Unfortunately, there is little recorded history about the Salt River
Settlement traditionally known as Thebacha, a Chipewyan word meaning "below
the rapids". The settlement is located below the rapids about 30 kilometers
North West of Fort Smith where the Salt River meets the mighty Slave River.
The settlement takes its name from the shallow, meandering river that flows from South to
North through the salt plains in Wood Buffalo National Park. The Roman Catholic Mission
for this area was first opened at Salt River in Patriarch Beaulieu's house. A room
in his house was reserved for the missionaries who would come down from Fort Resolution to
celebrate Holy Mass. The visiting missionaries received their first lessons in the
Chipewyan Language from settlement residents. In 1876, the Salt River mission was
relocated to the town site of Fort Smith to serve the growing population of Fort Smith
that had sprung up around the portage.
The Salt River Settlement still keeps its status as a reserve to
this day. There are no permanent residents in the settlement although many
maintain cabins for use in the summer. Visitors can pitch a tent at the Thebacha
Campgrounds that are perched on the banks of the Salt River and try their hand at fishing.
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