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Throughout the 1900s the town of Mayo continued to grow and thrive as
a commercial centre with the corresponding growth of the silver mining industry
in the Keno Hill area. When the last large silver mine in Elsa closed down
in 1989 much of the area's population left. However, Mayo remains home to 450
people and acts as a service
centre for government, placer miners and small businesses. The Binet House
was restored as an interpretive centre and also serves as the trail head for the
Prince of Wales Trail, part of the Trans Canada Trail. A new school
opened in 2002 and plans for a new community hall are underway. The town
offers the services of two hotels, two gas stations, two restaurants, two
laundromats, an airport, a nursing station, RCMP, post office, liquor store,
swimming pool and public library. Mayo is the
permanent home of the Na Cho Nyak Dun First Nation people who continue to use their
traditional area for hunting, trapping and other subsistence livelihoods. The
First Nation signed their land claim in 1992 and are currently in the process of
implementation.
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