SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Knowing the red-lettered sign of the Yellowknife Inn will no longer hang over 51 Street was "a bit unsettling" for at least one city historian.

The historic Yellowknife Inn sign came down last week as the building - which has gone under the name since its expansion in 1968 - is under new ownership as the Quality Inn. - Dana Bowen/NNSL photo

Ryan Silke wasn't sure why the new owners, Choice Hotels Canada, decided to bring down the iconic sign that links the establishment back to earlier days. The building has changed hands many times over the years, Silke said, and the new owners - who have since raised the Quality Inn sign on the property - have the right to call the place whatever they want, but he's still a bit sad to see the old sign go.

"It sounds like they're taking the hotel in a different direction, and that's just par for the course but it certainly is kind of sad," he said. "That name brand is getting lost."

The Yellowknife Inn was the place to be before the Explorer opened it's doors in the 1970s, Silke said. Gathering places within the hotel such as the Miner's Mess - the old coffee shop - and the Rec Hall - the old watering hole - were all a big part of the social life in the city's past.

"People's experiences with the bars and coffee joints in the Yellowknife Inn are its legacy," said Silke. "It was a place where a lot of old-timers would gather."

Storied ownership

Industry pioneer Vic Ingraham built the first hotel on the site in 1947, Silke said.

"He called it the Ingraham Hotel, after himself, and when he left the community in 1951 he sold it to new owners, who renamed it the Yellowknife Hotel," he said. "In the '60s it became known as the Yellowknife Inn, once the expanded section was put on in 1968."

Ingraham burst onto the Yellowknife scene in 1937, full of "piss and vinegar," Silke said. He had wooden peg legs and was missing fingers on his hands having lost them to frost bite during a boat crossing of Great Bear Lake.

"His boat exploded and sank and he was cast off among the survivors on a barge and dinghies," said Silke. "He ended up getting really bad frost bite and had to have both his legs amputated below the knees, and most of his fingers were amputated."

Despite his injuries, Ingraham travelled on to Yellowknife and built his first hotel - The Yellowknife Hotel - in Old Town in 1938, said Silke.

"He was really motivated, you really couldn't stop the guy," he said. In 1941, Ingraham rebuilt his hotel on a new site, but it burnt down in 1949. True to character, Silke said he rebuilt that year, creating what was known as the Old Stope Hotel.

"But he also built a new (Yellowknife Hotel) on the new town site in 1947," he said. "He had a vision for Yellowknife as a place to do business, and he was also involved in construction and was a car dealer as well."

When Ingraham left, he moved to Victoria, B.C. and built yet another Ingraham Hotel, managing it until he died in 1961.

"So the Yellowknife Inn's not directly connected to Vic, but it's that chain of corporate history that takes us back to his creation," he said. "It's gone through a number of hands over the years of course."

New ownership

In an e-mail to Yellowknifer, Choice Hotels Canada managing director Brian Leon said the company recently partnered with Holloway Lodging to open Quality Inn franchises in Yellowknife and Grand River, Alta. He said they will be working with the community and owner to maintain the building's historical integrity, while also modernizing the facility to better suit the needs of guests through a number of renovations.

"We are delighted to become part of the Yellowknife community and continue to work with the owner to develop a strategy to bring the hotel under the Quality banner while keeping the property's original character," he said. "The hotel has been updated with a new fitness room, new Quality bedding (and) updated improvements including new flooring and lighting fixtures."

Leon said there currently are no plans to reopen the Mackenzie Lounge or another similar venue. He said tourism activities currently offered out of the hotel will not be affected by the new ownership.

"At the moment there is no plan to open a restaurant/lounge in the hotel. Latitudes Restaurant is a fully licensed restaurant that is located just outside the lobby doors in the enclosed mall," he said. "There are no plans to change what we're doing with viewing tours and other tourism activities."

Choice Hotels Canada is the country's largest hotel franchisor and operates 10 lodging brands in 35 countries worldwide.

- with files from Meagan Leonard