The name ʔejëre K’elnı Kuę́ comes from the Dënesųłiné language of the Smith's LandingFirst Nation. It is properly spelled with a capital ʔ character, which represents a glottal stop in many Canadian First Nations languages. Because this character is not found on most Canadian keyboards, it is sometimes transcribed as a ?, P, or 7. Variant spellings include Ejere K'elni Kue, ?Ejere K'elni Kue, ɂejere K'elni Kųe, and Pejere Kʼelni Kue. The first mentions of "Hay Camp" come from the turn of the 20th century, reflecting the area's status as one of many hay meadows and stopping-places along the Peace and Slave Rivers. The earliest period literature refers to the site as "Russell's Hay Camp", probably operated byJack Russell, a Métis riverman.
History
Before the advent of air travel, the Slave River was the primary transportation corridor through the region, and ʔejëre K’elnı Kuę́, then known as Hay Camp, served as an important stopping place between Fort Chipewyan and Fort Smith. Most notably, though, Wood Buffalo National Park was established in 1922, and Hay Camp was chosen as the residence of the Chief Park Warden. As the park's superintendent then performed most of his duties from Ottawa, Hay Camp thus served as its de facto administrative center. As early as 1923, the meadows around Hay Camp were being cut to provide winter feed for the park wardens' horses, and by the spring of 1925 a house, stable, and warehouse had been constructed on the site. In 1952, it was decided to conduct the park's annual buffalo slaughter at a permanent abattoir in Hay Camp, and to sell the meat commercially. By this time, most of the park's administrative functions had moved to Fort Smith. When the abattoir closed in 1967, Hay Camp gradually lost its importance as an operational headquarters. In the 1970s and 1980s, the site served as a fire base, but this was closed in 1992, the base moving to Pine Lake elsewhere in the park. In 1994, a decision was made to remove all man-made structures and debris from Hay Camp, returning the site to a "natural state". By 1995, Hay Camp had been entirely abandoned. The last remaining structures, the cabin and fire tower, were removed in 1999. When the Smith's Landing First Nation was established in May 6, 2000, the band was entitled to select certain lands to serve as reserve sites, and Hay Camp was one such location. As a result, the site officially became known as ʔejëre K’elnı Kuę́, and was removed from the jurisdiction of the Park. Throughout the 20th century, many of the SLFN's people had worked for the various Park operations at Hay Camp. In a co-management agreement, both the SLFN and Parks Canada have stated their intent to collaboratively interpret the site's history.
