SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The growing popularity of an online group dedicated to sharing moments from Yellowknife's rich and quirky past proves that the ability of a photo to get friends and acquaintances talking about the good ol' times can be priceless.

Novelist Rebecca Hendry standing on Great Slave Lake in Yellowknife Bay during her visit last November. Hendry started The YK Memories Facebook page in 2010 to help her do research for her next book, which is set in Yellowknife around the time of the crash of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 in 1979. - photo courtesy of Fran Hurcomb

"I don't use Facebook very much but I find this page a good reason to stay online. It's great to hear the stories and see the old photos," wrote local historian Ryan Silke in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.

The YK Memories Facebook page was started by novelist Rebecca Hendry in 2010. Hendry is the author of Grace River.

Although Hendry only lived in Yellowknife for a few years off and on as a child in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she said her time spent here left a huge impression on her.

"I lived in a lot of places when I was young but there was something about Yellowknife - it was the place I felt the most nostalgic for," Hendry told Yellowknifer from her home in Roberts Creek, B.C.

In fact, her short time up North left such an impression that Hendry decided to use Yellowknife as the setting for her next book, which takes place around the time of the crash of the Russian satellite in 1979. In order to recollect "little details" about the city, which she had either forgotten or was too young to know in the first place, she set up the group.

The official description for the group reads: "Help answer Rebecca's (seven thousand) questions about Yellowknife in the early '80s".

Yellowknifers, both past and present, were quick to sign up and answer any questions Hendry had. Then, over time, people who had come to the page to help Hendry began to reminisce: posting scanned versions of old Polaroids and recounting stories behind some of the city's most memorable characters, parties, and monuments throughout the years. The more posts people contributed, the more people started to join.

"Just to see those names and those faces, it just kind of takes you down memory lane," said Patti Garbutt, who joined the group several years ago.

"One of the reasons I love it is because it keeps you young," she added jokingly.

Garbutt pointed, in particular, to a picture of some shirtless men standing in front of a stack of kegs on the shores of Cameron Falls, which was posted on the page a few weeks ago.

"They used to have what was called the Cameron River Rapid Runs and that was always the August long weekend. That's actually where I met (my husband) ... You'd pay $30 or $35 for the three-day ticket and you could drink all the beer you wanted. It was bizarre," she said.

Hendry is excited that the page has now taken on a life of its own and said it is memories like Garbutt's that keep people coming back for more.

"It's not what I started at all but it's so much better than that," said Hendry.

"I love seeing all the photos that come up all the time and just the dialogue - it's kind of a living, breathing thing."

For all the rose-tinted recollections the page also features the occasional heated debate, including one about whether it was appropriate to post a photo of a well-known homeless man sleeping on the steps of the Yellowknife Post Office.

Hendry said she followed the comments on the photo closely and at one point even considered asking the person who posted it to take it down to avoid stirring up any controversy.

"Then I thought, 'No'. I just wanted it to run its course because everyone had such valid points. And, in the midst of all of it, they were telling these beautiful stories about this man and it was really clear that they loved him," she said.

Even with its growing popularity, Hendry expected interest in the group would trail off once it reached 500 members last September. Instead, it has continued to grow exponentially and as of Monday afternoon the YK Memories page had 1,257 members, with more wanting to join everyday.

"Some days my phone is going off every ten minutes because someone wants to join the group," she said about getting notifications on her cellphone. "It's just wild."

As the group continues to grow the demographics of its members is becoming more diverse. Some are Yellowknifers born and raised. Many others, like Hendry, lived here for a brief period at some point in their lives and are now seeking to reconnect with their roots.

But there is also a growing number of members from a younger generation who have no connection to the city's past but want to immerse themselves in the strong sense of community which was built by those who came before them.

"I think it's great that the kids get in on it," said Garbutt. "It's just like the old elders teaching traditional things even though it's just memories from the Old Town or from Yellowknife."

Last November, Hendry came to Yellowknife to complete the research for her novel, which she has since finished. Although her work here is done, Hendry said she will continue to follow the YK Memories page with great interest.

Garbutt, meanwhile, still has lots of stories of her own to share.

"I got a whole box of pictures under the bed, so maybe one of these days I'll get some pictures on there too," she said.

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