Tsiigehtchic (Arctic Red River) – "mouth of the Iron River" – was permanently established in 1868 when a Catholic Mission was built at a traditional Gwich’in fishing camp located at the confluence of the Arctic Red and Mackenzie Rivers. In the early 1870s, a Hudson Bay Company trading post was established, however, by 1940 there were still only three permanent families at the site. It was not until the construction of the Dempster Highway in the 1970s that the population began to grow.

Today, the population of Tsiigehtchic is approximately 200. Over 90 percent of the population are of Gwichya Gwich’in descent, and many of them still follow a traditional lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping.

For information regarding the Gwichya Gwich'in Council please contact 867-953-3201.