Hare - Settlements

In aboriginal days, the Hare most probably lived in bands composed flexibly and on the basis of kinship and affinity. Their sites were located at advantageous fishing and hunting spots, and the bands ranged in size from small to large—the latter if a task demanded cooperation as did the annual hunt for caribou for clothing and food. After European traders came, the activities of the Hare and their camp locations were adjusted to accommodate. In the nineteenth century, one major settlement grew at Fort Good Hope, itself originally positioned and moved several times for the convenience of transportation and the trade; but few Hare Indians lived there for any length of time before 1900.

At Fort Good Hope today are the permanent residences of over 3,509 native people, two missions, the Hudson's Bay Company, and various governmental services—school, Police, nursing station, and administration. In the twentieth century, a major aggregation of Hare at Colville Lake (67°2′ N, 126°5′ W) initially declined because of deaths and Because the store and mission were located at Fort Good Hope. But since 1960 the establishment of a mission and trading post have again made Colville Lake a small permanent independent settlement. The construction of a winter road has eased travel to and from Fort Good Hope.