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Yukon Nuggets

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1896

Herschel Island

Herschel Island was named, in 1826, by the British Arctic explorer, Sir John Franklin, after the famous English astronomer William Herschel, who studied the planets and the stars in the 17th century. He was the first to spot the far-off…

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1887

Bove Island

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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1887

Rink Rapids

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,

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1887

The White Pass

As early as 1887 it became apparent to the Canadian government that mining activity in the Yukon district was growing. But most of the action was by Americans. Canada needed to know exactly where American territory ended and Canadian land…

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1887

William Ogilvie

There's no doubt when you are looking for gold, you need a lot of luck. And that's why Yukon gold miners needed surveyors who came to the territory not to search for gold, but to map the gold fields.

William…

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1884

Stewart River

Many places in the Yukon are named for people who worked for the Hudson Bay Company. And most of it is due to the explorations of Robert Campbell, who named one of the most important rivers in the Yukon after…

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1883

Frederick Schwatka

The famous Whitehorse rapids, the toughest stretch of water on the Yukon river, lies beneath a large man-made lake. Schwatka Lake bears the name of an American army Lieutenant who named many of the geographical features along the entire length…

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1883

General Miles

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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1883

Haeckel Hill

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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1883

Marsh Lake

Webster's dictionary says that Marsh means "low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation" - a transition zone between land and water. So is that why Marsh Lake is called ... Marsh Lake?

Nope. Like many geographic features in the present day…

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1883

Richthofen Island

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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1869

Kusawa Lake - Arkell Lake

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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1867

Lake Laberge

And there on the marge of Lake Laberge, I cremated Sam MacGee. That lake, made famous around the world by Robert Service was named for a Quebecer.

Like many other place names in the Yukon, Lake Laberge had at…

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1849

Sourdough

Why is sourdough bread such a basic food in gold rush countries like the Klondike? Well, for one thing the stuff is like the energizer bunny. It lasts and lasts and lasts.

I once took a Yukon River trip…

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1840

Pelly River

There are many features of the Yukon's impressive landscape which are named for an early day governor of the Hudson Bay company.

John Henry Pelly was born in England in 1777. As governor of the Hudson Bay Company in the…

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