Klondike Gold Rush
Issue: 2019-02-13, PHOTO: DeYoung’s via Wikimedia Commons
Family fortune tied to the Klondike Gold Rush
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. Nevertheless, he made his golden stake in Golden, B.C., and in the... Read more
Issue: 2019-02-06, PHOTO: Hugh Copland
The white channel gravels
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. One of those hills became known as Cheechako Hill... Read more
Issue: 2018-12-12, PHOTO: Klondike Lost Photography (Jon Wilkie)
Yukon See It Here: Jon Wilkie
Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon life. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on to editor@WhatsUpYukon.com. Read more
Issue: 2018-10-17, PHOTO: MacBride Museum Collection, 1990.29.1.60
Ship of Sorrow
On October 23, 1918, at 10:10 p.m., over three hours later than scheduled, the CPR vessel S.S. Princess Sophia (So-PHY-Ya) piloted by Captain Leonard Locke, departed Skagway with at least 353 passengers and crew, the exact number unknown because... Read more
Issue: 2018-09-05, PHOTO: Pixabay
Moosehide – shining a light across the North
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 City on the Yukon River, during the gold rush of 1898, to escape the insanity of... Read more
Primary Source: Hougen's History, a CKRW Yukon nugget by Les McLaughlin
The Yukon's greatest love story
It's a story many times told but never gets old, this tale of Kate and Otto Partridge of Ben-My-Chree, which is Manx for "Girl of my Heart" and is the greatest love story in the history of the Yukon. Read more
Issue: 2018-08-01, PHOTO: Danny Macdonald
Art meets nature and history
Historic Miles Canyon holds a special place in the story of Whitehorse. Today’s picturesque hiking trails, pedestrian suspension bridge and impressive rock cliffs are a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. And the historical... Read more
Issue: 2018-07-04, PHOTO: Greg Runyan
Inspired by Place
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. She has a background in Environmental Studies and graduated from... Read more
Issue: 2018-06-20, PHOTO: courtesy of Josh Winkler
From the California gold rush to the history of the Yukon
Josh Winkler´s work is no stranger to the Yukon. In 2016 his work was exhibited with two other artists at the Yukon Arts Centre; Cut Climb Conquer was the title of his exhibition. He used watercolour and printmaking to show the history of American... Read more
Issue: 2018-06-13, PHOTO: Danny Macdonald
The Follies ‘Reborn’!
The Frantic Follies Vaudeville Show was a staple for Yukoners and visitors alike for 47 years, bringing gold-rush themed vaudeville performances to the stage. Last year, owner Grant Simpson lowered the curtain on the show and it appeared that it... Read more
Issue: 2018-05-16, PHOTO: Kylie Campbell
Enjoying a ‘Skagway Quickie’
Skagway holds its quirky charms with its Klondike-themed buildings and summer staff dressed similar to the time period. It’s no different as you step inside the Red Onion Saloon. The blood-red walls, wooden furniture and old-time music gives the... Read more
Issue: 2018-02-21, PHOTO: courtesy of Rolf Hougen
The Yukon Balladeer
Our Yukon heritage is a mix of different traditions and different eras, including First Nations history, gold rush stories, the construction of the Alaska Highway and the evolution to the current day. The Yukon’s magic has captured the imagination... Read more
Issue: 2018-01-24, PHOTO: Vanessa Ratjen
A new narrative on gold rush history
On the surface of national history, the Yukon is primarily known for events that happened more than a hundred years ago: the Klondike Gold Rush. Residents of the Territory today know, intimately, how much more there is to the region than its... Read more
Issue: 2017-12-20, PHOTO: Hoefs’ family collection
Human migrations changed hunting
Gold-mining in the Yukon River watershed took place well before the Klondike discovery. It started in the Forty-Mile River in 1886 with 600 miners participating, and Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka (1892) described 100 to 200 miners working the... Read more
Issue: 2017-12-20, PHOTO: courtesy of Government of Yukon
The Yukon’s Magnificent 11- Part 2 of 6
From a comfortable, 21st century perch, the casual Yukon visitor might mistakenly assume The Klondike Highway (Highway 2) was planned to be a Skagway to Dawson tourist route, roughly following the journey made by the stampeders in 1898, but... Read more
Issue: 2017-11-01, PHOTO: Erik Pinkerton
Stonecliff brings together a remarkable team of artists (Part 2 of 2)
The new musical drama Stonecliff, which opens at the Yukon Arts Centre stage on Friday, November 17 (for four performances only!) tells the story of Michael J. Heney, the son of poor Irish immigrants in the Ottawa Valley who went on to build one... Read more
Issue: 2017-08-16, PHOTO: Jenny Trapnell
Hiking Miles Canyon to Canyon City: A Landscape with a Past
One of the most visited attractions in Whitehorse, the Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge, is a great launching point for interesting half-day hikes. Located about 10 minutes from downtown by road, the historic 95-year-old suspension bridge (which has... Read more
Issue: 2017-06-28, PHOTO: Andrea McGee
Canadian Red
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!” Today, I still think that. The Mounties definitely know how put on a good horse show and parade. Read more
Issue: 2017-06-14, ILLUSTRATION: Shauna Jones
The Legacy of the Klondike Cancan
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 narrow-minded citizens. From the beginning the cancan was a statement, and it became a symbolic statement... Read more
Issue: 2017-05-10, PHOTO: Sarah Conners
A Stitch in Time
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 Institute of Art and Culture. There, her embroidery practice focused on Dawson’s... Read more