The venture was intended to replace the traditional livelihood of the local Indigenous peoples, but few chose to become reindeer herders, so the government eventually sold the animals.

[4] In the early 1920s, the Government of Canada received reports that the wild caribou herds of the Western Arctic were in steep decline.

A similar event in 1890s Alaska led the United States Government to purchase a large herd of reindeer from Europe, introducing Native Alaskans to Old World animal husbandry practices.

American and Canadian newspapers often reported on the delayed drive, and the party's Sámi leader, Andrew Bahr, was nicknamed "The Arctic Moses".

[5] By June 1934, the herd reached the ice-covered Mackenzie Delta, but a storm triggered a third stampede, causing the animals to bolt back to the western shore.

For those Inuvialuit willing to consider non-traditional wage labour, the construction of the DEW Line and the new town of Inuvik provided much higher incomes.

[6] While most historic buildings have been removed from Reindeer Station, the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation continues to conduct traditional camps and workshops at the site.