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Klondike Gold Rush

Article by Michael Gates

Published Online July 19, 2009

Last Edited March 4, 2015

The discovery of gold in the Yukon in 1896 led to a stampede to the Klondike region between 1897 and 1899. This led to the establishment of Dawson City (1896) and subsequently, the Yukon Territory (1898). The Klondike gold rush solidified the public’s image of the North as more than a barren wasteland and left a body of literature that has popularized and romanticized the Yukon.

The search for gold in the Yukon started in 1874 with the arrival of a small handful of prospectors. Among them were Arthur Harper, Al Mayo and Jack McQuesten (the former an Irish immigrant, the latter Americans). The three became traders because they couldn’t make a living as prospectors at that time. These men encouraged, promoted and then supplied the burgeoning prospecting community that developed slowly before the gold rush. At first a trickle, then a steadily increasing stream of hopeful prospectors entered the Yukon River basin, spurred on by the increasingly promising reports of gold on the bars of the Yukon and its tributaries: the Stewart River (1885), the Fortymile River (1886), the Sixtymile (1891) and finally Birch Creek, near Circle City, Alaska (1892). By 1896, there were 1,600 prospectors seeking gold within the Yukon River basin.

Gold was discovered in mid-August 1896 by George Carmack, an American prospector, Keish (aka Skookum Jim Mason) and Káa Goox (aka Dawson Charlie) — Tagish First Nation members into whose family Carmack had married. The discovery was made on Rabbit Creek, a small tributary of the Klondike River. It was soon renamed Bonanza Creek, a name that became world famous. When word of the discovery reached the outside world in July 1897, it sparked an unprecedented stampede. Tens of thousands of would-be prospectors left their homes all over the world, though mainly from the United States, and headed for the Klondike.

Joseph Ladue, an American who had been in the Yukon since 1882, operated a trading post on the Yukon River, 70 km above the mouth of the Klondike. While others staked claims for gold, Ladue was quick to capitalize on the discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek. He staked out 65 hectares of swamp and moose pasture at the mouth of the Klondike River, called it Dawson City (after the famous Canadian geologist, George Mercer Dawson ), and made a fortune selling lots and the lumber to build on them.

The stampede was an epic journey during which numerous challenges had to be met, and countless obstacles overcome. First, there was the harrowing voyage north along the Pacific coast from coastal cities such as Victoria, Seattle, Portland and San Francisco, which ended upon arrival at the coastal Alaskan ports of Haines, Skagway and Dyea. Haines was near the start of the Dalton Trail; Skagway, a lawless town run by the notorious Soapy Smith and his band of thieves, was the beginning of the White Pass Trail. Dyea was the starting point for the most famous gold rush trail of all: the Chilkoot .

There is no doubt that the Klondike Gold Rush was an iconic event. But what did the mining industry cost the original people of the territory? And what was left when all the gold was gone? And what is a sour toe cocktail? Note: The Secret Life of Canada is hosted and written by Falen Johnson and Leah Simone Bowen and is a CBC original podcast independent of The Canadian Encyclopedia .

Images of a never-ending stream of men labouring up the icy steps of the final ascent to the Chilkoot Pass summit have come to symbolize the challenges not just of the trail to the Klondike, but of life itself. Thousands, burdened by heavy loads, made the ascent across the rocky summit 30 or 40 times in order to haul the tonne of supplies (enough to last a prospector for a year) that the North West Mounted Police required each stampeder to bring with him.

The stampeders laboured over a trail clogged with ice, snow and people; avalanche, drowning and disease; exhaustion, failure and heartbreak. Over the mountains and down the icy valleys along the Chilkoot and the White Pass Trails, they laboured until they reached the headwaters of the Yukon River. By the time the stampeders had relayed their tonne of supplies the 53 km over the Chilkoot Trail to Bennett, some had trekked as much as 4,000 km. At the boom town of Bennett, on the shores of Bennett Lake, the horde climbed aboard a hastily built fleet of rafts, scows and boats to float down 800 km of treacherous lakes and winding rivers, through canyons and rapids, to reach Dawson City.

At Dawson City, they found a bustling and rapidly growing city at the mouth of the Klondike River where scruffy Klondike millionaire veterans (a year’s residence in the Yukon entitled them to bear the name ‘Sourdough’) rubbed shoulders with newly arrived Cheechako (a Cheechako could only earn the title of sourdough after having survived an Arctic winter). It was a place where the mundane was surrounded by the larger-than-life episodes of a grand adventure. Upon arrival, many never even bothered to look for gold.

By the time the stampeders arrived in the Klondike to search for gold, it was too late to leave because the summers are short in the North. Each man (there were few women in Dawson at first) had to build shelter for the winter, and then endure seven months of cold, darkness, disease, isolation and monotony. For those lucky enough to find gold, nothing was beyond limits. Many successful prospectors lived extravagantly. For the majority, however, life was about survival and their existence was tedious.

Pay streaks meandered unpredictably through frozen gravel in the valley bottoms. Some miners became rich, while others found nothing. Newcomers were obliged to work along the margins of the creeks that were already staked. Some were fortunate to secure bench claims (on the hillsides above the creeks) which the sourdoughs deemed worthless. Many of these claims proved to be as rich as the creek claims below.

The population of the Klondike dwindled from the 25,000 or more during the hey-day of the gold rush, to a few hundred within a decade. A century later, however, gold mining is still the economic mainstay of the region.

If the nearly $29 million (figure unadjusted) in gold that was recovered during the heady years of 1897 to 1899 was divided equally among all of those who participated in the gold rush, the amount would fall far short of the total that they had invested, in time and money, to reach the Klondike. The continental economy, however, which had been locked in a depression and plagued by unemployment, benefited from the spending during the gold rush.

The Klondike gold rush brought about a rapid advance in the development of the Yukon Territory, which was officially formed by Parliament on 13 June 1898. The gold rush left an infrastructure of supply, support and governance that led to the continued development of the territory. Had it not been for the discovery of gold, development of this region would have been a slow and gradual process.

The gold rush brought tremendous upheaval and disenfranchisement for the people indigenous to the region. The Han people of the Yukon valley were pushed aside and marginalized. Only a century later, as a result of land claim settlements have the Tr’ondëk Hwech’in found redress and self-governance.

The most lasting legacy of the Klondike gold rush is the impression it left in the public mind. It was a shared experience which all participants faced, rich or poor, on a relatively similar footing, and which left its mark indelibly etched in their memories. Words like Klondike and Chilkoot evoke images of gold, adventure, challenge and the North. There is a Klondike ice cream bar and a Chilkoot automobile. Towns, streets and schools have been named after the Klondike as well. The adventures of the gold rush were also captured in popular literature in the writings of people such as Jack London, Robert Service and Pierre Berton . Their writing, and that of hundreds of others, has ensured that the Klondike gold rush will not be soon forgotten.

Read More // Gold Rush

• Klondike gold rush
• North West Mounted Police

Further Reading

David Neufeld and Frank Norris, Chilkoot Trail: Heritage Route to the Klondike (1996)

Michael Gates, Gold at Fortymile Creek: Early Days in the Yukon (1994)

Pierre Berton, The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush (1958)

Tappan Adney, The Klondike Stampede (1900)

Pierre Berton, Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush (1972)

External Links

Watch the Heritage Minute about Superintendent Sam Steele of the North West Mounted Police from Historica Canada. See also related online learning resources.

Government of Yukon

The online gateway to Government of Yukon programs, services, maps, history, and more.

Recommended

Fraser river gold rush.

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Klondike Gold Rush

By: History.com Editors

Updated: August 11, 2023 | Original: January 17, 2018

The Klondike Gold Rush, often called the Yukon Gold Rush, was a mass exodus of prospecting migrants from their hometowns to the Canadian Yukon Territory and Alaska after gold was discovered there in 1896. The idea of striking it rich led over 100,000 people from all walks of life to abandon their homes and embark on an extended, life-threatening journey across treacherous, icy valleys and harrowing rocky terrain.

Less than half of those who started the trek to the Yukon arrived; those who got there safely stood little chance of finding gold. While the Klondike Gold Rush invigorated the economy of the Pacific Northwest, it also devastated the local environment and had a negative impact on many Yukon Natives.

Gold Rush Alaska

Starting in the 1870s, prospectors trickled into the Yukon in search of gold. By 1896, around 1,500 prospectors panned for gold along the Yukon River basin—one of them was American George Carmack.

On August 16, 1896, Carmack, along with Jim Mason and Tagish Charlie, later Dawson Charlie (Kaa Goox), both Tagish First Nation members— discovered Yukon gold on Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek), a Klondike River tributary that ran through both Alaskan and Yukon Territory.

Little did they know their discovery would spur a massive gold rush.

Conditions in the Yukon were harsh and made communication with the outside world difficult at best. As a result, word didn’t get out about the Klondike gold discovery until 1897.

Once it did, however, droves of people known as stampeders headed north, searching for Yukon gold and a wealthier fate. Most had no idea where they were going or what they’d face along the way.

Gold Mining Equipment

Canadian authorities required every stampeder to have a year’s worth of gold mining equipment and supplies before crossing the Canadian border such as:

• warm clothes and outerwear
• moccasins and boots
• blankets and towels
• mosquito netting
• personal care items
• first aid items
• candles and matches
• approximately 1,000 pounds of food
• tools and mining equipment
• camping equipment

Getting to Yukon Territory was no easy task, especially while hauling a literal ton of supplies. For the first leg of the journey, well-stocked stampeders traveled to port cities in the Pacific Northwest and boarded boats headed north to the Alaskan town of Skagway which took them to the White Pass Trail, or Dyea which took them to the Chilkoot Trail.

Dead Horse Trail

The next leg of the trip was the most difficult no matter which trail a stampeder chose. The White Pass was not as steep or rugged as the Chilkoot, but it was new, narrow, clogged, and slippery with mud. Many animals became stuck and died, earning the trail the nickname, “The Dead Horse Trail.” It’s estimated 3,000 horses died on White Pass.

The Chilkoot Trail was steep, icy and snowy. Although pack animals were used to haul supplies for much of the stampeders’ journey, once they reached Chilkoot Trail they had to abandon the animals and carry their supplies the rest of the way. This usually required making several trips up and down a frozen slope, including 1,500 steps carved of snow and ice known as the “golden staircase.”

Daunted, many prospectors gave up at this point and headed home. One eyewitness reported, “It is impossible to give one an idea of the slowness with which things are moving. It takes a day to go four or five miles and back; it takes a dollar to do what ten cents would do at home.”

The final leg of the journey was also treacherous and slow-going. After crossing Chilkoot or White Pass, prospectors had to build or rent boats and brave hundreds of miles of winding Yukon River rapids to reach Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, Canada, where they hoped to set up camp and stake their claims. Many people died during the river trip.

Gold Mining in Alaska

Only about 30,000 weary stampeders finally arrived in Dawson City. Most were gravely disappointed to learn reports of available Klondike gold were greatly exaggerated. For many, thoughts of gold and wealth had sustained them during their grueling journey. Learning they’d come so far for nothing was too much to bear and they immediately booked passage home.

Miners who came to the Yukon in the winter had to wait months for the ground to thaw. They set up makeshift camps in Dawson and endured the harsh winter as best they could. With so many bodies crammed into a small area and sanitary facilities lacking, sickness, disease and death from infectious illness were commonplace.

Other people stayed in Dawson and attempted to mine gold—they usually came up empty-handed. But instead of returning home, they took advantage of Dawson’s booming infrastructure and worked in or opened saloons, supply stores, banks, brothels and restaurants. Most of the town’s merchants made their fortunes off the never-ending supply of miners arriving consumed with gold fever.

The Effects of the Gold Rush

Although the discovery of Yukon gold made a few lucky miners rich beyond their wildest dreams, many people made their fortunes off the backs of the miners chasing those dreams. Even so, the adventurous stampede for gold united people of all walks of life in a common goal.

The influx of people to Dawson turned it into a legitimate city. It also led to a population boom in Yukon Territory, Alberta, British Columbia and Vancouver. The Klondike Gold Rush is credited for helping the United States out of a depression. Still, it had a horrific impact on the local environment, causing massive soil erosion, water contamination, deforestation and loss of native wildlife, among other things.

The gold rush also severely impacted the Native people. While some made money off miners by working as guides and helping haul supplies, they also fell victim to new diseases such as smallpox and the introduction of casual drinking and drunkenness. The population of some Natives such as the Han declined rapidly as their hunting and fishing grounds were ruined.

Klondike Gold Rush Ends

The Klondike Gold Rush slowed by the end of 1898 as word got out there was little gold left to be had. Countless miners had already left Yukon Territory penniless, leaving gold-mining cities such as Dawson and Skagway rapidly declining.

The Klondike Gold Rush ended in 1899 with the discovery of gold in Nome, Alaska . The find reignited the pipe dreams of many dejected miners who quickly forgot the hardships they’d just endured and couldn’t wait to set out on a new adventure.

HISTORY Vault: Gold Rush Money

The 1849 Gold Rush spawned a rogue economy where miners, merchants, and bankers schemed to reap the riches of a lawless land. See how the Wild West economy was finally tamed by a new money standard at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution.

Gold Rush. Dawsoncity.ca. Impact of the Klondike Gold Rush. Alaskaweb.org. Klondike Gold Rush Yukon Territory 1897. Adventure Learning Foundation. La Ruee Vers L’Or Du Klondike Gold Rush. Yukon Archives. Klondike Gold Rush. The Canadian Encyclopedia. The Klondike Gold Rush. University of Washington Libraries. The White Pass. National Park Service National Historical Park Alaska. Ton of Goods. National Park Service National Historical Park Alaska. What Was the Klondike Gold Rush? National Park Service National Historical Park Alaska.

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History | November 2019

Gold Fever! Deadly Cold! And the Amazing True Adventures of Jack London in the Wild

In 1897, the California native went to the frozen North looking for gold. What he found instead was the great American novel

Richard Grant; Photographs by Grant Harder

Through the window of a small plane, I look out over the vastness of the Yukon Territory—an area bigger than California with only 33,000 residents. It’s an austere landscape of glaciated mountain ranges, frozen lakes, ice fields and spruce forests. Then the mountains are behind us, and there are low hills and tundra to the horizons, and a big frozen river starting to melt.

It was this stark wilderness that 100,000 prospectors tried to cross on foot, and in homemade boats, during the Klondike gold rush of the 1890s. The “stampeders,” as they were known, were desperate to reach the gold fields around Dawson City, but the journey took more than two months, and was so punishing and dangerous that only 30,000 made it through. In the first wave was a tough, stocky 21-year-old from San Francisco named Jack London.

Questing for gold, what he found instead was inspiration and material for one of the most successful literary careers of all time. His best-known Yukon book, The Call of the Wild , has been translated into nearly 100 languages, and will be released in February as a movie starring Harrison Ford as a Klondike gold prospector. Such is the enduring power of the story—a dog named Buck is kidnapped from California and thrust into the frozen wilds of the Far North—that this is the ninth time that the 1903 novel has been adapted for film or television.

Techniques including computer-generated imagery enabled the latest filmmakers to shoot the entire production without leaving California, and it’s hard to criticize them for not using authentic Yukon locations. In summertime, the advantages of 20-hour daylight are offset by horrendous swarms of mosquitoes, among other challenges. In mid-winter, when much of the story takes place, the sun doesn’t reach the horizon and temperatures plunge to 50, 60, or even 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. In that kind of weather, as Jack London discovered, even the strongest whiskey freezes solid, and a man’s spit turns to ice before it hits the snow.

