SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Many Yellowknifers are well aware of the historical significance surrounding the Gold Range Tavern and Hotel.

This Bad Sam's bar sign remains prominent on the outside of the Gold Range Tavern even though the bar hasn't been called Bad Sam's for decades. It was named for early owner Sam Yurkiw who went on to open another bar in the city and named it after himself - Sam's Monkey Tree Pub. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

The street where the bar is located - 50 Street - is often referred to as Range Street. The bar itself is generally called the Gold Range, or the Range, and occasionally the Strange Range. But nobody in town ever really asks anyone if they want to go to Bad Sam's Bar for a drink, even though there remains a large sign on the outside of the building calling it just that.

According to Yellowknife historian Ryan Silke, the name originated in 1990 from the bar's owner Sam Yurkiw.

"I'm betting (it's) an homage to the Warner Brother character of the same name (Yosemite Sam)," Silke said.

There is another retro sign in front of the Gold Range some may also wonder about as well - the Cabin Fever Dining Lounge.

"The one half of the Gold Range bar with pool tables today was converted into a dining lounge called the Original Cabin Fever in 1978," Silke explained. "Yurkiw was the owner of the bar and hotel at that time. The dining lounge was briefly made into a strip club called the Living Room in 1989. Then in 1990 it was changed again into a sports bar called Bad Sam's Sports Bar. Over time it appears the name was no longer used and while the pool tables remain it is essentially an extension of the Gold Range bar."

There is also plenty of Gold Range history from well before that time. Silke said the Veterans Restaurant and Rooming House was at the site first. But it was replaced by the Cave Restaurant and Central Apartments which was destroyed by fire in 1956. Construction of the Gold Range was completed in 1957 and the grand opening of the bar, cafe and 52-room hotel was held in May 1958, according to Silke. The original owner's name was Jacob Glick. He eventually sold to a number of business partners in the 1960s.

Yurkiw bought the Gold Range in 1977. In 1989 it was reported the Range was the third highest grossing bar in Canada. Sam's Monkey Tree Pub on Range Lake Road was also named for Yurkiw who opened that bar in 1989 along with co-owner Harvey Bourgeois, Silke said.

"Sam was also the owner of the Galley Pub downtown. He was a busy guy," Silke said.

The Gold Range was sold to Edmonton businessman Jay Park in 2007. Yurkiw died on April 16, 2009, at age 83.