Whitehorse

Whitehorse grew where the Yukon River runs through Miles Canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids, an obstacle that destroyed around one hundred and fifty boats in the summer of 1898 as stampeders tried to run it; Sam Steele of the North-West Mounted Police eventually required boats to be inspected and women and children to walk around. A tramway and then the railway followed and the town became the head of navigation. The SS Klondike, the largest sternwheeler on the river, sits restored on the bank. The rapids themselves are drowned by a hydro dam, but Miles Canyon remains with a suspension bridge across it.

History

Archaeology at Canyon City shows First Nations use for several thousand years, with seasonal fish camps and a portage trail around Miles Canyon that Frederick Schwatka noted in 1883. The Klondike find of August 1896 brought crowds of prospectors camping at White Horse by July 1897, many boats were lost in the rapids by June 1898, tramways were built around them, and the railway from Skagway was finished in 1900; Commissioner William Ogilvie refused the railway's attempt to rename the town Closeleigh, a fire spread through the town on 23 May 1905, and the first planes landed in 1920 (Wikipedia, Whitehorse).

The main sights

• The SS Klondike - the largest Yukon sternwheeler, restored ashore.
• Miles Canyon - the basalt gorge with a footbridge across it.
• The rapids history - the obstacle that made and nearly broke the stampede route.
• The MacBride Museum - Yukon history including the gold rush and First Nations.

When to go

June to September for long daylight and full services; the SS Klondike is seasonal. Winter brings aurora viewing and the Yukon Quest sled dog race in February.

Practical notes

The Whitehorse Rapids themselves no longer exist, drowned by the dam. Summer daylight is nearly continuous, which disrupts sleep. Winter temperatures reach minus forty.

Nearby

Takhini Hot Springs lies north; Carcross is south.

Key facts