The best story that Jack London never wrote, at least not in full, was a factual account of his time in the Far North. But it can be pieced together from letters and diary entries, a handful of nonfiction articles that he sold to magazines, the remembrances of other people, and guesswork from his fiction. And you can still see his cabin and his old stomping grounds in Dawson City, the former capital of the Klondike gold rush, where my plane lands with a crunch on an unpaved runway.

Because he was only 21, it’s easy to assume that Jack London was innocent and naive when he set out for the Far North. But that wasn’t the case. He grew up poor in a broken home, and at age 15, he joined a gang of prison-hardened oyster pirates who risked their lives in small boats at night, trying to outwit the armed guards who watched over the oyster beds in San Francisco Bay. Jack soon became an expert sailor, and an accomplished drinker and brawler in the waterfront saloons. At 17, he sailed across the Pacific and up to the Bering Sea on a seal-hunting ship. He also worked 16-hour days in a Dickensian canning factory in Oakland, hoboed from coast to coast on freight trains, learned to beg and steal, spent 30 days for vagrancy in a vicious New York jail, and became a confirmed socialist—all by the age of 19.

In July 1897, he had just quit a job in a laundry when the steamship Portland docked in Seattle and the Excelsior in San Francisco. Miners came down the gangplanks hefting three tons of gold from far northwest Canada. Newspapers and telephones spread the word almost instantly, and sparked one of the biggest, wildest, most delusional gold rushes in history. Experienced miners and prospectors were joined by great hordes of factory workers, store clerks, salesmen, bureaucrats, police officers and other city dwellers, most of them completely inexperienced in the wilderness and clueless about the Far North.

Jack was desperate to join them, but he couldn’t raise the money for passage or supplies. Fortunately, his 60-year-old brother-in-law James “Cap” Shepard also became infected with the “Klondicitis,” as the gold fever was known. Shepard mortgaged his wife’s home to finance the trip, and invited Jack along because of the young man’s muscle and skill at roughing it. They bought fur-lined coats and caps, high heavy boots, thick mittens, tents, blankets, axes, mining gear, a metal cookstove, tools to build boats and cabins, and a year’s supply of food. Jack, a voracious reader with little schooling and vague ambitions to become a writer, threw in volumes of Milton and Darwin and a few other books.

They sailed away to Alaska on a ship packed with gold-seekers and partnered with three of them: “Big Jim” Goodman, an experienced miner and hunter; Ira Sloper, a gritty carpenter and adventurer who weighed barely 100 pounds; and a red-whiskered court reporter, Fred C. Thompson, who kept a terse, deadpan diary of the trip. Disembarking at Juneau, they hired Tlingit canoes and paddled up a 100-mile fjord to Dyea, where the infamous Chilkoot Trail began.

To reach the Klondike, they first needed to get themselves and all their supplies over the Alaskan coastal range, on a trail too steep for horses or pack mules. They sent 3,000 pounds of supplies to the summit with Tlingit packers, at 22 cents per pound, and carried the rest on their backs. Several sources state that Jack hauled about a ton, which was average. A strong man who could backpack 100 pounds had to make 20 round trips, walking a total of 40 miles, in order to move that burden one mile.

The going was rough and muddy, with patches of quagmire. They had to cross and recross a raging river on felled trees. “They are very hard to walk on, with water rushing underneath and one hundred pounds on your back,” Thompson noted in his diary. Men who fell were usually drowned by the weight of their packs; they were buried in shallow graves beside the trail. Nine miles out from Dyea, Cap Shepard was in so much pain from his rheumatism that he said goodbye to the other men and turned back down the trail.

The others pressed on through heavy rain and deepening mud. They picked up an elderly gold-seeker named Martin Tarwater, who offered to cook for them. Jack later fictionalized him, keeping the name Tarwater, in a short story, “Like Argus of the Ancient Times.” On August 21, with blistered feet and raw shoulders, they reached Sheep Camp, which Thompson described as “a very tough hole.” More than 1,000 stampeders crowded together in a muddy tent city. It was the last piece of level ground before the dreaded ascent to Chilkoot Pass.

A photographer, Frank LaRoche, was there documenting the gold rush for the U.S. Geological Survey. He gathered up 24 men and photographed them standing in the mud with a glacier in the background. They all look stern and solemn, including young Jack London with a tousled forelock protruding from his cap and a hand shoved into his pocket. It’s the only known photograph of him in the Far North.

A better known photograph shows a long line of heavily laden men climbing up a brutally steep slope to Chilkoot Pass—“like a column of ants,” Jack later described them. It’s an astonishing image of men pushed to extremes. Yet it fails to convey a key fact: Most of the men had to climb that terrible slope 20 or 30 times. The pass marked the boundary between Alaska, an American possession, and the Yukon Territory. Canadian authorities required each individual to bring enough food to last a year, or about 1,000 pounds. And that load doubled with mining and camping gear.

Many men looked up at the steepness of the trail, calculated how many trips it would take and turned back toward Dyea, dumping the detestable burden of their supplies. Many tried to make the climb, but lacked the strength and stamina. They collapsed in despair or grimacing in pain from back injuries. At least 70 were killed by landslides and avalanches. No one who lived through the Chilkoot ever forgot it, least of all Jack London, who wrote about it with great vividness in several fictional accounts.

The elation of reaching the top of the pass for the last time did not last long; now the men had to backpack all their supplies another 16 miles, then cut down trees and build a boat, cross a series of lakes, portage the boat and supplies between the lakes, then travel 500 miles north on the Yukon River—and do it all before the river froze. It was already snowing in mid-September. Ice was forming on the lakeshores. Racing winter, they rationed themselves to five hours of sleep a night.

In a boat built from spruce by Sloper the carpenter, with a mast and sail rigged by Jack London the sailor, they made it over the lakes in gales and blizzards, and saw two other boats capsize and drown everyone aboard.

On September 24, they entered a tributary of the Yukon River called Sixtymile. The following day at Box Canyon, the river narrowed into a roaring, foaming chute and they faced a tough decision. So many boats had wrecked in the rapids that most stampeders were now portaging their boats and supplies around them, but that took four days. Jack’s group voted to run the rapids.

The 27-foot boat was heavily laden with supplies. There were hundreds of spectators on the canyon walls, predicting disaster. Jack steered with a sweep-oar as they careened through the white water, and the others paddled frantically to avoid getting dashed against the rocks. The current was so swift that they ran the mile-long canyon in two minutes, with no damage done except one snapped paddle.

An even bigger challenge came at White Horse Rapids, which featured big standing waves, jagged rocks and whirlpools. Again, Jack’s boatmanship got them through. Then, with admirable generosity, he went back and helped a young couple run their skiff through the same rapids. Thompson wrote in his diary that they rested easy that night.

Sixtymile River flowed into 30-mile Lake Laberge. It took a week to battle across it in howling north winds and snowstorms. The going was easier below Laberge, although the weather was bitterly cold with dense fogs. The big worry was the ice accumulating in the river.

The Yukon—the third-biggest river in North America, after the Mississippi and the Mackenzie—usually froze solid by mid-October. On October 9, about 80 miles from Dawson City, they decided to stop and winter at the mouth of the Stewart River, where they found some old serviceable cabins and Big Jim saw promising color in his gold pan. Jack staked out 500 feet on the left fork of Henderson Creek and boated downriver to file his mining claim in Dawson City.

Founded the previous year, Dawson now had more than a dozen saloons with dance halls and gambling, a street of prostitutes called Paradise Alley and some 5,000 inhabitants living in cabins, tents and shanties. There was a food shortage, no sanitation, and the filthy streets were full of unemployed men and sled dogs.

Jack befriended two brothers, Louis and Marshall Bond, who let him camp next to their cabin in Dawson. Their father was a wealthy judge with a ranch in Santa Clara, California; he would later appear, lightly fictionalized, as Judge Miller in The Call of the Wild . Jack also befriended the Bond brothers’ dog, a magnificent, 140-pound Saint Bernard-Scotch collie mix. The dog’s name was Jack, and he was the model for Buck, the canine hero of The Call of the Wild .

Marshall Bond was struck by Jack London’s unusual rapport with dogs. Rather than talk affectionately to them, and pet them, “He always spoke and acted toward the dog as if he recognized his noble qualities, but took them as a matter of course,” Bond wrote in his memoir. “He had an appreciative and instant eye for fine traits and honored them in a dog as he would in a man.” That is a statement of the obvious to anyone who has read The Call of the Wild and London’s other great dog book, White Fang .

Jack stayed in Dawson for more than six weeks. Partly to keep warm, he spent a lot of time in bars, and was often seen in conversation with the “sourdoughs,” or seasoned miners. These characters thought 40 below zero was good weather for hunting and dog-sledding, and they scorned the newcomers as cheechakos , or “tenderfeet,” who were liable to start whining after three days with no food. There was so much material for a budding novelist in those gaudy saloons, where men told tales of death outwitted and bonanza gold strikes, silk-clad women charged a dollar for a dance, $25,000 was sometimes wagered on a hand of poker, and everyone paid with gold dust or nuggets.

Dawson City today is a hardy, free-spirited, extremely remote community of 1,400 people, still trading on its history as the capital of the Klondike gold rush. It’s a place where oddballs, artists, the First Nation Trondek Hwechin and others can live at their own pace and with a minimum of judgment. Even in an era when industrial-scale mining has been introduced in the region, independent gold miners are still digging and sluicing in the nearby Klondike Valley, using excavators and diesel pumps, as well as shovels and gold pans. Some of them are finding significant amounts of gold, and spending their money on whiskey, poker, blackjack and can-can shows at Diamond Tooth Gerties gambling hall.

The downtown streets are unpaved. You walk on raised wooden sidewalks past frontier-style buildings, some dating back to the gold rush era. At the Downtown Hotel is the Jack London Grill and a saloon that serves a highly unusual cocktail, the Sourtoe—a severed, mummified human toe dropped into the liquor of your choice. The legend is that the drink dates back to the 1920s, and originally involved an amputated frostbitten toe. These days, according to the bartender, the saloon accepts toes lost to other misfortunes, including lawnmower accidents.

I ordered mine with Wild Turkey, and it was served by the Sourtoe Captain, a young man with a patch of green hair wearing a captain’s hat. Opening a wooden chest, he retrieved a long brown shriveled toe from a jar of salt, dropped it into the shot glass, warned of a $2,500 fine for chewing or swallowing, and then said, “You can drink it fast or drink it slow, but your lips must touch the gnarly toe.” When the deed was done, he presented me with a certificate suitable for framing.

By providential coincidence, the Sourtoe Captain’s mother, a filmmaker named Lulu Keating, was working on a documentary about Jack London’s time in the Yukon. She took me to an ancient dive bar called the Pit with dramatically sloping floors and a raunchy oil painting on the wall. The customers included gold miners, a professor, a dancer and a musician.

“This is a land of characters, then and now, and Jack mined them,” said Keating. “He was fiercely intelligent, and had a lot of confidence, but instead of trying to impress people, he looked and listened and felt. That’s what made him a good writer.”

On her iPad, she showed me copies of letters that Jack wrote to people in Dawson after he left, requesting stories, details, flavor and gossip. She also had a letter written by Father Judge, a Catholic priest, in which he describes falling through river ice and just managing to build a fire to save his life. Jack knew Father Judge, and almost certainly borrowed the incident for his famous short story “To Build a Fire.” After generously sharing her research, she sent me up the hill to see Jack’s cabin, moved to Dawson City from its original location, and the small Jack London Museum.

In December 1897, at the coldest, darkest time of year, Jack left Dawson and snowshoed 80 miles up the frozen Yukon River, sleeping under blankets next to a fire. Weather records, and Jack’s recollections, indicate temperatures close to 70 below zero. Reaching the Stewart River, he joined his three partners in one of the log cabins they had found. It was 10 by 12, and even when the metal stove was red hot, meat would stay frozen on a shelf eight feet away.

They lived on sourdough bread, beans and bacon, supplemented by game meat, and they chopped water out of the river with an ax. Thawing the ground with fires, they dug for gold but found very little. They played a lot of cards, and visited back and forth with men in other cabins. Jack’s company was valued because he was an excellent conversationalist and storyteller, with a cheerful, generous personality. Nearly all the men on the Stewart River that winter ended up in his fiction, and one of them, a broad-shouldered, big-hearted prospector named John Thorson, became John Thornton, Harrison Ford’s character in The Call of the Wild .

In 1965, literary sleuth Dick North, traveling by dog sled through the snow, found the derelict cabin where London spent his first and only winter in the area. He was able to identify it because Jack had signed and dated his name on the wall. Handwriting experts confirmed the signature as genuine. The cabin was then dismantled, and its logs included in two replicas—one in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, the other in Dawson City at Eighth Avenue where the poet Robert Service used to live.

There’s no exaggerating how primitive the cabin is, or how cramped and smelly it must have been with four men living in it. They slept on spruce boughs and animal hides. The floor was ice and snow. When they ran out of candles, they burned bacon grease in a homemade lamp, and Jack smoked incessantly. They all got scurvy, or “Arctic leprosy,” from the lack of fresh vegetables and exercise. The disease killed many prospectors in the Klondike, and put an end to Jack’s brief career as a miner.

When the river unfroze in May 1898, he and another man dismantled a cabin, turned it into a raft, floated down to Dawson City, and sold the logs for $600. Jack managed to find some potatoes and a lemon, which relieved his symptoms, and at Father Judge’s hospital he was told to get to fresh food as soon as possible.

With John Thorson and another man, London set off down the Yukon River in a small rowboat. Weakened by scurvy, they had to row 1,500 river miles to the Bering Sea, where they hoped to catch a ship to Seattle or San Francisco.

On the day they left Dawson, Tuesday June 8, Jack started keeping a journal in gray and then purple pencil on loose lined notepapers. It was a thrill to see the original in his collected papers at the Huntington Library in California, but it proved a fairly dull read—brief notes about places reached and small incidents of travel, a few descriptive passages, very little about himself. Only once does he mention his scurvy, “which has now almost entirely crippled me from the waist down.” He is more concerned with the torments inflicted by “thousands of millions” of mosquitoes biting “through overalls and heavy underwear.”

At the end of June, after a tough but fairly uneventful journey, they reached St. Michaels on the Alaskan coast, and Jack landed a job as a coal-shoveler on a steamship heading to San Francisco. The final entry in the journal is: “Leave St. Michaels—unregrettable moment.”

That summer the Klondike gold rush reached its full frenzy. The population of the Klondike region exploded to more than 30,000, with about half in Dawson City. A lucky few did become fantastically rich. Swede Anderson dug out a million dollars in gold from a claim that everyone said was worthless. But the great majority of rushers found no gold, and many didn’t even try, because almost every gold-bearing creek within 50 miles of Dawson had already been claimed. By the end of summer in 1899, the rush was over, and Dawson City’s population had shrunk.

