Stolen Loot Or Hard-Earned Savings?
As a professional trail builder, Bill McLane spends a lot of time digging earth, moving rocks and finding treasure.
Stolen Loot Or Hard-Earned Savings? Read More »
As a professional trail builder, Bill McLane spends a lot of time digging earth, moving rocks and finding treasure.
Stolen Loot Or Hard-Earned Savings? Read More »
Celebrating Discovery Days in the Yukon goes back over 100 years. After the Klondike Gold Rush, the Yukon Order of Pioneers convinced the Yukon Territorial Council to celebrate Discovery Day, as a public holiday, in 1911.
Celebrating Yukon’s Unique Holiday Read More »
2021 marks 125 years since the discovery of gold in the Yukon. This year there is a series of new commemorative activities.
Artists and Parks Canada heritage interpreters, Justin Apperley (left) and Miriam Behman, with their field camera Photography played a key role in the history and
In these days of highways and 1000-year level flood dikes, it’s easy to forget that the best way to get to Dawson used to be by sternwheelers. While most of the stampeders made their way here in small boats and rafts in 1898, a sizeable number cruised to the fledgling town from St. Michael’s, Alaska, in riverboats and steamers and, once the White Pass chugged into Whitehorse, still more hopped on boats from there.
The Klondike Gold Rush Steamers Read More »
Buck Choquette spent his last days and hours in Dawson telling Jack London true stories of his long pioneering life in the Northwest. Is it just coincidence, then, that the main character in his most successful novel, The Call of the Wild, is also named Buck?
The ballad of “Buck” Choquette Read More »
Two prominent American tourism publications hit the streets recently. Neither included much of a mention of Dyea, except to list the Dyea Campground in Skagway
Forgotten Town: Dyea, the town Alaska forgot Read More »
The Porcupine Caribou Herd is thought to have the longest mammal migration on the planet. The image I wanted to capture is hard to describe, but while doing research on the caribou, I saw videos of them in winter, migrating in long lines of thousands. It reminded me of images of the Klondike Gold Rush a hundred years ago, where there was a line of 400 men following a trail straight up the mountain.
In pursuit of the perfect shot Read More »
She was not only the first female river pilot on the Upper Yukon, she was also the fastest. No, her name wasn’t Klondike Kate, the
The fastest lady in the Klondike Gold Rush Read More »
Jonny Wilkie submitted a collection of different photos, including these with early 20th century relics. Classic Yukon cabin walls familiar to those with cabin fever
Yukon See It Here – Jonny Wilkie Read More »
U.S. President Donald Trump’s grandfather started the family fortune during the great Klondike Gold Rush. He never reached the Klondike Gold Fields; he was hundreds of miles short.
Family fortune tied to the Klondike Gold Rush Read More »
As the story goes, the early gold rush stampeders found all the creeks staked when they arrived. The Sourdoughs already there jokingly told the newcomers to go to the top of the hills to find gold.
The white channel gravels Read More »
The Thistle Creek Dredge in fog. This dredge was operated by Yukon Gold Placers and ran from 1949 to 1952.
Yukon See It Here: Jon Wilkie Read More »
The 2018 Moosehide Gathering in Dawson City was, once again, a smashing success. The local Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in relocated to Moosehide, two miles north of Dawson
Moosehide – shining a light across the North Read More »
Yukon icons Otto and Kate Partridge lived in the beautiful southern lakes region of the territory.
The Yukon’s greatest love story Read More »
Miles Canyon holds a special place in the story of Whitehorse. Each summer, the Yukon Conservation Society invites Yukon artists to participate in a two-day workshop to create pieces inspired by this special place.
Art meets nature and history Read More »
Kristin Link is a visual artist based in McCarthy, Alaska, who works in natural history and science art. She creates interpretive signs and educational material about nature.
Josh Winkler combines traditional media with print media and sculpture. Reaching for the Sun is the title of his recent project. It references natural growth, but also the growth of humanity, the accumulation of products, and the fragility of the planet.
From the California gold rush to the history of the Yukon Read More »
The Klondike Follies Cabaret shows will take place three times each week, beginning on June 26, 28 and 30.
The Follies ‘Reborn’! Read More »
Enjoy one of the brothel tours with the lovely and knowledgeable Madam Toler Skagway holds its quirky charms with its Klondike-themed buildings and summer staff
Enjoying a ‘Skagway Quickie’ Read More »
Al Oster plays in Hougens in 1961 – PHOTOS: courtesy of Rolf Hougen This article uses information and content shared by Rolf Hougen from the
The Yukon Balladeer Read More »
“To most people, the pack ice looked like a cold, endless wasteland that spread across one’s entire field of vision. But, if one watched it
A new narrative on gold rush history Read More »
The discovery of Gold in the Klondike region in 1896, brought huge numbers of people to the Yukon. All these people had to be fed.
