Natives from Asia were the first to use the Yukon River to explore the interior after the last ice age. They settled along the river and used it for fishing, trading, and transportation. In the early 1800’s Russian fur traders were the first white men on the river. They established settlements on the coast of Alaska and then pushed into the interior 1000 km or 600 miles. The Hudson Bay company traders began fur trading along the river in the 1840’s. The Americans purchased Alaska from the Russians in 1867. Soon thereafter, steamboats were introduced to the lower river. Gold was discovered on Bonanza Creek in 1986 near Dawson Creek, Yk. Two hundred and fifty sternwheelers worked the Yukon River from the late 1860’s until the mid-1950’s. The early sternwheelers were smaller but they could carry 200 to 250 tons of supplies with a draft of 1.3 metres or 4 feet. Many pushed barges at the same time to increase their cargo capacity. The S.S. Klondike is a National Historic Site so I had to check it out and it was so worth it. It's late June and the Lilacs are just at full bloom.
The original S.S. Klondike was launched in 1929 to transport ore to Whitehorse. She was a revolutionary design since the cargo capacity was 50% greater than the largest boat on the Yukon River. Unfortunately, in 1936 while in the hands of an inexperienced pilot she struck a reef in the river and sank. Today’s S.S. Klondike was launched in 1937 and was an almost exact copy of the first. She had two careers, the first as a cargo ship and the second after 1952 as a tourist cruise boat. She was retired in 1955, as the last sternwheeler on the Yukon River.
The distance between Whitehorse and Dawson City is 740 km. Time and fuel differed depending on if the journey was up or down stream. Downriver would take 1.5 days with 1 - 2 wood stops and burn 40 cord of wood. Upriver would take 4 - 5 days with 5 - 7 wood stops and burn 140 cord of wood.
Being a much larger boat you would think she would sit lower in the water. Nope she had a draft the same as the smaller boats...1.3 metres or 4 feet when fully loaded.
The Atlin is the only known survivor of the many wooden barges that once worked the Yukon River. It was built in 1934 and worked on Atlin Lake moving mining equipment, food, supplies, and the occasional tourist. The large sternwheelers while fully loaded with cargo could push 2 - 3 barges fully loaded at the same time.
I toured downtown Whitehorse finding several other museums and attractions that caught my eye. The Old Log Church was built in 1900 and served as the Anglican Cathedral for Yukon.
The Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre was built on the river because the the name means "people of the water running through canyon. The centre had some amazing artwork.
This immense slab is Yukon's largest copper nugget at a weight of 1175 kilo or 2590 lbs. It was found in 1905, 250 miles north of Whitehorse.
Evidence of the once booming rail traffic through Whitehorse. Most of the tracks have been taken out but some still remain in the downtown area.
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