When Jack London reached San Francisco, he made a slow recovery from scurvy, and then started writing articles, essays, poems and short stories. He threw himself into it with characteristic energy, often working 18 hours a day, and he read as much as possible, studying the formulas for commercial success. But everything he submitted for publication was rejected, and he grew depressed and disheartened. Finally, Overland Monthly magazine offered to publish a Klondike short story, “To the Man on the Trail,” if he could content himself with the meager payment of $5. Flat broke, Jack accepted, and had to borrow a dime to buy the issue when it came out in January 1899.

Later that year, he hit literary paydirt. He sold “An Odyssey of the North” to the Atlantic for $120, and after that, he never looked back. It was the golden age of American magazines, editors were looking for vivid action-packed short fiction, and Jack London, through hard work, perseverance, and trial and error mastered the form. Within two years of leaving the Klondike, he was the best-paid short story writer in America. By the age of 24, London was famed as the “American Kipling.”

The idea for The Call of the Wild , London’s seventh book and arguably his best, came to him in 1903 after a depressing stint as an undercover journalist in the slums of London’s East End. He started thinking back to the pristine Yukon wilderness and that 140-pound Saint Bernard mix in Dawson, the northern lights and the sled-dog teams racing through the snow in 50 below zero temperatures. He intended to write a 4,000-word short story honoring a dog, but it “got away from me,” as he later said, and reached more than 30,000 words before he could call a halt.

He wrote it in a month in a creative fever dream. He sent the manuscript to the head of Macmillan Publishing, George Platt Brett, who recognized it as a masterpiece and made one of the most profitable deals in the company’s history. He offered $2,000 for the full rights. Jack needed the money, so he accepted. The book, an immediate best seller, has remained in print all over the world.

Jack London, who unabashedly wrote for money, never received a penny in royalties for The Call of the Wild . Nor did he ever complain about it. As he told his wife. Charmian, “Mr. Brett took a gamble, and a big chance to lose. It was the game, and I have no kick.”

He was already well-known when the book was published, and its success turned him into a full-blown international celebrity. He was earning $10,000 a month from books, articles, journalistic assignments and speaking engagements, and barely keeping up with his expenses. He was one of the first writers to live in the headlines, and he spent money like a movie star. He sailed across the South Pacific in a ruinously expensive custom-built boat. He bought a 1,000-acre estate in Sonoma County and built a 15,000-square-foot mansion there, Wolf House, which burned down just before he moved in.

He never lost his taste for adventure. He worked as a war correspondent in Korea and Japan, and later covered the Mexican Revolution. He lived in Hawaii and Australia. From his prolific pen flowed 23 novels, several books of nonfiction, seven plays, and hundreds of poems and short stories. Of his fictional works—novels and short stories—more than 80 were set in the Far North and drawn from the nine months that he spent there. It continued to sustain him, much as Joseph Conrad drew lifelong inspiration from his youthful adventures at sea.

At the time of his death in 1916—he was 40 and died of kidney disease exacerbated by alcoholism—Jack London was one of the most widely read authors in the world. Although the writer later was praised by such luminaries as George Orwell and Jorge Luis Borges, his reputation went into decline after his death. The American literary elite dismissed him as a hack who produced popular novels about dogs and wolves. According to London’s biographer, Earle Labor, these critics were both unfamiliar with the range of London’s work—he also wrote about philosophy, war, astral projection, politics and many other subjects—and also misled by the tough “plain style” that London pioneered. “Even his popular classics are enriched with multilevel meanings beneath the action-packed surface,” Labor says. “Jack was gifted with what Jung called ‘primordial vision,’ which unconsciously connects the author to universal myths and archetypes. He has influenced countless other writers, including Ernest Hemingway, James Jones and Susan Sontag.”

In recent decades, according to Labor, there has been an “exponential outpouring” of Jack London scholarship, geared toward reclaiming his reputation. “His international status—both as an outstanding writer and as a major public figure—has always been exceptionally high,” Labor adds. “Now he’s finally achieving recognition in his own country as a major author for all literary seasons.”

*Editor’s Note, 12/10/2021: An earlier version of this story stated incorrect figures for the population of Dawson City during the Gold Rush.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

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When You Wander

Travel tips, van life, the great outdoors, dawson city, yukon: the heart of the klondike gold rush, august 26, 2019 liana safian.

Dawson City History

Dawson City rose to fame as the epicenter of the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890s. Between 1897 and 1898 5,000 people successfully completed the grueling journey to Dawson City seeking their fortunes. By 1899 that number had grown to 30,000 people. It was the largest community north of San Francisco.

What is a Sourdough Exactly?

When you arrive in Dawson City, one of the first things you notice are all the “Sourdoughs” with nary a bakery in sight. Okay, there are bakeries, but what I mean is that various businesses, restaurant dishes, and local products area called sourdough this and sourdough that, and they’re not referring to the tasty bread.

So what is a sourdough? One theory we heard is that it refers to people who don’t have enough dough to leave here and they’re sour about it. That’s not what it really means though. A sourdough is someone who has seen a freeze and a thaw in Dawson City—basically if you’ve been here long enough to survive a winter, you’re a sourdough. The nickname came about because residents used to keep their sourdough starters close to their bodies in winter to keep them from freezing.

Things to Do in Dawson City

Dawson City was our first real taste of the Land of the Midnight Sun. With the sun setting after midnight and the stars never showing their twinkly faces, you can pack a lot into your days. We’ve rounded up some must see sights and experiences in Dawson City as well as our recommendations for where to eat and stay.

Walking Tours

Parks Canada offers numerous guided tours around the city and specialized tours at different historical sites like the SS Keno—a paddle wheeler from the 1920s. Most of the tours are cheap—under $7 Canadian. You can get the full tour schedule at the Visitor Information Center on Front Street.

Dawson City Museum

This may be the first time I’ve ever looked at pictures in a museum and thought, “Sure looks a lot like the view out the window.” The Dawson City Museum is the perfect place to learn about the gold rush boom, subsequent waning, and more recent rebuilding of the town.

Join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club

It’s toe time! The Sourtoe Cocktail is of course a take on the sourdough term, but with a twist. Or more accurately, a toe. According to local lore, a miner and bootlegger lost his toe to frostbite in the 1920s. Maybe he was a hoarder, because he preserved the severed digit in a jar of alcohol. Half a century later a Yukon local found the jar with the toe in his cabin. He proceeded to bring it to the bar and plop the toe into patron’s drinks. This was the founding of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club.

The first toe is long gone (accidentally swallowed), but the tradition continues. A mummified human toe is placed into a shot of booze of your choice. You must take the shot and the toe must touch your lips. Those are the rules folks. Upon successful consumption of the Sourtoe Cocktail you’ll receive a certificate for your efforts. As of the day we joined the club, there were 87,751 other members. Touristy? Yes. Rather gross? Yup. Rubbery? Most definitely. Would we do it again? Hell yeah! There are times and places where you just have to embrace your inner tourist. As they say, “When in Dawson City.”

Palace Grand Theatre

Now let’s talk about a much classier establishment—the Palace Grand Theatre. While, not the original structure, this theatre was built in the 1960s. It’s an almost exact replica of the 1800s original which was deemed too unstable for restoration.

Today, Parks Canada maintains and operates the theatre, putting on daily shows from May through September. During the boom of the Klondike Gold Rush at least half a dozen elaborate theatres like this existed in Dawson City. If the entire town didn’t already have you feeling like you rode the DeLorean (or dog sled) back in time, the Palace Grand Theatre most definitely will.

Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall

Ferry Across the Yukon River

A free seasonal ferry operates 24 hours a day from May to September bringing folks across the mighty Yukon River to West Dawson. The ferry carries both foot and vehicle traffic. If you have a big rig, you might need to wait a while to make the river crossing. The ferry can only take a handful of vehicles at a time. We heard of people waiting for over five hours when trying to cross at popular times after a holiday weekend. However, we crossed with Stan the Tan Van a few days earlier and only waited 15 minutes. If you ferry your vehicle across the river and stay on that side, you can always hoof it back to downtown like we did as the ferry terminal is just a short walk away.

Top of the World Highway

Dempster Highway

Want to actually drive to the top of the world? Well, the Dempster Highway will take you there. As of 2017 you can drive all the way to the small community of Tuktoyaktuk (often called just Tuk) situated on the Arctic Ocean. You can get more information about the drive and latest road conditions at the Northwest Territories Visitor Center just across the street from the Dawson City Visitor Center.

Where to Eat in Dawson City

One thing there’s no shortage of in Dawson city is places to eat and drink. Here are some of our favorite places to eat and a saloon or two for good measure. Joe’s Wood-fired Pizza: The pizza here was seriously some of the best we’ve had since Italy. You can bet we went Italian style and each got our own. Sourdough Joe’s Restaurant: They claim to have the best fish-n-chips in town. From what we saw, they may be the only place to serve fish-n-chips, however we can’t argue. There’s also a nice outdoor seating area here. Klondyke Cream and Candy: Because Summatime = Ice cream time. Also, you can walk across the street and take in the Yukon River views while you eat your sweet treats. Sourdough Saloon at the Downtown Hotel: Yes, the same Sourdough Saloon of the famous Sourtoe Cocktail. They happen to have a tasty bar menu. I recommend the nachos…shocking I know. This saloon is also where we met a modern-day gold miner whose exuberant stories of camp life led me to think that while the mining process has changed in the last 100+ years, the human condition has not.

Where to stay in Dawson City

Dawson city campgrounds.

Dawson City Hotels

If you’re looking for more traditional lodging, there are plenty of hotels right in downtown Dawson City. This one is centrally located and has great reviews.

As you can see, Dawson City is a place unlike anywhere else. It’s a place that will transport you to an exciting, reckless era. A place that proudly holds onto its frontier roots. A place that soaks up some of the unbridled wilderness which surrounds it. And then there’s the whole mummified human toe thing.

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Living History: The Gold Rush In Yukon’s Dawson City

Gold panning in Bonanza Creek. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

It has been more than 125 years since the discovery of gold in a small creek in the Yukon sparked one of the biggest and most frantic gold rushes in the world. While it was seemingly just a brief moment in history — lasting from the fall of 1896 to about 1899 — it has had significant impacts on the region that last through to today.

If you’re interested in diving into the quirky history of the Klondike Gold Rush, a visit to its epicentre is a must. Dawson City, located more than 500 km northwest of Whitehorse, sprang up during the peak of gold fever and today is a welcoming, scenic and entertaining town where gold rush history comes to life.

Try our  4-day Summer Klondike Experience , browse our collection of curated Yukon Experiences or get in touch to plan your perfect Dawson City getaway.

A brief history of the Klondike

Dawson City Walking Tour

On August 17, 1896, four people stumbled upon gold and forever changed the history of the Yukon. The discovery happened close to present-day Dawson City in Bonanza Creek (then known as Rabbit Creek), a tributary of the Klondike River.

The discoverers were James Mason (also known by his Indigenous name Keish or his nickname Skookum Jim), his sister Kate (Shaw Tiáa) and her husband George Carmack and their nephew Dawson Charlie ( K áa Goo x ).

It turned out the creek was brimming with gold and when word of this reached the other gold prospector camps in the Yukon, many rushed to the region, staking claim to much of Bonanza Creek.

This sudden influx of people was nothing compared to what would come in the next year as news of this gold discovery reached southern regions the following spring. When ships full of the newly mined gold arrived in ports along the California coast, more than 100,000 prospectors decided to head north to make their fortunes.

Those who had the money, sailed up the coast and along the Yukon River but the majority of the so-called ‘Klondikers’ got off in one of the Alaskan ports and headed over the mountains on the treacherous Chillkoot or White Pass trails by foot.

The beginnings of Dawson City

Dawson City. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

A frontier town sprang up on the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers, to accommodate the growing population.

This change in population and interest in the land for gold had a huge social and cultural impact on the many Indigenous people who lived, fished and hunted in the Yukon River region.

It is said that between 30,000 – 50,000 people arrived in Dawson to seek their fortunes. Although most would leave without making much money, some became incredibly rich.

In its heyday, Dawson City became known as the Paris of the North, where the finest food, clothing and goods could be purchased at alarmingly high prices. Bars, brothels, dance halls and gambling centres quickly opened in town, catering to those looking to spend some of their new-found wealth.

It is said that between 1896 and 1899, more than $29 million worth of gold was mined around Dawson City. Most prospectors made nothing and left the area in 1899, following the promise of gold to Alaska.

Why is it called the Klondike?

The word Klondike likely came as an anglicized version of the Han word Tr’ondëk, which comes from the name of the First Nation on whose territory Dawson City sits. When talking about the Klondike Gold Rush most people are referring to a general area around where the Klondike River meets the Yukon River and where most of the gold claims were during the gold fever of the late 1890s.

How to experience Gold Rush history today

Gold panning. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

It is impossible to visit Dawson City without immersing yourself in its fun-loving approach to gold rush history. Here are just some of the ways you can experience it for yourself:

Take a Dawson City Walking Tour:

Dawson City Walking Tour. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

Start with a tour of the town where a Parks Canada guide in period costume will show you what the town was like in 1898 and how it has changed today.

Visit the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre:

Danoja Zho Cultural Centre; Dawson City; Yukon

Learn about the culture and traditions of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the original inhabitants of the land, at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre . See the impact the gold rush had on their way of life and how the next generation is reviving traditions that were almost lost.

If you are visiting during the summer, you might also be lucky enough to catch the Moosehide Gathering — an inclusive celebration hosted by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. The event features food, dancing, drumming and much more and takes place in Moosehide Village, a few kilometres from Dawson City.

Try a Sour Toe Cocktail:

Photo c/o Government of Yukon

Participate in the infamous tradition and become part of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. What does it take? You have to visit the Sourdough Saloon at the Downtown Hotel and take a shot with a genuine dehydrated human toe inside.

Visit the National Historic Sites:

Photo by Hans G Pfaff c/o Government of Yukon

Take a walk along the Discovery Trail where the first gold was found in 1896 (known as Discovery Claim) and visit the Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site for an unclose look at the massive machine that was used to dig up the river in search of gold. Located on Claim #17 in the Gold Fields, this floating gold mine stands at 18 metres high and is the largest wooden hull bucket line dredge in North America.

Get a taste of gold rush era entertainment:

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s, stage show. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

Visit Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall for a taste of what Dawson City was like in its heyday. You’ll find casino games, cancan-inspired dancers, gold-rush shows and a friendly atmosphere.

Pan for Gold:

People panning for gold at Free Claim #6. Photo c/o Government of Yukon

Try your own hand at panning for gold the way it was done at the very start. Head into the Gold Fields about 15 minutes outside of Dawson to Free Claim #6 where you can pick your own spot in Bonanza Creek and try to find gold. Although it is free to do so, you must bring your own pans and shovels (which can be rented down the road at Claim 33 or bought in town). The site is owned by the Klondike Visitors Association.

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The Klondike Gold Rush

The melting of the snow was a welcome sight for men who had taken a boat from Seattle, landed in Alaska and were about to cross into Canada via the Chilkoot Pass on April 3, 1898

They were a few of the tens of thousands of men that ventured into the northern country to find their fortune.

Prospectors making the perilous and arduous journey which included surviving a long journey on foot, escaping being robbed or killed, contending the 1.1-kilometre-high route through the Chilkoot Pass and finally 600 kilometres of raging river to get into Dawson City.

As they say, there be gold in them hills… and for those willing to risk it all it was worth it.

Sadly, the men attempting the cross into the goldfields that April their dreams of striking it rich would be buried in snow as an avalanche claimed them.

