Day 27 - Mayo, YK

The town of Mayo is named after Alfred Mayo, a riverboat captain and prospector who established himself in the Yukon as a trader in 1875.The discovery of silver ore on Keno Hill in 1919 started an economic boom for the Mayo area and lasted twenty years. Shallow water in the Stewart River caused a yearly problem for the sternwheelers. A road was built connecting Mayo to Whitehorse therefore, the silver ore was transported by truck after the 1950’s.
Today, Mayo is a service centre for mineral exploration. Yukon Energy operates a hydroelectric project, and tourism adds to the economy of the town. It has all the amenities such as gas/diesel, grocery store, post office, liquor store, motel, and campground.
We didn’t find Mayo as interesting as Keno Hill. They have several old sites but 99% of them were locked up tighter than a drum. The Binet House is by far the draw as far as old buildings go. Gene Binet climbed the Chilkoot Pass in 1895. Hearing rumors about the development of Mayo town site, Binet bought several lots for his hotel and homestead. In 1922 Binet built this house for his new bride and their son.

Isaac Taylor and William Drury met each other during the stampede to the Klondike in 1898. They started a trading business with the main store located in Whitehorse. Their chain of stores and trading posts spread all over the Yukon. The warehouse in Mayo was built in 1921 to supply Mayo and the surrounding mining camps.

This log building is the oldest structure on First Avenue. It was started in 1936 but not completed until 1950.

And that was pretty much for Mayo. We gassed/dieseled up on the way home then started beer thirty a little earlier today. Tomorrow we are off to where it all started, the Klondike.