Ross River, Yukon
[1] The confluence of the Ross and Pelly rivers has long been used as a gathering place for First Nations peoples, particularly in late summer.
That winter, approximately fifteen First Nations families overwintered near the post, creating the beginnings of the permanent community of Ross River.
Ross River has a subarctic climate (Dfc), characterised by cold winters and short, mild summers.
In 1953 Ross River Dena citizen Jack Sterriah mentioned a heavy concentration of rust in Vangorda Creek that he had known about as a boy.
That year Kulan, Peter Thompson along with Dena citizens Arthur John, China Sterriah, Jack Ladue and Robert Etzel prospected Vangorda Creek and found the first significant mineralization in the area on July 2.
They, along with Dena members Joe Etzel and Jack Steriah, were issued shares in the company formed as a result of the discovery, Vangorda Mines Ltd.
The joint venture was running over budget when a move was made to one of the mineralized sites selected by Kulan, which was one of the last hopes for the discovery of a successful body of ore.
The first television service arrived after intervention from Al Kulan, who hired a helicopter and pilot from Whitehorse and flew from mountaintop to mountaintop on a bitterly cold night to find the signal from Faro's five-watt CBC TV transmitter (at the time, only transmitting four hours per day).
The association approved action without an official licence, due to their dismay at the extensive bureaucracy that was delaying installation of a CBC radio transmitter.
With some makeshift provision of tower and generator, the repeater began operating about the end of March 1973, picking up Faro's signal (now 12 hours per day off the Anik satellite).
Ross River's community effort led in 1976 to other similar projects that brought TV to every community; Teslin installed their own satellite dish (illegal until 1979), and the Yukon government attempted to negotiate a lower lease price with Telesat Canada which had a monopoly on satellite earth stations until 1979.