But others were lucky and for three years between 1896 and 1899 the Klondike region of Yukon became the epicenter of tragedy, and triumphs in the face of adversity.

A place where characters larger than life could thrive.

I’m Craig Baird, this is Canadian History Ehx and today we’re digging for treasure in the Klondike Gold Rush!

Long before humans ever set foot in the Klondike, gold twinkled in the river waters.

The Han and Dene people lived for centuries with it but saw little value in it.

Copper was much more valuable.

It was mine throughout the present-day Yukon and traded with other Indigenous Nations.

When the first Europeans arrived, they were fur traders and explorers from the Hudson’s Bay Company and Russia more concerned with furs than gold.

They ignored the rumours of gold until the late-19 th century when American prospectors began to make their way north from California to the Fraser Valley and finally the Klondike.

The first group arrived in 1870 and for the next 20 years, gold seekers slowly trickled in.

The Klondike, was the best kept secret until routes through the Chilkoot and White Passes, allowed access from the coast to Yukon’s interior.

As prospectors slowly made their north, in 1883, Ed Schieffelin struck gold at Fortymile River, 40 kilometres northwest of present-day Dawson City.

Two years later, gold was found on the Stewart River, 70 kilometres south of Dawson City. Small gold strikes occurred in 1891 and 1892.

Each time gold was discovered, closer and closer to Dawson City.

By 1892, there were 1,600 prospectors in the Yukon River basin, which both the Stewart and Fortymile Rivers flow into.

Among those prospectors were four individuals, panning for gold on Rabbit Creek and they discovered changed Canadian history.

Shaaw Tláa, also known as Kate, was born in the Yukon in 1862.

Her father was the head of the Tlingit crow clan, and her mother was a member of the Tagish wolf clan.

Shaaw Tláa grew up, got married, and a few years later tragedy struck when both her husband and daughter died of influenza.

Now a widow, she met George Carmack, an American, and former Marine that deserted his post in 1882 to care for his sick sister.

Three years later he moved to Alaska to begin trading, fishing, and trapping.

That’s where his path crossed Shaaw Tláa and they entered into a common-law marriage in 1887.

For the next nine years, the couple and her brother Keish, prospected in the Klondike area.

Keish was well-known and was called Skookum Jim by locals, which came from Chinook slang that referred to his strength and reliability in packing goods for expeditions.

George said he was,

“Straight as a gun barrel, powerfully built with strong sloping shoulders, tapering towards to the waist, like a keystone. He was known as the best hunter and trapper on the river.”

Meanwhile George wasn’t as well-liked because other prospectors didn’t want him associating with Indigenous people, or the exaggerated stories of his mining success he often told.

In 1893, the couple had a daughter, Graphie Grace Carmack, and in a few years Kaa Goox, Keish and Shaaw Tláa’s nephew joined the growing prospecting family.

On Aug. 16, 1896, the four were traveling along Rabbit Creek when they stopped to rest.

While sitting and enjoying the warm summer sun, one of them noticed something shiny on the ground.

And soon they noticed it was a small speck amid a bonanza waiting to be claimed/.

Who first found the gold is lost to history.

Evidence points to Keish, or Shaaw Tláa but officially records list George because he filed a claim in his name.

Which makes sense because Keish and Shaaw Tláa were Indigenous, and there was likely a worry that authorities would not recognize their claim.

Regardless, George Carmack measured out four claims, took two for himself, gave one to Keish and one to Kaa.

The next day, Aug. 17, 1896, the claims were officially filed at a police post along Fortymile River.

And the second that happened word spread Within two weeks all of Rabbit Creek, soon to be renamed Bonanza Creek, was claimed by other prospectors and then claims spread to another stream later named Eldorado Creek because of its treasures.

In that small area of the Yukon, the news may have spread quickly, but it reached the outside world at a snail’s pace.

There was no social media to announce the gold strikes back then.

No #KlondikeGold.

Consequently, very few people outside the local prospecting community knew about the gold.

Winter set in, and prospectors hunkered down on their gold claims, mining as much as they could.

As the spring thaw came, new millionaires finally left the Klondike.

And with them news of immeasurable treasures.

Spring broke up the ice and the prospectors left the Yukon with their pockets stuffed with gold.

Most travelled south to the United States on two ships: the Excelsior and the Portland.

On July 14, the Excelsior docked in San Francisco, followed a day later by the Portland which in Seattle.

On board these two ships were 68 men who had spent the winter mining and they carried $1.1 million in gold.

Their arrival sparked a frenzy as news of Klondike gold fields went viral.

Almost immediately, Seattle lost its mayor, W.D. Wood, when he resigned his post and formed a company to transport prospectors to the Klondike.

Men quit their jobs.

Police officers and preachers resigned from their posts.

Business owners closed their establishments and left on the first steamers for the Yukon.

Those who stayed took advantage of the Klondike Fever by offering sales on products for would-be prospectors regardless of those items being helpful in finding gold.

Even children dropped everything to join the rush. At one point, 10 boys were reported missing in one day, only to be found down at the docks waiting for their opportunity to leave the city and find their fortune.

It did not take long for news to spread further out from Seattle and San Francisco.

Across North America newspapers reported millionaires who found their fortunes in the Klondike. 

From the Pacific to the Atlantic, people heard of this mythical place and saw an opportunity to become rich.

Why was the draw so strong?

At the time, North America, especially the United States, was going through an economic recession that began in 1893 and was made worse with the Panic of 1896 caused by a drop in silver reserves and concerns over the gold standard.

The stock market fell to new lows, and millions of people had limited funds and even more limited prospects.

You can’t blame so many people for having gold fever.

Those who wanted to strike it rich, heard the news of the gold fields and the first words out of their mouths was likely “where is the Klondike?”

When they got the chance to look at a map, they would ask “how do we get there?”

They had three main options.

The very expensive dangerous route.

The very long dangerous route.

The very difficult and dangerous route.

On July 19, the first ship left for the Klondike.

Just how would they get to the promised land?

In 1897, the Klondike could only be reached via the Yukon River.

No matter how you made your way north, once you arrived in Alaska you were going on the river at some point.

If you had the money, you would take the All-Water Route from Seattle to t St. Michael, Alaska located along the Yukon River Delta.

Once there you would board a riverboat that took you to Dawson City.

This route was relatively easy, as there was no difficult overland travel.

It was also very expensive.

Tickets for the route, at the start of the Klondike Stampede, were $150, or $4,000 today.

Within a few months, the cost skyrocketed to $1,000, or $27,000 today.

It was easier but not without danger. Winters arrived quickly t and anyone taking this route could find their transportation frozen in ice.

During the first year of the gold rush 1,800 prospectors took this route.

Nearly all of them got stuck on the Yukon River when the ice froze in October.

Only 43 made it out of the area before winter set in.

That was the expensive route.

Next was the very long dangerous route or the All-Canadian Route.

If you are like me and the idea of being on a boat is deeply terrifying, well you could go overland!

Through interior BC, you just needed to go up gorges, through mountains and across swamps.

Of the 1,500 prospectors who made this journey, only a dozen or so actually succeeded.

The other three All-Canadian Routes went through Edmonton, then just a small community along the North Saskatchewan River.

To make this journey you had to travel northeast on foot from Edmonton, across the Peace River and into British Columbia. Then, you journeyed into the Yukon where you could take the Pelly River system to the Yukon River and into Dawson City.

This was marketed as the “Back door to the Yukon” and the inside track to get there before anyone else.

Promoters of this route left out the fact it was a 1,900-kilometre journey on foot that took 18 months to complete.

Of the 1,660 prospectors who took this route, only 685 made it to Dawson City.

If you didn’t want to take the expensive route, or the long route, you could take the most difficult and dangerous route.

The Dyea-Skagway Route.

The most common, most direct, and cheapest option was also the most dangerous.

To take The Dyea-Skagway Route, prospectors booked passage from Seattle on a ship.

At the start of the rush, the cost of a cabin was $40.

That price soon went up to $100 per cabin.

Eventually, steamship companies stopped posting their rates in advance because the price went up daily.

Once passage was booked, the ship traveled up the British Columbia coast to dock at either Dyea or Skagway, Alaska.

Of the two, Skagway was the more common destination to get off the ship and begin the journey into the Klondike…at least at first.

How can I describe Skagway during the Klondike Gold Rush?

To quote Obi-Wan Kenobi, when referring to Mos Eisley spaceport it was a wretched hive of scum and villainy.

John Muir, the famous naturalist, wrote about it as,

“a nest of ants taken into a strange country and stirred up by a stick.”

Crime was rampant and Sir Sam Steele, the famous North-West Mounted Police officer called it little better than a hell on Earth.

The ruler of that Hell was Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith.

Much like the Joker in Gotham

Soapy and his group of criminal misfits ran the show.

They arrived in the community just as it was beginning to expand and his gang of 200 men quickly took control.

The deputy US Marshal was on Soapy’s payroll, which gave him the ability to do what he wanted.

As prospectors stepped off the boat, they were greeted by a member of Soapy’s gang pretending to be clergy, local business owners and newspaper reporters and they offered their help.

New arrivals were steered by Soapy’s men to fake shipping companies, as well as Soapy’s hotels and gambling den.

Then, they were given cheap alcohol and left to gamble their money away or be robbed outright in their rooms.

One of Soapy’s most famous scams involved a telegraph office.

He set up the telegraph office so new arrivals could send messages back home for a small fee.

Everything looked legit, and a wire went from the telegraph to the outside of the building.

And that is where it stopped.

No message ever left Skagway because the telegraph didn’t arrive until 1901.

Soapy ran his little empire out of the Jeff Smith Parlor which was unofficially known as the “real city hall” of Skagway.

Eventually, the people of Skagway got fed up with their mini-dictator, and he was shot in the street on July 8, 1898.

If prospectors survived Soapy’s many schemes with their possessions and wallet still intact, they took the White Pass Trail.

Also known as the Dead Horse Trail because of the number of horses that died along the route.

It began with a gentle slope before it reached the mountains where some paths were only two feet wide, with a sheer drop on one side.

The route was considered so dangerous that in late-1897, it was closed, leaving 5,000 prospectors stuck in Skagway.

If a prospector disembarked from their ship in Dyea, they took the most famous route of all, the Chilkoot Trail.

Prospectors on this journey would pass various camps along the Chilkoot Trail, until they arrived at a flat ledge just before the main ascent up the Chilkoot Pass.

The Chilkoot Pass is the highest point between Dyea, Alaska and Bennett Lake, British Columbia.

For centuries, it was used by the Tlingit people for trade.

During the Klondike Gold Rush, an estimated 22,000 people used the pass to get to Dawson City.

The pass was too steep for pack animals, so prospectors had to haul their goods up the mountain.

Supplies were broken down into manageable packs, and carried up on a journey that could take most of the day.

Then it was back down the mountain to gather supplies as camp before journeying back up the mountain to return for more supplies.

Over and over.

For as many as 20 trips depending on how many supplies a prospector had.

If a prospector had money, they could pay someone one dollar per pound to haul their goods up the mountain. Most of these packers were the local Tagish and Tlingit people.

Tappan Adney, a writer for Harpers Weekly, wrote of the pass,

“There is nothing but the grey wall of rock and earth. But stop. Look more closely. The mountain is alive. There is a continual moving train. They are perceptible only by their movement, just as ants are. They are human beings, but never did men look so small. It is impossible to give one an idea of the slowness with which things are moving. It takes a day to go four or five miles and back. It takes a dollar to do what ten cents would do at home.”

Eventually, capitalism made things easier.

Entrepreneurs carved 1,500 steps into the mountainside that could be used for a small fee.

By December 1897, tramways were built, and goods could be hauled up for eight to 30 cents per pound.

During the winter and early spring, the Chilkoot Pass was especially dangerous.

Melting snow triggered avalanches, including the avalanche on April 3, 1898 I mentioned at the beginning of this episode which killed 65 people.

Duncan Clark, a farm boy from Iowa, saw the avalanches that day and stated,

“It was a horrible sight to see. Big robust men, the very picture of health, dug from the snow, put on a sled, and hauled to the morgue. Forty were dead from the first day, my brother John among the number.”

In February 1898, anyone entering Canada had to have one ton of goods with them, and enough food to survive a winter. This was enforced by the North-West Mounted Police,

The NWMP operated posts at all points of entry into the Yukon, equipped with Maxim guns, they enforced the rules on food supply, checked for illegal weapons, and prevented known criminals from entering.

Once a prospector made the long journey over the pass, they had to tackle the Yukon River.

Like I said earlier you couldn’t escape it and for those on the difficult dangerous route the 600-kilometre journey to Dawson City on the river began at Bennett Lake where prospectors could stop at the Arctic restaurant run by a German American named Friedrich Trump.

Along with his restaurant, he operated a hotel and brothel. He was able to make a small fortune off those waiting to journey down the river.

Later, when the Skagway to Whitehorse Railroad bypassed Bennett Lake, Trump dismantled his restaurant and moved it to Whitehorse where he opened a larger restaurant and hotel.

He continued offering food, drinks, gambling and more.

Eventually he left the Yukon and found his way back to the United States.

And yes, his grandson became President.

While Trump took their money, early prospectors built their own boats to navigate the river.

It didn’t take long for the surrounding area to be cleared. In May 1898 alone, 7,124 boats left Lake Bennett and Lake Lindeman to travel on the Yukon River.

Many of the boats used I wouldn’t trust in a pool let alone on a raging river with plenty of rapids.

After dozens died on the river, the North-West Mounted Police required boats to be inspected and have a licenced pilot.

If the prospectors survived all of those pitfalls… their final destination and the riches that surrounded her awaited.

Dawson City.

Of the 100,000 people who set out to find their fortune, only 30,000 reached her shore.

They could count themselves among the minority because Dawson City was unlike any place they had seen before.

Founded in 1897 by American Joseph Ladue, it was named for the director of Canada’s Geographic Survey, George Mercer Dawson.

In the winter of 1896, 500 people lived in the settlement by the end of 1897, the population was 5,000 and growing.

As the first prospectors arrived in the autumn they found no sewer system, telegraph or running water.

There was no sewer system, so the Yukon River quickly became polluted, leaving only two natural springs as sources of drinking water.

New arrivals who didn’t prospect for gold invested in real estate and quickly made a fortune.

Within months, lots were selling for $10,000 to $20,000 each. It wasn’t unusual for a small log cabin to sell for $100 as a housing crisis became worse each day.

It didn’t take long for some residents to figure out that you could make a fortune off the gold-seekers, instead of mining.

One couple made $30,000 during the winter in Dawson City just selling coffee and pies.

Two entrepreneurs, Edith Van Buren and Mary Hitchcock set up a large white circus tent on one city block.

Inside, prospectors found a bowling alley, soda machine, and a place to relax while being served with fine China and silver.

In the winter of 1897, food supplies were scarce, the simplest meal could cost a small fortune.

Salt was worth its weight in gold, and nails sold for $28 per pound.

A can of butter cost five dollars a tin, and eggs were three dollars each.

Hotels offered a basic meal for one dollar, a square meal for two dollars and a belt buster for three dollars.

If a prospector was looking for a place to stay, most hotels advertised beds for two dollars but if you wanted clean sheets that was extra.

With so many buildings popping up in a short amount of time, building codes were mostly ignored.