Human migrations changed hunting Read More »
The new musical drama Stonecliff tells the story of Michael J. Heney, the son of poor Irish immigrants in the Ottawa Valley who went on to build one of the world’s most spectacular railways – the White Pass and Yukon Route – to serve the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898.
Stonecliff brings together a remarkable team of artists (Part 2 of 2) Read More »
The Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge, is a great launch point for half-day hikes like Miles Canyon, Chadburn Lake and Canyon City.
Hiking Miles Canyon to Canyon City: A Landscape with a Past Read More »
Ever since I was a child I would see the Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and think, “Wow! Our national police force is beyond cool!”
The cancan that began as an 1830s dance craze in Paris was a direct revolt against the rules imposed by men, society, press, clergy and
The Legacy of the Klondike Cancan Read More »
On November 28, 1891, the New York Sun dedicated a full page to the cancan. Titled “Eccentric Paris Dance,” the article highlights Paris cancan stars
The Cancan Arrives at the Klondike Gold Rush Read More »
Anna Taylor spent this winter stitching the stories of Dawson City women. In March, the Halifax-based textile artist completed a month-long residency at the Klondike
… et des célébrations Pour la 11ème édition, l’AFY et ses organismes partenaires, bien rôdés dans l’organisation de l’événement, ont voulu apporter de la nouveauté.
Célébration de la francophonie yukonnaise Read More »
When Michael Heney was just 14, he ran away from the family farm in the Ottawa Valley to work for an uncle who was building
Stonecliff: White Pass and Beyond (Part 1/2) Read More »
During the 1890s, the United States was a melting pot of entertainment – and vaudeville became the perfect vehicle to showcase this wealth of diversity.
Can You Do the Cancan, Kate? Read More »
Between the years of 1991 and 2011 my husband and I used to pack up our son and drive to a mountain summit a few
Although the cancan made its North American debut with Offenbach’s opera Orpheus of the Underworld in 1861, it wasn’t until it appeared in the first
Delightful Devilry: The Cancan Invades New York Read More »
Organizers for the Christmas Eve Pageant Photo Shoot were on edge as October 2 dawned. Would there be a lot of snow on the Bonanza
Christmas Eve Preparations in October Read More »
The nomination package has been prepared under the watchful eye of a local advisory committee, including representation from Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the City of Dawson, the
The Klondike Continues to Prepare for World Heritage Status Read More »
About the same time as I was reading Elle Wild’s very entertaining mystery novel, Strange Things Done, I happened to watch a discussion between best
Dawson in a Fictional Sense Read More »
“There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken
Hepburn Tramway Historic Walk Read More »
In her book “DANCING” Lilly Grove describes the invention of the chahut which evolved into the cancan. “About 1830, a stage dancer called Mazarie
The dance craze with a kick! Read More »
There is a crack at the base of the Yukon River, a portal to the the underworld. It lays just above Miles Canyon at the
The Dead Man’s Gold Pan: Fiction Read More »
Though best known for his 15 collections of verse (a term he preferred to poetry in reference to his own work) Robert Service also wrote novels.
The Trail of 98 Shows Another Side of Robert W. Service Read More »
Today, Sid and I are on the hunt for an unusual piece in his collection. As we sift through antiques after antiques, we come across
Once upon a time there were quite a few Jews in the Klondike. They arrived with the other gold rush stampeders. There were enough of
The History of Jews During the Gold Rush Read More »
KVA works with the Writers’ Trust of Canada, Parks Canada, and the Dawson Community Library to put on the Authors on Eighth Walking Tour.
School’s out for the summer, which means that summer camp is IN! An exciting new day camp is taking centre-stage this year in Whitehorse –
Spotlight on Kids at Vaudeville Camp Read More »
Looking through Sid’s antiquities I spot a familiar sight: stereoscopes. I had a pair of bright orange View Masters (a trademarked format of stereoscope) when
Stereoscopic Views Read More »
One of the stops along Dawson’s 8th Avenue Writers’ Block is Jack London Square, home of a part of Jack London’s Klondike cabin and the
Celebrating Jack London’s Legacy Read More »
The CutOff Restaurant & Pub has really nice customers. On a Sunday night, looking at the crowd that has come in for the ever-changing weekly
The CutOff Restaurant & Pub: Real food for real Yukoners Read More »
Jim Christie was born in Scotland in 1867. He emigrated to Manitoba and then came to the Klondike in 1898. The short, wiry Scotsman took
Surviving a Grizzly Attack and the Great War Read More »
Joe Boyle came to the Klondike with the first wave of gold-seekers in the early summer of 1897, but soon left with a dream of
Joe Boyle: The Klondike King Who Became a War Hero Read More »
Canada was part of the British Empire, so when war was declared by Great Britain on August 4, 1914, Canada, too, joined the the conflict.
