She was an American woman who gave up the life of high society, comfort and privilege to live the tough life of a miner in the wilds of the Yukon and northern British Columbia.
She was small and slim, with…
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On January 3rd, 1959, Alaska officially became the 49th state in the Union. Like the continuing quest for Yukon autonomy, the road to Alaskan statehood had been long and winding. The United States bought Alaska from the Russians in 1867…
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If American explorer, Frederick Schwatka had his way, the famous Yukon Lake called Tagish would be named Bove Lake. Imagine that. One of the Yukon’s most beautiful and important lakes named for an Italian naval Lieutenant!
How did it…
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When it comes to place names in the Yukon, we can thank George Dawson for keeping some early day names that mean so much to Yukoners today.
On his government-sponsored journey down the Yukon River in 1887, Read more
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As a kid growing up in Whitehorse, I always thought Miles Canyon was named as such because it was a few miles from downtown – not so. Rather, it was named by the American Army Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka…
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You have to hand it to Frederick Schwatka. There was hardly a geographic feature in the Yukon that he did not notice and name. In the summer of 1883, he led the Alaska exploring expedition down the entire length…
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Like almost every land mark along the Yukon River, a large island in the middle of Lake Laberge was named by an American Lieutenant.
Frederick Schwatka had embarked along with six other American explorers from Dyea,…
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The mountain passes into the interior of the Yukon were both feared and fearsome. So it is little wonder that it took an event of the magnitude of the Klondike Gold Rush to entice more than a brave few to…
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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…
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As with many place names in the Yukon, Lake Kusawa had more than one name over time. Located just 40 air miles west of Whitehorse, this beautiful high mountain lake is a delight to travel, unless big winds blow in…
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There’s a neat well-maintained pathway with, of all things, stairs. It leads from Alexander Street to the airport. But when I was a kid in the fifties, the trail to the airport via Puckett’s Gulch hadn’t changed much since…
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