The first major fire hit Dawson City on Nov. 25, 1897, when Belle Mitchell, a dance hall girl, accidentally knocked over a lamp and destroyed a building.

Less than a year later, Belle Mitchell threw a lit lamp at another woman.

The lamp broke and the fire spread quickly destroying two saloons, a post office, and the Bank of British North America, causing $500,000 in damages.

The worst fire occurred on April 26, 1899, when a saloon caught fire and spread. The fire brigade was on strike and 117 buildings were destroyed.

Amid the high food prices, lack of accommodation and occasional fires, there was money being thrown around.

Prospectors who struck it rich could drop $1,000 on a dice game or throw $5,000 on a poker bet.

Jimmy McMahon, a wealthy prospector, was rumoured to have spent $28,000 in a single evening in the city.

With so much money flowing saloon owners made small fortunes just sweeping up gold dust off the floor at the end of the evening.

Opera houses were quickly built and singers from across North America were brought in to entertain the newly rich population making Dawson City known as the Paris of the North. Millionaires roamed the streets and the poor who could not catch a break.

It was the largest city north of Seattle and west of Winnipeg. Tappen Adney of Harper’s Weekly described is as quote.

“It is a motley throng. Every degree of person gathered from every corner of the Earth. Australians with upturned sleeves and swagger. Young Englishmen in golf stockings and tweeds. Would be miners in macanaws and rubber boots and women too, everywhere. It is a vast herd. They crowd the boats and fill the streets.”

New arrivals were called Cheechako and after a year they could call themselves a Sourdough.

A Cheechako who didn’t stay long enough to become a Sourdough was 21-year-old Jack London.

He arrived in Dawson City in 1897 after trying and failing as a worker in a cannery, an oyster pirate, a sealer, and a bit of time as a protester for labour rights.

In the Yukon he truly found his path.

During the harsh winter of 1897 he developed scurvy, and it was only through the help of Father William Judge that he survived.

His struggles inspired him to write a short story, titled To Build a Fire, released in 1902.

Seeing others work to make a small living in the Klondike, he focused on being a writer but left the Yukon less than a year later in 1898.

Inspired by his time there, five years later, he wrote what is considered his masterpiece, The Call of the Wild. It is a short adventure novel published in 1903 and set in Yukon, Canada, during the 1890s Klondike Gold Rush, when strong sled dogs were in high demand. In 2020 it became a film starring Harrison Ford. Another notable man was Frank Berton. He arrived as Jack London was leaving in 1898 and initially looked to prospect for gold.

When he saw that most of the good claims were gone, he found work as a teacher and clerk in the gold commissioner office.

In 1907 he met Laura Thompson, the two fell in love and married.

In 1920, their first son, Pierre Berton, was born and he became a Canadian writer, journalist and broadcaster. He also may have inspired a little podcaster named Craig Baird and

You can learn all about his life in an episode from November 2023.

With all of the prospectors which were mostly men arriving on Dawson City shores as you can imagine only 12 per cent of the population were women.

While some worked as miners, others worked packing supplies, as servers, and seamstresses.

But a few made fortunes themselves.

When Belinda Mulrooney arrived in the Klondike in 1897, she brought cloth and hot water bottles…. then sold them s and used the money to buy a roadhouse.

With the profits she made she built a grand hotel and continued to invest money, soon she was the richest woman in the Klondike.

Another notable woman was Martha Black who was abandoned by her husband while pregnant on her way to the Klondike. She continued on the journey.

Upon reaching Dawson, she invested her money in mining and business ventures. She became wealthy and married George Black, an administrator and politician in Yukon.

In 1935, Martha was elected to the House of Commons, becoming the second woman ever elected to Parliament.

Other women made a lot of money as dance hall workers and chorus line dancers and as you can imagine there was a prominent sex industry in Dawson City.

While some sex workers worked out of brothels and saloons, others were independent and worked out of small huts.

Sex work was tolerated, although occasionally brothels received fines that were then given to the local hospital fund.

And Dawson City was one of the safest places in the Canadian North thanks to the arrival of the North-West Mounted Police late in 1897.

A year later there were no murders in the city and only 150 total arrests. Americans out-numbered Canadians five-to-one in Dawson City. At first, they pushed against the rules of the North-West Mounted Police, which included no guns, but in the end, many came to accept the force as a good thing as it kept crime down.

One of those Mounties who prevented the same lawlessness seen at hands of Soapy Smith in Skag from occurring in the Klondike was Sam Steele.

Amid the wild parties at opera houses and saloons, and money being spent like there was no tomorrow, there were also small moments of kindness in Dawson City,

The birth of a child was a rare occurrence and for miners who missed their families, a baby was a cause of celebration.

New mothers could expect to receive food and gold nuggets. One unnamed woman said,

“Even the roughest looking of the miners wanted to hold my baby, to see his toes and to feel his tiny fingers curl in their rough hands.”

Like sands through the hourglass, our lives flow away swiftly and inexorably as time passes…

Nothing lasts forever, and the Klondike Gold Rush was no different.

Those that arrived late were forced to stake claims farther away from the gold fields.

During the height of the Gold Rush in July 1898, 10,000 claims were staked and very few ever produced much more than a couple ounces of gold.

Gold was unevenly distributed in the area, making it hard to predict where good mining sites were located.

One gold claim could be a bonanza of riches, while the one right next to it, only 100 feet away, had nothing.

In 1898, work on the White Pass and Yukon Railway started at Skagway and was completed in 1900, making the trip to the Yukon much easier.

By then, the Gold Rush was on its last legs as Klondikers left Dawson City in droves.

Those who failed to find fortune went to Nome, Alaska after gold was discovered there in September 1898.

In a single week in August 1899, an estimated 5,000 people left from Dawson.

By 1900 the population had fallen from a high of 20,000 in 1898, to 8,000.

The phrase, “ah go to the Klondike!” became a phrase of disgust uttered when you wanted someone to get out of your face.

Of the 100,000 who ventured out for the Klondike, and the 30,000 who made it to Dawson City, only 15,000 became prospectors.

Of those, 4,000 struck gold and only a few hundred, mostly those who staked claims in 1896, became rich.

In all, between 1897 and 1899, $29 million in gold was mined out of the Yukon.

For the Indigenous of the region, the Klondike Gold Rush was devastating.

While some prospered briefly as packers and guides, the environmental damage caused to the rivers and forests was considerable.

After the gold rush had come and gone, fishing and hunting grounds were left destroyed, and by 1904, they needed aid and rations from the North-West Mounted Police to prevent famine.

Some found fortunes in the Klondike while others didn’t know when to quit.

Alex McDonald made a fortune as a prospector, but he didn’t see the writing on the wall as the Klondike Gold Rush petered out. He kept buying up land, and by the end of his life, he was deeply in debt and living in poverty.

Antoine Stander found gold at Eldorado early in the gold rush and became the fourth richest man in the Klondike for a time. He spent most of his fortune on having a good time and by the time he left the Yukon, he was working in a ship’s kitchen.

Gene Allen arrived in the Klondike and started a newspaper in Dawson City. He made a small fortune, then lost all of it and spent the rest of his life working at small newspapers.

Sam Bonnifield was another prospector who made a fortune, then gambled it all away. He eventually had a nervous breakdown and died in poverty.

But what happened to George Carmack and Shaaw Tláa the family that started it all?

They got out early and took their wealth to Modesto, California where they bought a ranch.

Within a year George abandoned Shaaw Tláa and married another woman, Marguerite.

He lived in a 12-room mansion with his new wife and spent his life looking for more gold while living in luxury.

He staked various claims but never found anything to rival the discovery at Bonanza Creek. He died in 1922 in Seattle. Mount Carmack in Alaska is named for him.

Shaaw Tláa tried to get a portion of the money she and George mined together but since she was a common-law wife, she was deemed ineligible to receive anything.

She returned to the Yukon where her brother Keish built her a cabin. She lived there until her death from the Spanish Flu in 1920.

Kiesh built a large house where he lived during the winters. He became known for his generosity, and he used his money to create the Daisy Mason Trust. This allowed for his fortune to be given to his daughter, Daisy, for her education and adult life.

He died on July 11, 1916, from a long illness. In his will, he ensured money was left to several relatives When his daughter died in 1938, as per Keish’s instructions, the remaining money in the trust was used to help the Indigenous Peoples of the Yukon who had suffered during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Eventually, George Carmack, Keish and Shaaw Tláa were inducted into Canada’s Mining Hall of Fame. Keish and George were inducted in the 1990s. Shaaw Tláa was honoured two decades later.

Kaa Goox adopted the name Charles Henderson in 1901 and spent the money he earned from his claim at a very high rate. He died in 1908 when he fell off the White Pass Railway Bridge.

As for Dawson City, it lost most of its population, but it never quite disappeared.

By 1907, many of the buildings were deserted. By 1912, only 2,000 people remained.

In 1972, 500 people were living in the city, but rebounded in the 1970s thanks to tourism. There are now 1,200 people living there.

Tourism and the celebration of the Klondike remain a strong heritage in the city to this day.

Gold mining continues in the region, but nothing to the scale that was once seen. By 2005, it is estimated 1.25 million pounds of gold had been recovered from the Klondike over the past century.

Before I leave you, I want to talk about an amazing woman named Lucille Hunter.

Lucille Hunter was born sometime between 1874 and 1882 in the United States. It is possible that her parents were formerly enslaved individuals.

At some point, she married her husband Charles, and in 1897 they moved to the Klondike by taking the difficult Dead Horse Trail route.

At the time, Lucille was pregnant and gave birth to her daughter Teslin named for Teslin Lake, where she was born.

Instead of staying at the lake for the winter, Lucille, Charles, and Teslin continued by dogsled towards Dawson City.

The couple arrived ahead of many in Dawson City and staked three claims on Bonanza Creek.

To make extra money, they opened a restaurant in the city.

Lucille and Charles never left.

Teslin died in 1925, and Charles died in 1939.

Lucille continued to prospect the gold fields, walking 230 kilometres on foot from Mayo to Dawson City to check her claims through the years.

In 1942, she became blind and moved to Whitehorse to open a laundry business.

Her only relative at this time was her grandson, Carl Leo “Buster” Sorenson.

He made the deliveries for the laundry business.

Her home was destroyed by fire years later and that’s when she moved to a basement apartment until she broke her hip and moved toa hospital in Whitehorse, where she died on June 10, 1972, at the age of between 90 to 98.

Before she died, the Yukon Order of Pioneers gave her an honorary membership. She was the first woman given the honour and was buried in the Yukon Order of Pioneers section of the Yukon Grey Mountain Cemetery in Whitehorse.

Information comes from Wikipedia, Canadian Encyclopedia, DawsonCity.ca, CanadaHistoryProject.ca, Pier 21, CBC.ca, Gold Fields of The Yukon And How to Get There, Pat Burns Cattle King, History.com,

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Mysteries of Canada

Canada History and Mysteries

Klondike Gold Rush- Part 5: Dawson Trails

Yukon / March 23, 2016 by Hammerson Peters / Leave a Comment

Back to The Klondike Gold Rush.

In the summer of 1897, the steamboats Excelsior and Portland arrived in San Francisco and Seattle, respectively, bringing news of the Klondike Gold Rush to the Outside world. The news spread like wildfire throughout the west coast. Almost immediately, thousands of would-be prospectors from all walks of life quit their jobs, outfitted themselves with provisions and equipment, and purchased steamship tickets north, bound for Dawson City. This mass exodus was known as the Klondike Stampede.

The Dawson Trails

Participants in the Stampede of 1897/98 were known as Stampeders. Throughout the autumn of 1897 and the winter of ’97/’98, Stampeders converged on Dawson City, a boomtown situated at the mouth of the Klondike River, from many different directions. The routes these men and women took on their ways to the Klondike are sometimes referred to as the Dawson Trails.

The Bennett-Dawson Trail

Perhaps the most famous of all the Dawson Trails is the route known as the Bennett-Dawson Trail. Stampeders reached this trail by taking steamboats north up the coast of British Columbia, up the Alaskan Panhandle, and up the Lynn Canal, an inlet which penetrates the Alaskan mainland about 540 km southeast of the Klondike goldfields. At the end of Lynn Canal, Stampeders would either disembark at Skagway or Dyea, two boomtown port towns separated by a distance of about 5 km.

Prospectors who landed at Skagway took the White Pass over the Coast Mountains, the range which separates the west coast from the interior. The White Pass was so rough on pack horses that it came to be known as the Dead Horse Trail. Stampeders who disembarked at Dyea, however, took the Chilkoot Pass over the mountains. The Chilkoot Pass was an ancient route that had long since been used by Tlingit traders, who annually crossed over to the interior to trade with the Tagish of the western interior. Both the White and Chilkoot Passes ultimately led to the same location: Lake Bennett. The route from Bennett to the Klondike is known as the Bennett-Dawson Trail.

Throughout the fall and winter of 1897, thousands of prospectors set up camp on the shores of Lake Bennett. The temporary settlement that emerged was the greatest tent city in the world. In order to proceed down the Bennett-Dawson Trail, the Stampeders would have to build boats. And so, in the fall and winter of 1897, thousands of men set about constructing watercraft from the surrounding spruce trees.

First, the Stampeders would fell the trees with axes. After that, they would cut the branches and strip the bark from the main trunk. Then, in order to rip the green wood into usable planks, two men would have to saw down the grain using a massive two-man whipsaw. This process was both physically exhausting and extremely frustrating, as it required an immaculate degree of cooperation in order to run smoothly.  Many partners who had weathered the nightmarish steamboat ride north and had conquered the grueling mountain passes together became bitter enemies  in the sawpits of Lake Bennett. Fortunately, even the most heated of disputes were resolved by Mountie Sam Steele, who ruled over the tent town with an iron fist.

The North West Mounted Police, under the leadership of Sam Steele, inspected each and every boat that winter. If they concluded that the boat was safe and sound, they painted a serial number on its bow, indicating that the watercraft was ready for the rapids of the Yukon River. If they decided that the boat was unfit for river conditions, however, the Mounties gave the unfortunate Stampeders advice on how to improve their craft’s construction.

When spring came and the river ice melted, a ragtag fleet of more than 7,000 boats set off across Lake Bennett. The Stampeders rowed or poled their way to Caribou Crossing, a traditional Tagish/Tlingit fishing and hunting village situated at the northeast corner of Lake Bennett, at the site of present-day Carcross, YT.  From there, they disembarked and portaged the short distance east to the adjacent Tagish Lake.

The Stampeders paddled up Tagish Lake and into Marsh Lake, which was connected to the former by a natural canal. At the end of Marsh Lake, the Stampeders entered the Yukon River.

The first obstacles that Stampeders had to overcome on the Yukon River were the Miles Canyon and White Horse Rapids. The first set of rapids, the Miles Canyon Rapids, was a labyrinth of whirlpools and jutting rocks, lined by sheer hundred-foot walls of volcanic rock. Many considered it a warm-up for the treacherous White Horse Rapids beyond. The White Horse Rapids, located at the site of the present day capital of the Yukon (Whitehorse, YT) were so named because their frothy current resembled the mane of a galloping white horse. The North West Mounted Police considered the rapids so dangerous that they only allowed boats to travel down them if they were captained by competent pilots. They also prohibited women and children from hazarding the rapids, and required them to make the journey along the shores of that dangerous stretch of the river on foot. Due in part to the Mounties’ stipulations, only ten men, out of the thousands who traversed it, died in the rapids.

