination of frost and abundant water, pingos are an unusual feature of the arctic coast area.

Links	Description
	RCMP - Good description of the community of Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk).
	NWT Census Information for Tuk.
	Tuk Homepage.
	Tuk up-to-date Weather.
	Map - Regional Rivers with links to additional info.
	Map - NTCL Marine Transportation Routes.
	Map - Dempster Highway (Dawson City to Inuvik).
	Canadian and US Coast Guard Links.

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