Flat Feet and Brave Hearts: The Yukon at War Read More »
Lucile Hunter was an intrepid Yukon pioneer. Just 35 years after slavery was abolished in 1863 in the United States, she and her husband, Charles,
Yukon Hidden History: Extraordinary Endurance Read More »
As the year 2015 is coming to an end, so does my reign as the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Queen 2015. This article will be my
A farewell from the 2015 Rendezvous Queen Read More »
This summer my family and I hiked the Chilkoot Pass. When we kids learned we were actually going, the first response was “Why?” and “I
The Chilkoot Pass: The Challenge Of My Summer Read More »
I have an idea that would really put the Yukon on the world map: let’s build a True North Queen School. Tourists and Yukon students
A goldmine of history Read More »
As the crew who came here to film an episode of the Canadian television series Murdoch Mysteries a few years ago told me, Dawson is
Fun fiction from the Klondike Read More »
The next time you travel north on the Alaska Highway between the Fish Lake Road and the Porter Creek Super A, ask yourself why the
“Welcome to paradise,” Kevin Jack says. Thus begins my tour of a property that edges onto the swampy back of Marsh Lake. An old gold
One of the many remarks I got when I was selling queen raffle tickets during Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous (YSR) events was, “I have never won
John Firth’s massive Yukon Sport: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, published in November 2014 by Sport Yukon, is a heavy book.
The Ultimate Guide to Yukon Sport Read More »
The great Klondike Gold Rush brought people to the Yukon in the pursuit of their dreams and hopes. To this day, many individuals continue to
The Yukon Government (YG) finally decided to sign on in a substantive way to the push for UNESCO World Heritage Status for the site designated
World Heritage Planning Gets a Big Boost Read More »
November and most of December were mild in the Klondike this winter. Wondrously, it only took two-and-a-half days to warm up St. Paul’s Anglican Church enough
St. Paul’s Tries To Get Warmer Read More »
116th Brier, an event that started in the Klondike Gold Rush and is considered the Yukon’s oldest continuously running event.
Rocking the Klondike Read More »
Nadia White, great-granddaughter of Elmer (Stroller) and Alice Josephine (Josie) Keys White is on a quest to find out all she can about the life
Tracking down grandmother by land and water Read More »
In Dawson we are of two minds regarding the Discovery Channel’s Klondike mini-series — that six hour reimagining of history, geography and culture that aired
The Hollywood Treatment Read More »
Despite iconic images of a solitary miner with a pan or a group of men drifting into a hillside, the dredges of the corporate-mining-era are the main reason that Dawson outlasted the usual boom-and-bust cycle common to gold rush towns.
Dredges Kept the Klondike Alive Read More »
The Klondike has been the inspiration for a great deal of fiction since the Gold Rush, beginning with Jack London, who came with the Stampeders
The Klondike Echoes Down through the Literary Years Read More »
“Think of our history as a smörgåsbord, upon which there is more than you can possibly eat,” says Michael Gates, author of the new book,
World of Words: History as a Smörgåsbord Read More »
The departure of yet another Berton House writer, Jeanne Randolph, brought to my mind the number of writers in residence who have come and gone
They Keep Coming Back Read More »
In a show of pre-season energy akin to athletes’ pre-game excitement, Parks Canada interpreters Carrie Docken and Carly Sims gallantly put on their copies of
One of the interesting names on the map in Yukon history is Dead Horse Gulch. It’s a name that has been well-earned. During the height
Looking Back: 3,000 Horses Read More »
When James Domville Richards joined the Klondike Gold Rush, the Yukon became blessed with one of its most endearing characters. The quiet, reserved man –
Looking Back: The woodcutter’s tale Read More »
Publishing timelines sometimes just don’t mesh with reality. Ten days ago I could have written three of these advance-notice style columns about the crowded schedule
Memories of Life in Dawson Read More »
Braden Brickner’s first job was dishing out popcorn at the Yukon Cinema. Now, the 19-year-old Vanier Catholic Secondary School grad is about to produce his
Strange Things on Film Read More »
Quick! Off the top of your head, how many world-famous geologists can you name? None? We can fix that. There is at least one you
Looking Back: Hercules of the North Read More »
It was inevitable, considering the sheer volume and variety of people who joined the Klondike Gold Rush, that a few people with connections to the
Looking Back: Fickle Fortune Read More »
On Christmas Eve, 1900, the Monte Carlo Saloon in Dawson City was the place to be. Men from all over the world crowded the dancehall,
Looking Back: When Johnny met Kate Read More »
Dalton’s Gold Rush Trail is a story of journeys; the 10-year journey of Jack Dalton to blaze a trail to the Klondike gold fields, and
Journeys Then & Now Read More »
The first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Klondike might not be cattle. But the men who moil for gold need