After conquering the Miles Canyon and White Horse Rapids, Stampeders continued down the Yukon River into Lake Laberge. Years later, Lake Laberge would feature in Jack London’s novel, “The Call of the Wild,” and Robert Service’s poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”  The prospectors took their boats over Lake Lebarge and into the Yukon River on the other side. They continued down the river for some time. Eventually, they came to the site of an abandoned cabin, trading post, and coal mine once occupied by George Carmack, one of the men to first discover gold in the Klondike. These log buildings were roughly located on the site of what is now Carmacks, YT. Carmack’s abandoned settlement served as a herald for the Five Finger Rapids beyond, the last major obstacle of the Bennett-Dawson Trail.

The Five Finger Rapids earned their name from the four rocky islands in their middle, which divide the river into five watery fingers stretching towards the Klondike. Of the five fingers, only the one on the far right, the easternmost finger, was navigable. Although the Five Finger Rapids looked formidable, they proved to be the easiest of the three rapids on the Yukon River. Like Lake Lebarge, these rapids also feature prominently in Klondike literature.

Some distance beyond the Five Finger Rapids, the Stampeders came to Fort Selkirk, an old Hudson’s Bay Company trading post which had, in 1852, been razed by Tlingit warriors. Beyond Fort Selkirk was the ghost town of Ogilvie, a relic of the short-lived Sixtymile Gold Rush named after William Ogilvie, the Dominion of Canada’s Yukon representative. And downriver from Ogilivie, at the mouth of the Klondike River, was the Stampeders’ final destination: Dawson City and the Klondike goldfields beyond.

The St. Michael Trail

Another of the routes to Dawson and the Klondike was the St. Michael Trail. Also known as the ‘Rich Man’s Route’, this path was one used by some of the more affluent Stampeders. Like the Bennett-Dawson Trail, the St. Michael Trail began as a steamship voyage north up the Pacific northwest. However, instead of travelling up Lynn Canal, Stampeders who took this route traveled by steamboat all the way north to Unalaska, at the head of the Aleutian Islands. Then they traveled further north to St. Michael, Alaska, at the mouth of the Klondike River. Upon reaching St. Michael, Stampeders continued by steamer up the Yukon River. After stopping for fuel at the dying boomtown of Circle City, Alaska, the prospectors crossed into Canada and reached Dawson City.

In theory, a Stampeder could travel this route entirely by steamboat without hiking an inch of trail. However, in reality, many a steamship en route to the Klondike on the St. Michael Trail became trapped mid river in the fall, when the river froze. Many Stampeders who were trapped in this way continued up the frozen Yukon River to the Klondike on dogsled. Others traveled by foot to Circle City, where they stayed the winter.

All-American Routes

A number of American Stampeders who wished to avoid paying duty on their outfits upon crossing into Canada elected to take one of three so-called ‘All American Routes’ to the Klondike. Most of these All-American Routes began at one of three points on the Bay of-Alaska: 1) the head of Cook Inlet (at present-day Anchorage, Alaska); 2) Prince William Sound, at the base of the Valdez Glacier; 3) Yakutat Bay, at the base of the Malaspina Glacier.

The Cook Inlet Route, the westernmost of the All-American Routes, began at the head of Cook Inlet, at the mouth of the Matanuska Valley and the site of present-day Anchorage, Alaska. The trail led up the Matanuska Valley and over the Coast Mountains to the Tanana River. From there, Stampeders traveled down the Tanana to the Yukon River, then up the Yukon River to Dawson and the Klondike goldfields.

One of the men to take this route was an American soldier, Liutenant J.C. Castner of the 4th Infantry, who led a military detachment from the Pacific coast to the Tanana River. Castner wrote, “my men often said it would be impossible to make others understand what we suffered those days. No tongue or pen could do the case justice.”

Prince William Sound

In the fall and winter of 1878/79, about 3,500 Stampeders disembarked at the Prince William Sound at the site of present-day Port Valdez, Alaska, bound for the Klondike. Before them was the massive Valdez Glacier. Prospective prospectors who chose this route had to haul their supplies over 300 yards of sand and six miles of snow to reach the base of the glacier. Then, they ascended the icy monolith, hoisting their sleds up with pulleys.

Upon reaching the windy, frozen summit of the Valdez Glacier, Stampeders made their slow and painful way over the ice field, picking their way through a minefield of deadly crevasses. They did most of their travelling at night, when the ice was solid enough to bear their weight. In the day, when they weren’t trying to sleep, the sun reflected off the snow and ice, causing many prospectors to go snow blind. Due to the glacier conditions, Stampeders were unable to thoroughly cook their food, and many survived their journey over the Valdez Glacier by subsisting on half-frozen, half-cooked meals. Others suffered from malnutrition and developed scurvy. Some died. In these harsh conditions, many prospecting parties split up.

The Valdez Glacier, despite bitterly cold temperatures, was much easier to travel over during the winter months. In the spring, the glacier began to melt, resulting in countless avalanches which buried many a Stampeder. In the summer, the glacier was all but impassable, and prospectors unlucky enough to be caught on it at that time found themselves trapped, unable to travel ahead or turn back. To make matters worse, the warm coastal wind mixed with the ice of the glacier to produce an unearthly fog which enshrouded the trapped Stampeders.

Those prospectors who managed to make it over the ice field and over the other side into the interior were faced with another obstacle: the Klutina River. A significant stretch of the Klutina was comprised of dangerous rapids, and nearly one man in four who attempted to navigate it lost his boat and his outfit.

Those who managed to survive the Klutina River drifted downriver into the Copper River, the realm of the warlike Ahtna Indians who had fiercely resisted Russian occupation throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Some Stampeders chose to stay and prospect on the Copper. Others traveled inland upriver, and then made the portage journey overland to the Tanana River. From there, they traveled down to the Yukon River, then upriver to Dawson City.

One of the stranger stories to come out of the Prince William Sound All-American Route is the tale of the Sasquatch -like Valdez Glacier demon. In the winter of 1898/99, a Second US Infantry captain named W.R. Abercrombie was stationed at Prince William Sound with the order to explore the Copper River area and report to the War Department with his findings. That winter, Abercrombie came across a Stampeders suffering from snow-blindness, scurvy, and frostbite. Abercrombie wrote in his journal:

I noticed in talking to these people that over seventy per cent of them were more or less mentally deranged. My attention was first directed to this fact by their reference to a “glacial demon”. One big, rawboned Swede, in particular, described to me how this demon had strangled his son on the glacier, his story being that he had just started from Twelve-Mile Plant (a small collection of huts just across the Coast Range of Mountains from Valdez) with his son to go to the coast in company with some other prospectors. When halfway up the summit of the glacier, his son, who was ahead of him hauling a sled, while he was behind pushing, called to him, saying that the demon had attacked him and had his arms around his neck. The father ran to the son’s assistance, but as he described it, his son being very strong, soon drove the demon away and they passed on their way up toward the summit of Valdez Glacier. The weather was very cold and the wind blowing very hard, so that it made traveling very difficult in passing over the ice between the huge crevasses through which it was necessary to pick their way to gain the summit. While in the thickest of these crevasses, the demon again appeared. He was said to be a small, heavy-built man and very active. He again sprang on the son’s shoulders, this time with such a grasp that, although the father did all he could to release him, the demon finally strangled the son to death. The old man then put the son on a sled and brought him down to Twelve-Mile camp, where the other prospectors helped bury him.

During the recital of this tale the old man’s eyes would blaze and he would go through all the actions to illustrate just how he fought off this imaginary demon. When I heard this story there were ten or twelve other men in the cabin and at that time it would not have been safe to dispute the theory of the existence of this demon on the Valdez Glacier, as every man there firmly believed it to be a reality.

Yakutat Bay

The Yakutat Bay All-American Route began on the Yakutat Bay, at the base of the Malaspina Glacier near the southern border of the Yukon. Of all the All-American Routes, this one was the most perilous and the least traveled. In theory, this route led across the Malaspina Glacier, overland to the Tanana River, down the Tanana and up the Yukon to the Klondike. Few men were able to survive this route. Fewer still were able to use it to reach the Klondike goldfields.

One of the best records of this route was set down by Arthur Arnold Dietz, a New Yorker. Dietz, the leader among a nineteen-man prospecting party, arrived at Yakutat Bay in April, 1898.

Slowly, Dietz’ team made their way over the ocean of ice that was the Malaspina Glacier. They were constantly beset by howling, icy winds which were so loud that they effectively prevented the party from engaging in any kind of conversation. According to Dietz, for three months the team “resembled a party of deaf mutes.” They battled snow-blindness and malnutrition, which drove several members of the party to insanity. Like the Valdez Glacier, the vast Malaspina was pocked with deep, deadly crevasses, and several team members- dogs, sleds, and all- disappeared into these seemingly bottomless chasms.

When the party finally reached the end of the Malaspina and entered the taiga forest on the other side, they were a fraction of their initial number. The haggard Stampeders pushed on overland through the forest towards the Tanana. In September, the prospectors stopped to build log cabins in which they hoped to weather the sub-arctic winter. During that winter, one of their members died of fever. Three more decided to brave the winter conditions and push on towards the Tanana by themselves. They were never seen again.

When spring came, the remaining Stampeders sunk a shaft to bedrock right there, on the shores of the Tanana River. When they found nothing but dirt, three of them decided to turn around and go prospecting at the base of the mountains. There, they were buried in an avalanche.

The remaining prospectors decided to travel down the Tanana River on foot. One the way, one of them died of scurvy. Delirious, the Stampeders ended up turned around and traveled back the way they had come. When they arrived at the Malaspina Glacier, they decided to traverse it again.

On the glacier, one of the prospectors died from a horrific case of frostbite. The rest of the party ran out of food. In order to survive, they slaughtered their sled dogs and ate the meat raw.

Finally, seven survivors reached the end of the Malaspina Glacier and came to the edge of the Pacific Ocean. There on the beach they rolled up into their sleeping bags. When they were discovered by American sailors, only four of them were still alive. Of the four survivors, two had become near-sighted, while the other two were completely blind due to the effects of the glare on the Malspina.

All-Canadian Routes

Like their American counterparts who took the All-American Routes to the Klondike in the hopes of avoiding Canadian customs officers, a number of Canadian Stampeders decided to take all-Canadian trails to Dawson in order to avoid American customs officers at Skagway and Dyea. These All-Canadian Routes included: 1) the Ashcroft Trail, which ran through the interior of British Columbia; 2) the Stikine Trail;

Ashcroft Trail

The Ashcroft Trail began at the town of Ashcroft, a small BC town that could be reached from Vancouver by way of the Thompson River. The trail passed through the Fraser Valley and Cariboo Country, the sites of two bygone Canadian gold rushes. From there, it followed slash line of the Collins Overland Telegraph. The Collins Overland Telegraph was a 3 million dollar project which involved linking linking San Francisco, USA, with Moscow, Russia, by way of an enormous telegraph line stretching over the Bering Sea. Although the project had been abandoned in 1867, a slash line through the forest extended from Ashcroft to Teslin Lake, located on what is now the BC/Yukon border. Teslin Lake was also the headwaters of the Yukon River, and Stampeders who made it there could travel down the river by boat to Dawson.

At least 1,500 Stampeders attempted to reach Dawson by way of the Ashcroft Trail. Only a handful of them arrived at their destination. The southern stretch of the trail passed through the dark, misty jungle of what is now the Great Bear Rainforest. The northern stretch of the trail was a swampy nightmare. It was almost completely bereft of horse fodder, and many horses died from starvation, or from eating poisonous weeds. The trail was home to massive swarms of mosquitoes and huge black flies which hounded the Stampeders and their mounts at every turn. All along the route, Stampeders carved messages of despair into tree trunks. One message read:

There is a land of pure delight

Where grass grows belly-high;

Where horses don’t sink out of sight;

We’ll reach it by and by.

Another said:

This is the grave the poor man fills,

After he died from fever and chills,

Caught while tramping the Stikine Hills,

Leaving his wife to pay the bills….

For some, the trail proved to be too much. One man hanged himself from the cross-tree of his tent, leaving behind the message:  “Bury me here, where I failed.”

Stikine Trail

Another of the All-Canadian Routes was the Stikine Trail. The first leg of this journey was a steamboat ride up the west coast to the mouth of the Stikine River, in northern British Columbia. It followed the Stikine River to the town of Glenora, the site of an old Hudson’s Bay Company fort which developed into a town during the Cassiar Gold Rush. From there, it joined the Ashcroft Trail.

Edmonton Trail

Another All-Canadian Route to Dawson and the Klondike was the Edmonton Trail. As its name suggests, this trail began at Edmonton, Alberta. Its name also suggests one well-travelled route from Edmonton to Dawson. In fact, there were many routes, and all of them were terrible.

Most of these routes led northwest to the Peace River Country. Some of them went by way of the Athabasca River, down the Lesser Slave rivers, and over Lesser Slave Lake. Other trails took Stampeders overland, through Fort Assiniboine. Others still took Stampeders further west, from Lac St. Anne to Whitecourt to Grande Prairie to Fort St. John, BC.

By the time they arrived at the Peace River, most Stampeders were disheartened and decided to turn back. The few that pushed forward blazed their own trails.

The prospectors who had traveled to traveled to Fort St. John traveled up the Peace River into Stikine Country. From there, they portaged west to the Dease River, traveled downriver to Fort Liard, an ancient North West Company – turned HBC post. From there, Stampeders traveled down the perilous Liard River, with its Rapids of the Drowned, to the Pelly, down the Pelly River to the Yukon, and down the Yukon to Dawson.

Other Stampeders traveled down the Peace River to Lake Athabasca, down the Slave River to Great Slave Lake, and across the massive lake to the Mackenzie River. From there, they journey down the Mackenzie to the Liard River, where their trail joined that of those who had traveled by way of Fort St. John.

Many more Stampeders who reached the Peace River portaged overland to the Fort Nelson River to the northwest. They traveled down the river, past Fort Nelson, to the Liard River, where their trail joined up with that of the other Edmonton Trail Stampeders. From there, they journeyed downriver to the Pelly, down the Pelly to the Yukon, and down the Yukon to Dawson City and the Klondike goldfields.

By Hammerson Peters

Back to The Klondike Gold Rush- Part 4: The Stampede

Forward to The Klondike Gold Rush- Part 6: Dawson City

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The Klondike Highway is 715 km/445 mile highway that connects Skagway Alaska to Whitehorse and Dawson City Yukon , the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898.

Beginning in Skagway, the South Klondike Highway climbs steeply for 22 km/14 miles to the 3,292 foot/1003 m summit of the White Pass near the Alaska/Canada border.

It is 174 km/108 miles from Skagway to Whitehorse, and a further 541 km/336 miles from Whitehorse to Dawson City.

Klondike Highway Map

The Klondike Highway roughly parallels the route taken by the prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. It was a grueling journey from Skagway over the Chilkoot Pass or the White Pass to Carcross. From there, prospectors continued by boat or raft along the Yukon River, through Whitehorse to Dawson City.

