1871

An Immigrant’s Story

A few men made millions in the early days of the Klondike gold rush. Thousands, it is said, left the Klondike with nothing but memories.

This story is about a poor immigrant named John, who was born in Sweden in…

1901

The Grandest Home in the Yukon

Now an historic attraction, the Commissioner’s Residence in Dawson City is the Yukon’s equivalent of the White House, or twenty-four (24) Sussex Drive in Ottawa. It was originally built to house the most senior government official in the territory, the…

1990

Ground Squirrels

Spring has sprung, the grass has riz, I wonder where the ground squirrel is? Well, by mid-April or early May, these indicators of Yukon spring will be everywhere - along the roadsides, standing straight up watching and talking. Most people…

1990

Yukon Flying Squirrel

My Dad used to say that this or that would happen when pigs fly. Pigs can't fly, I'd tell him. "It's just an old expression," he would say, frowning at my naiveté.

But squirrels can. Really? Yep, some can, and…

1991

Elijah Smith

It was an historic day for native people in the Yukon. In February, 1973, representatives for the Yukon Native Brotherhood were in Ottawa to present their Yukon land claim.

Led by Chief Elijah Smith, they delivered a document called 'Together…

1991

Gold Dredge No. 4

When she was built in 1912 on Bonanza Creek, she entered the record books as the largest dredge in the world. For almost 50 years, this magnificent structure helped turn the Klondike valley upside down and produced millions in gold…

1991

The Thirty Mile River

The Yukon River is one of the grandest in the world. It flows almost two thousand miles from Marsh Lake to the Bering Sea. One of the gems in the entire Yukon River system - a section only…

1992

Cassiar

The future of a mining town is usually guaranteed. It will become a ghost town. So it was with Cassiar, a company-owned asbestos mining town in Northern British Columbia. After 40 years of operation the mine closed in 1992.

Early…

1992

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay is aptly named because it is home to many northern glaciers. Icebergs, that calve off the glaciers, float elegantly but dangerously in the frigid crystal blue water.

Many Yukon boat owners have used the ports of Skagway and…

1992

The Bonnet Plume River

The Bonnet Plume is a beautiful Yukon river named for a Gwitchin Indian Chief, who all of his life, helped white trappers, traders and gold seekers, teaching them the ways of the land and, in some cases, saving their…

1992

The Prospector Statue

Welcome to the Yukon - Canada games participants. Hope you enjoy your stay and take in the sights when you are not swept up in the search for ulus.

There's a lot to see in my hometown, so maybe you'll…

1993

Mammoths and Mastodons

Once upon a time, the world grew cold. Got your attention? Beats another story about global warming eh! Well, about a million or more years ago, the earth began to cool. That lasted until just ten thousand years ago.

Great…

1993

Randy Hahn

It’s a long way from describing the Sourdough Rendezvous dog races on radio to doing the play-by-play broadcasts for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League. However, it’s a journey Randy Hahn made with relative ease.

He…

1993

TED HARRISON

He was trained as a classical painter in England.  He served with the British army in the 40s.  He came to the Yukon to teach school in the late 60s. Here, the scenery changed the way he looked as things,…

1993

Yukon Horse

Most of us love horses, and why not. They have worked for and played with us for centuries. They are generally friendly and sometimes downright loyal, and in the Yukon, they have a history that may pre-date man.

Horses originated…

1994

Emerald Lake

In the old days, as we old timers like to succinctly say, things were different. Yep, when we used to make a rare trip to Carcross on the winding, narrow dirt road, we rarely stopped to take pictures at…

1994

Yukon Collared Pika

I once owned a hamster. Well, actually it was my kids’ hamster. A family pet. He lived to the ripe old age of five years - a long time, I am told, for a hamster. The little guy had his…

1995

Canadians in the Klondike

Samuel Benfield Steele (1849-1919)

There is a street in Whitehorse and a mountain in the St. Elias Range named for him. I suppose that's the least that could be done to honour someone who dedicated a significant chapter of…

1995

Flashback: The Remains of the Columbian - 1906

Riverboats were the life-blood of the Yukon at the turn of the century. One day - Tuesday, September 25th, in 1906 - one of them was the scene of a disaster which led to the death of six young men.

1996

Gold Figures

"Just the facts, ma'am". That's a line Joe Friday frequently used in the 1950s radio drama, Dragnet. But when it comes to gold in the Yukon, sometimes "just the figures" tell a more interesting story.

Figures for gold production in…

1996

Les McLaughlin

Born in Valleyview, Alberta, Les McLaughlin was just three years old when he arrived in Whitehorse. His youth included playing midget, juvenile for the Hougens team, and senior hockey, along with volunteering at the military-run radio station CFWH in the…