The last section of the Klondike Highway was built from Skagway to Carcross in 1978 and is known as the South Klondike Highway. As the highway winds out of Skagway towards Whitehorse you will encounter beautiful lakes and rivers including the stunning Emerald Lake at km 117 (57 km south of Whitehorse). The South Klondike Highway is part of the Golden Circle Route, a journey that travels from Whitehorse to Skagway , Haines and Haines Junction . Continue on the Ferry from Haines to Juneau and include Alaska’s beautiful capital city on your journey.

In 1986 the highway became important as a commercial trucking route, with the abandonment of the White Pass Railroad from Carcross to Whitehorse.

Klondike Highway Highlights

White pass & yukon railway.

The White Pass & Yukon Railway in Skagway is one of the most popular attractions in Alaska. Board this historic train and enjoy the journey into the past. The train follows the route that the gold seekers took from Skagway to Carcross, Yukon. Learn more…

Fjord Express   to Juneau  

Experience the best of Alaska’s Inside Passage in just one day from Skagway or Haines. This spectacular day cruise to Juneau and back includes whale watching, cascading waterfalls, Lynn Canal, a Juneau City Tour and Eldred Rock Lighthouse. Cruise aboard the Fjordland, a state of the art, high speed catamaran. Learn more…

For a complete list of Things to do in Alaska and the Yukon, visit our Things To Do section .

The only population center between Skagway and Whitehorse is the community of Carcross .

There are several small communities between Whitehorse and Dawson City, including:

• Pelly Crossing, and
• Stewart Crossing.

Braeburn Lodge

at km 280. Don’t miss this favorite stop on the way to Dawson City. It is home to world famous cinnamon buns, monster sandwiches, great fishing and souvenirs. 89 km from the Alaska Highway junction. Gas & Diesel available. 867-456-2867

Carmacks is at the junction of the Klondike Highway and the Robert Campbell Highway, which leads to Faro and Watson Lake . In 1893 George Carmack, who would later discover gold in Dawson, found coal near Five Finger Rapids and went about developing a coal mine.

Carmack built a cabin, which became a trading post and the community of Carmacks was born. It wasn’t long before it became an important riverboat stop between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

The settlement continued to grow when the Overland Trail was routed through Carmacks in 1901. In 1955 a branch road was completed from Carmacks to Dawson. This ended Sternwheeler traffic and resulted in the demise of many small river communities, however, Carmacks was one of the few to survive.

To determine when you should plan your trip to the Yukon and Alaska, visit our page on the best time to visit Alaska .

Finally, many visitors to the Yukon and Alaska want to experience the Northern Lights, so we’ve put together  a page of detailed information on how and when to see the Northern Lights.

Dawson City, is the heart of the world-famous Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. As many as 60,000 annual visitors come to Dawson, some looking for gold, others to explore it’s rich history. Discover more of Dawson City.

Bonanza Gold RV Park

One mile from Dawson’s city center on the Klondike Highway. Kitchenette, Queen & Double rooms. All rooms have a free Wi-Fi, mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker and air conditioners or fans.

Raven’s Nook 

Specializing in unique souvenirs, T-shirts, and sportswear, men’s and ladies fashions and a great selection of footwear make this Dawson City’s mini-Department Store.

Klondike Highway FAQS

Is the klondike highway paved.

Yes, the entire length of the Klondike Highway is paved, from Skagway to Dawson City. However, there are sections of gravel due to construction between Stewart Crossing and Dawson City.

Can you drive from Skagway to the Yukon?

Yes, you can drive from Skagway to the Yukon on the South Klondike Highway. The South Klondike Highway is the section of the Klondike Highway from Skagway to the Alaska Highway (16 km south of Whitehorse). The North Klondike Highway starts 12 km north of Whitehorse and is 524 km to Dawson City, in the Yukon.

How long is the Klondike Highway?

The Klondike Highway is 715 km from Skagway to Dawson City.

The South Klondike Highway is 158 km from Skagway to the Alaska Highway.

The North Klondike Highway is 524 Km from The Alaska Highway to Dawson City.

There is also a 33 km section between the South and North Klondike Highway that is actually on the Alaska Highway .

How far is Dawson City from Skagway?

Dawson City is 715 km North of Skagway.

Klondike Highway Maps

The two Klondike Highway Maps below, show the highway divided into two sections. The first section shows from Skagway to Carmacks.  The second map shows from Carmacks to Dawson City.

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Skagway: gateway to the klondike (teaching with historic places).

This lesson is part of the National Park Service’s Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) program. Majestic mountains rise abruptly on either side of Skagway, a town situated in a narrow glaciated valley at the head of the Taiya Inlet in Alaska. Positioned along one of the main transportation corridors leading to Canada's interior, Skagway was established as a result of a gold strike in the Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory. Beginning in the summer of 1897, thousands of hopeful stampeders poured in to the new town and prepared for the arduous 500-mile journey to the gold fields. Realizing the grueling challenges that lay ahead on the route and the economic potential of supplying goods and services to other stampeders, some chose to remain in Skagway and establish a permanent community. Although it lasted but a brief period, and few obtained the wealth they dreamed of, the Klondike Gold Rush left a lasting mark on the Alaskan and Canadian landscapes. Today, Skagway's "boomtown" era remains alive in the many turn-of-the-century buildings that survive. The city now hosts half a million tourists annually and has a year-round population of approximately 800.

About This Lesson

The lesson is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file, " Skagway and White Pass District " (with photographs ), and other materials about the town and the Klondike Gold Rush. It was written by Ardyce Czuchna-Curl, a former park ranger at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. TwHP is sponsored, in part, by the Cultural Resources Training Initiative and Parks as Classrooms programs of the National Park Service. This lesson is one in a series that brings the important stories of historic places into the classrooms across the country.

Where it fits into the curriculum

Topics: This lesson will help students understand the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on the development of Skagway, Alaska. It can be used in units on western expansion, late 19th and early 20th-century commerce, and urban history. Time period: Late 19th to early 20th century

United States History Standards for Grades 5-12

Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike relates to the following National Standards for History:

Era 6: The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900)

Standard 1B- The student understands the rapid growth of cities and how urban life changed.

Standard 1C- The student understands how agriculture, mining, and ranching were transformed.

Curriculum Standards for Social Studies

National Council for the Social Studies

Skagway: Gateway to the Klondike relates to the following Social Studies Standards :

Theme III: People, Places, and Environment

Standard G - The student describes how people create places that reflect cultural values and ideals as they build neighborhoods, parks, shopping centers, and the like.

Standard I - The student describes ways that historical events have been influenced by, and have influenced, physical and human geographic factors in local, regional, national, and global settings.

Theme VII: Production, Distribution, and Consumption

Standard B - The student describes the role that supply and demand, price incentives, and profits play in determining what is produced and distributed in a competitive market system.

Objectives for students

1) To explain the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on Skagway, Alaska. 2) To trace the development of Skagway from a homestead, to a gold rush boomtown, to a permanent city. 3) To describe some of the buildings in Skagway and explain what they can tell us about the people and the city. 4) To examine local buildings that help tell the story of their community's development.

Materials for students

The materials listed below either can be used directly on the computer or can be printed out, photocopied, and distributed to students. The maps and images appear twice: in a low-resolution version with associated questions and alone in a larger, high-resolution version. 1) two maps of the routes to the Klondike gold fields, and Chilkoot and White Pass Trails; 2) three readinsg to understand the impact of the Klondike Gold Rush on Skagway, Alaska and how buildings can help reveal the stories of a community's past; 3) a drawing of the historic development of William Moore Cabin and Ben Moore House; 4) six photos of Skagway, Alaska and its historic buildings.

Visiting the site

Skagway is located approximately 100 miles north of Juneau, Alaska, at the northern tip of the Inside Passage in Southeastern Alaska. The Skagway Historic District, Dyea and Chilkoot Trail, White Pass Trail, and the Pioneer Square Historic District in downtown Seattle, Washington, make up Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. The Skagway unit Visitor Center is open - June, July, August: 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily , May - September: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Winter: variable open hours. The administration building is open Monday through Friday throughout the year. The Trail Center is open 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily, mid-May to September. For more information write to the Superintendent, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, P.O. Box 517, Skagway, Alaska, 99840 or visit the park's Web pages .

Getting Started

Inquiry question.

Setting the Stage

In August 1896, prospectors George Washington Carmack, Skookum Jim, and Dawson Charley discovered gold on Rabbit Creek (renamed Bonanza Creek) in the remote Klondike region of Canada's Yukon Territory. News of the Klondike discovery spread slowly over the next year until miners began to return with their fortunes. In July 1897, the S.S. Portland arrived in Seattle, Washington, with more than a ton of Klondike gold on board. This event touched off the great Klondike Gold Rush as thousands of people who dreamed of becoming wealthy began booking passage on steamers heading north from Seattle and other West Coast ports. Upon arriving at the northern end of the Inside Passage, however, these adventure-bound stampeders found no easy route leading to the still distant Klondike region. The most direct route involved climbing over either the White Pass Trail from Skagway, Alaska, or the Chilkoot Pass Trail from Dyea (pronounced Die-ee) to Bennett Lake, the headwaters of the Yukon River. Stampeders then had to build a boat to navigate 500 miles down the Yukon River. Their final destination was Dawson City, a town that developed near the gold fields. Between 1897 and 1900 more than 100,000 people, from many nations and from all walks of life, set out on the arduous journey to the Klondike. No more than 40,000 actually reached Dawson City, however, and only a few obtained the wealth that they dreamed of along the route.

Locating the Site Map 1: Routes from Seattle to the Klondike gold fields.

Questions for Map 1 1. Identify the boundaries of the United States and Canada. 2. Locate Seattle, Skagway, Dyea, and Dawson City. What role did each city play in the Klondike Gold Rush? 3. Trace the "poor man's route" and the "rich man's route" to the gold fields near Dawson City. How long was each route? Why do you think the "poor man's route" was the most used? What might have been the advantage of taking the more expensive and longer "rich man's route?"

Locating the Site

Map 2: chilkoot and white pass trails..

The Chilkoot Trail, stretching from Dyea to Bennett Lake, had been used by the Tlingit Indians as a trade route for hundreds of years before the Klondike Gold Rush. The White Pass Trail was a newer route that stretched from Skagway to Bennett Lake. Once stampeders arrived at Bennett Lake they had to buy or build a boat to navigate down the Yukon River. When the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad was completed in 1900, it was no longer necessary to use these treacherous trails. (The railroad route shown on the map generally follows the White Pass Trail.) Travel through the region by car became possible in 1978 with the completion of the Klondike Highway. Questions for Map 2 1. Find the approximate locations of the two trails on Map 1. 2. Trace the routes of the Chilkoot Trail and White Pass Trail and use the scale to determine the approximate length of each. 3. According to the map, what natural features did stampeders encounter on each route? 4. Trace the railroad route from Skagway to Bennett Lake. Why would it have been difficult to build this railroad line?

Determining the Facts Reading 1: Gold is Discovered in the Klondike

William Moore, a former steamboat captain who lived more than 500 miles from the site of the gold strike in Canada's Yukon Territory, had long believed that gold lay in the Klondike because it had been found in similar mountain ranges in South America, Mexico, California, and British Columbia. He was so certain, in fact, that in 1887, he and his adult son Ben claimed a 160-acre homestead at the mouth of the Skagway River in Alaska. Moore settled in this area because he believed it provided the most direct route to the Yukon Territory and, therefore, to potential gold fields. He and his son built a log cabin, a sawmill, and a wharf in anticipation of future gold prospectors passing through on their way to the Klondike. Although he was not interested in mining himself, Moore hoped to profit from the business gold prospectors or "stampeders" would bring as they passed through his property. Moore was well acquainted with the north country. As a member of an 1887 boundary survey expedition he had made the first recorded investigation of a pass over the Coast Mountains which later became known as White Pass. White Pass appeared to be a possible route for a wagon road across the mountains and into the interior of northern Canada. Although the nearby Chilkoot Pass had been an established trade route used by the Tlingit Indians for hundreds of years, the terrain was too steep for a wagon road. The 2,900-foot White Pass summit was several hundred feet lower than that of Chilkoot Pass. By the time gold was discovered in the Klondike in 1896, Moore had applied to the United States and British Columbia governments for permits to build a wagon road over the White Pass summit. He envisioned a town developing in the valley and expected to earn money selling lumber and charging fees to use his wharf and wagon road. The trickle of miners who had previously used the White Pass and Chilkoot Pass Trails became a torrent when news of the Klondike discovery reached areas outside of Alaska and northern Canada in July 1897. Stampeders had to pass through the Moores' property to reach the White Pass Trail. To get to the Chilkoot Trail they had to pass through the new town of Dyea (pronounced Die-ee), located a few miles west. The first swarm of stampeders who chose to attempt the White Pass Trail arrived at the Moores' homestead in late July and early August 1897. Here they hastily set up tents and prepared for the next leg of their long journey. Frustrated by reported conditions on the poorly marked and narrow White Pass Trail, some stampeders decided to remain in the Skagway River valley. The Moores had no choice but to let them plat a town site over their homestead. Ignoring the Moores' claim to the property, self-appointed town government officials forced the family onto a five-acre tract and established the town of Skagway. The stampeders who continued to pour into the newly-created Alaskan tent city of Skagway found the conditions primitive. Tents lined the muddy streets, while horse manure and sewage filled the alleys. Lack of government protection led to widespread crime. By September 1897 conditions on the treacherous White Pass Trail had deteriorated to such a degree that it was virtually impassable. Of the estimated 5,000 stampeders who started over this trail in 1897, only about 10 percent made it through successfully.¹ One gold rush participant claimed that "men are quitting the struggle every day and as we go along we see strong men coming back with tears running down their cheeks, completely broken down, and the stream of humanity passes on, paying no heed to their sufferings."² On the trail stampeders faced disease, malnutrition, and death due to murder, suicide, avalanches, and hypothermia. To make matters worse, the trail had become littered with the corpses of several thousand horses that had broken their legs or strained themselves hauling the stampeders' supplies through knee-deep rocks and mud. The trail soon earned the grim title "Dead Horse Trail." During this period most stampeders used the steeper but shorter Chilkoot Pass Trail from Dyea. Conditions along the White Pass Trail did not improve until the ground froze in late fall. During the first year of the Klondike Gold Rush stampeders spent an average of three months transporting their supplies or "outfits" up the trails and over the passes to Bennett Lake. Both the White Pass and Chilkoot Pass Trails were less than 40 miles long, but stampeders could only haul a portion of their tremendously heavy supplies at one time. They covered hundreds of miles as they moved some supplies a short distance and then retraced their steps for the next load. Those that made it to Bennett Lake at the headwaters of the Yukon River still had to travel more than 500 miles by boat to reach Dawson City. The length of the journey to the gold fields and the desolate conditions along the way led the Canadian North-West Mounted Police to issue an order in February 1898 requiring stampeders to have a year's supply of food and equipment in order to enter Canada. They enforced this order at border crossings. Between 1897 and 1900 more than 100,000 people set out for the Klondike. However, no more than 40,000 actually reached Dawson City. Realizing the time, money, energy, and endurance necessary just to get to the gold fields, many stampeders gave up their quest for gold. Some did not continue because they heard that most of the claims already had been staked. Some stampeders learned of an avalanche that occurred on April 3, 1898, on the Chilkoot Trail, killing approximately 70 individuals. Others heard tales of fellow stampeders who lost everything in the rapids of the Yukon River. Still others did not have sufficient supplies or money to continue the arduous journey. Although most stampeders eventually returned to their homes, some decided to settle in the booming town of Skagway and earn a living providing goods and services to those who continued on to the Klondike. Certain of these men and women opened businesses with money they had planned to spend on their supplies. Some worked for merchants or packed goods over the trail for miners. Many of these entrepreneurs probably made a better life for themselves in Skagway than those who struggled on to the gold fields, where few found gold, and many lost everything. Regardless of their situation, however, these men and women participated in an adventure to remember for the rest of their lives. Questions for Reading 1 1. Why did William Moore claim a homestead in Alaska? How did he and his son prepare for a gold strike? 2. How was the town of Skagway established? Describe the initial conditions in the town. 3. What hardships did stampeders face on their way to the gold fields? 4. Why did some people choose not to continue to the gold fields? What did they do instead? What might you have done in a similar situation?

Determining the Facts Reading 2: Settlement and Commerce: Buildings Tell a Story of Growth

Within a short time, Skagway progressed from a homestead, to a hastily-constructed boomtown, and finally to a permanent city. William Moore's log cabin, which he built in 1887, was the first permanent structure in the Skagway River valley. By the time the stampeders arrived in the summer of 1897, Ben Moore (1865-1919) had built a 16-foot by 14-foot, story-and-a-half wood frame house next to the original cabin to accommodate his growing family. The tent city created by stampeders began disappearing by the fall of 1897 as settlers replaced tents with buildings. Structures ranging from simple wood frame shacks to large false-fronted buildings soon covered the town site. Stores, saloons, and offices lined the muddy streets. By March 1898, residents boasted that Skagway was the "Metropolis of Alaska" and the most prosperous town on the North Pacific Coast. A population estimate reported 8,000 residents during the spring of 1898 with approximately 1,000 stampeders passing through town each week. By June 1898, with a population estimated at between 8,800 and 10,000, Skagway was the largest city in Alaska. Skagway's settlers were anxious to set up stores to sell supplies and services to their neighbors and stampeders. The Goldberg Cigar Store was typical of the earliest businesses that merchants quickly established in the new town. Annie Leonard, the first woman to stake lots in Skagway, constructed a 12-foot by 30-foot building of recycled mismatched lumber and packing crates. D. Goldberg probably arrived in Skagway during the fall of 1897 and either leased or purchased the building from Leonard. His cigar store prospered during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. An advertisement in the Skagway News, September 16, 1898, lists his stock of goods: "Everything Fresh. Fruits, Confectionery, Cigars, Tobacco, Nuts, Cakes, Candies, and Dried Fruits." Many of Skagway's small businesses doubled as homes for the owner and his family. Richard C. (Dixie) Anzer's description of his father's shoe shop provides information on one such arrangement:

A big black wooden replica of a man's shoe with the word "maker" painted on it, the typical symbol of a cobbler...was attached to the building. It was about fifteen feet wide with a fairly large window in front and about thirty feet deep.... My father pushed aside a gray blanket which served as a partition and we entered the rear of the shop, which comprised the sleeping quarters and kitchenette. There was a double bunk and father said the upper deck was for me. "Just unpack what you need, he suggested, and hang it on those nails." A large tin basin with a pitcher filled with water stood on a table and the inevitable chamber [pot] underneath. Behind another blanket partition were cooking utensils, a small stove, a table and two chairs.¹

As entrepreneurs prospered they hired builders to construct more permanent buildings. Herman Kirmse was one early successful entrepreneur in Skagway. In 1897 Kirmse opened a jewelry and watch repair shop in a tent he shared with a cobbler. Within a few months he opened Pioneer Jewelry Store on Sixth Avenue. In 1903, well after the gold rush had ended, Kirmse purchased a two-story wooden frame store on 5th and Broadway. In 1906 he expanded into the adjacent structure and remodeled it with large display windows. Native carvers created jewelry and curios for the shop. Still standing today, the building exhibits features typical of the era such as a false front, decorative brackets, and metal roof. Skagway's permanent residents began establishing a community within a few months of the town's founding. Church groups organized and held services, elementary schools opened, and the first issue of the Skagway News appeared. Townspeople contributed money and labor to build a community hall, which several denominations shared with Skagway's first school. An Episcopalian and a Methodist missionary arrived in March 1898. In 1900 Skagway had five churches: Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist-Episcopal, and Presbyterian. In 1899, when the Methodist Episcopal Church determined that the community needed a school of higher education to serve the nearly 400 children who soon would finish elementary school, members built McCabe College. Classes taught at the new school, according to an article in the Daily Alaskan, December 24, 1899, included arithmetic, orthography, penmanship, algebra, geometry, rhetoric, chemistry, geography, U.S. History, Latin, German, French, English, English grammar, and physiology. The White Pass and Yukon Route company began laying railroad tracks along Broadway in Skagway in May 1898. The railroad depot was constructed between September and December 1898. Railroad employees hastily assembled the two-story wall sections on the ground and then raised them into place. Part of the building's original interior walls were made of rough boards torn from packing crates. Newspaper and sawdust served as insulation. By 1900 railroad officials wanted to send a message of stability to the public. To do so, they hired a Seattle architect to design an elegant general office building next to the depot. Not surprisingly, Skagway's most prosperous or "boomtown" era ended when the tremendous rush of stampeders passing through the town slowed down in late 1898. At the turn of the century, Skagway's permanent population was little more than 3,000.² It had dropped to below 900 by 1910. Despite the end of the gold rush and a dramatic decrease in population, Skagway continued to survive. Between 1900 and 1920 Skagway's population consisted mostly of railroad employees, merchants, and some miners. The railroad helped promote tourism and by the 1920s the Dead Horse Trail and other sites associated with the gold rush had become some of Alaska's best known tourist attractions.³ Today about 100 buildings from the 1898-1910 era remain. Fifteen have been restored by the National Park Service as part of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Together, these buildings remind us of the entrepreneurial spirit that led people to settle in this Alaskan town. Questions for Reading 2 1. What evidence in the reading indicates that Skagway was becoming a permanent community as opposed to simply a supply station for people on their way to the Klondike gold fields? 2. What do the businesses and institutions tell you about the occupations and daily lives of Skagway's residents? 3. Why did Skagway's population drastically decline by 1910? What happened to the town after that? Reading 2 was adapted from Richard C. Anzer, Klondike Gold Rush as Recalled by a Participant (New York: Pageant Press, 1959); Catherine H. Blee, Robert L.S. Spude, and Paul C. Cloyd, "Historic Structures Report for Ten Buildings," U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984; Alison K. Hoagland, Buildings of Alaska (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993); J. Bernard Moore, Skagway in Days Primeval (Skagway: Lynn Canal Publishing, 1997); and Robert L. S. Spude, "Skagway, District of Alaska 1884-1912: Building the Gateway to the Klondike," Report prepared as a cooperative effort of the Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the National Park Service Alaska Regional Office, U.S. Department of the Interior, September 1983. ¹Catherine H. Blee, Paul C. Cloyd, and Robert L.S. Spude, "Historic Structures Report for Ten Buildings," U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, 1984, p. 149. ²Robert L.S. Spude, "Skagway, District of Alaska 1884-1912: Building the Gateway to the Klondike," Report prepared as a cooperative effort of the Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, and the National Park Service Alaska Regional Office, United States Department of the Interior, September 1983, pp. 11, 27, 46. ³Frank Norris, Gawking at the Midnight Sun: The Tourist in Early Alaska, Alaska Historical Commission Studies in History No. 170 (Anchorage, 1985), pp. 124-29.

Determining the Facts Reading 3: Transportation: The Key to Skagway's Survival

Although Skagway is located more than 500 miles from the gold fields in the Klondike, the town benefitted from the discovery because of its location along a transportation route to Canada's interior. The Klondike Gold Rush established Skagway, but its ice-free, deep water port and the completion of a railroad to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, in 1900 kept the town alive. William Moore's investigation of White Pass and his knowledge of past gold strikes led him to stake a homestead in Alaska's Skagway River valley. His dream to profit from the stampeders' use of his property and businesses on their way to the Canadian gold fields did not turn out exactly as he had planned. His wharf was successful, but he was forced to share his profits with outside investors because he did not have enough money to expand the operation to keep up with the flood of stampeders. By 1898, three other companies had built wharves and were competing with Moore. Moore's business managed to thrive, however, because his wharf was closest to the site where railroad tracks eventually were located. The Moores also sold lumber from their sawmill, but they were unsuccessful in obtaining permission to construct a toll wagon road. It was George Brackett, former mayor of Minneapolis, who finally received a permit to establish a toll road. Officially opened in March 1898, the 16-foot wide wagon road stretched 15 miles from Skagway to White Pass City, where the steep climb to the summit began. The road, which was made of logs in some places and blasted rock in others, allowed travelers a shorter and easier route to the Yukon. It was used heavily for the rest of that year, but it was destined to be replaced by yet another improved method of transportation. In May 1898, the company which became the White Pass & Yukon Route began constructing the first major commercial railroad in Alaska. Beginning in Skagway, the narrow gauge railroad wound through the twisting, narrow, rock-strewn wilderness of the White Pass. The completion of the railroad from Skagway to Bennett Lake in June 1899, and to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, a year later, secured Skagway's role as the main transportation gateway to the interior of northern Canada. Without this improved transportation method, the neighboring town of Dyea could not compete and was soon abandoned. The railroad company helped Skagway's economy at a time when the prosperity of the gold rush period was diminishing. It provided jobs and built large machine shops, an office building, hospital, residences, and even a private athletic club. When completed in June 1900, the $10 million White Pass and Yukon Route railroad connected the geographical area outside of Alaska and northern Canada with the Klondike. Steamers from West Coast cities docked at Skagway's port where freight and passengers loaded directly onto the train. The railroad carried goods and passengers 110 miles north to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, where they transferred to sternwheel steamers on the Yukon River and continued on to the Klondike. This was a tremendous improvement over earlier transportation methods. Travelers no longer had to carry supplies on their backs or lead overburdened pack animals over the agonizing Dead Horse Trail. The great rush to the Klondike gold fields had ended by the time the railroad was completed. Even after all the claims had been staked, however, this transportation route was still necessary to bring gold out of the Klondike and bring in supplies and equipment. Miners, surveyors, and mining engineers used the railroad and steamer route. They worked in the mines each summer, left the Klondike before the onset of harsh weather, and returned in the spring. With an efficient transportation system in place, Skagway replaced St. Michael, Alaska, as the major shipping center for freight such as zinc, lead, copper, and silver coming out of the Yukon. The railroad provided Skagway with a narrow but stable economic base for almost 80 years after the Klondike Gold Rush ended. Today, the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad traverses the historic White Pass route, carrying tourists over a twisting rocky path through incredible scenery to an awe inspiring, snow-covered summit. This railroad is one of 20 engineering feats in the world declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. Since 1978, the Klondike Highway has connected Skagway to Canada's interior. A transportation gateway for commerce and tourism, Skagway serves as an example of how a frontier town survived the end of its boomtown era. Questions for Reading 3 1. Why did Skagway become the major Alaskan point of departure to the gold fields? 2. How did Skagway continue to exist after the gold rush ended when other gold rush towns disappeared? 3. How did the railroad affect the journey to the Klondike? How might the railroad have affected the permanent residents of Skagway?

Visual Evidence

Photo 1: skagway, alaska, 1898..

Questions for Photo 1 1. What are your impressions of the town of Skagway and the surrounding landscape? 2. Why did the wharves extend so far from town? Why were there buildings at the ends of the wharves? What kinds of goods might have been unloaded and stored there? 3. Describe what is happening in the lower right corner of the photo. 4. If you did not know when this photo was taken, what clues might help you determine a date?

Visual Evidence Photo 2: Trail Street in Skagway, October 1897.

Questions for Photo 2 1. Describe the buildings in this photo. How do they help tell the story of Skagway's development? How were they constructed? 2. Describe the condition of the roads and "sidewalks." 3. What does the photo suggest about the town and its inhabitants?

Visual Evidence Drawing 1: Historic development of William Moore Cabin and Ben Moore House.

(National Park Service)

Photo 3: Ben Moore and family, Moore House, July 1904.

Questions for Drawing 1 & Photo 3 1. Match the photo of the house to the correct sketch in the drawing. Why do you think the house was built in stages? 2. What time of year was the photo taken? What does this indicate about the climate in this region? 3. What can you conclude about the lifestyle of Ben Moore and his family from studying the photo?

Visual Evidence Photo 4: Golden North Hotel.

(Photo by David H. Curl, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park) Built in 1898 by the Klondike Trading Company, this building did not house the Golden North Hotel until 1908. Questions for Photo 4 1. Compare this building with those shown in Photo 2. What do your observations indicate about Skagway's development? 2. How does this building represent Skagway's continuing role along a transportation route to the Yukon Territory?

Visual Evidence Photo 5: Arctic Brotherhood Hall.

(Photo by David H. Curl, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park) The Arctic Brotherhood Hall, an example of rustic architecture, was built in 1899 for the Fraternal Order of the Arctic Brotherhood. Eleven men organized the fraternity on February 26, 1899, while en route from Seattle to Skagway. The organization was formed to provide mutual assistance, friendship, and social interaction in the northern communities. Questions for Photo 5 1. Why do you think this building became one of the most photographed buildings in Alaska? 2. Describe the exterior. Why might the Brotherhood have wanted to decorate their building in this way? 3. What activities do you think might have taken place here?

Photo 6: McCabe College Building.

The McCabe College Building, built in 1899 as a Methodist school, is the only stone building in Skagway. In 1900, a new civil code allowed tax money to be used to build and maintain public schools. As a private institution, McCabe College could not compete. The building was sold to the federal government on June 1, 1901, for use as a U.S. District Courthouse. Questions for Photo 6 1. Compare this building with those in Photo 2. 2. What do the materials and design of this building indicate about its importance? What does it indicate about Skagway's permanent population? 3. What function did this building serve other than a school? Why might it have been suitable for this purpose?

Putting It All Together

Through the following activities students will learn how the Klondike Gold Rush fits into the broader context of gold rushes in American history as well as how buildings can help reveal the stories of a community's past. Activity 1: Gold Rushes Have the class compile a list of gold rushes such as those that occurred in California, Nevada, and Colorado. Then ask each student to select one of these gold rushes and compare and contrast it to the Klondike Gold Rush by answering the following questions for both: Where did the gold rush take place? Who were the major people involved? How many people participated? What hardships did the miners face? What were the climate and geography of the region like? How did the prospectors get to the mines? How much gold was extracted from the mines? How did the gold rush impact the development of the surrounding area? Possible reference books for students include Michael Gates, Gold at Fortymile Creek: Early Days in the Yukon (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 1994) and Paula Mitchell Marks, Precious Dust: The True Saga of the Western Gold Rushes (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994). Activity 2: History and Use of Local Buildings Have students compile a list of several buildings that collectively illustrate the development of their community over time. Divide students up into small groups and have each group choose one building to research. They should consult the library, a local museum, or historical society to find newspaper clippings, photographs, or other materials that reveal the history of the building. They may want to interview local residents about the building and about the development of the area in which the building is located. Each group should prepare an exhibit that illustrates the history of their building, including when and why it was built, building materials and style, its uses over time, and any changes over time. Share each group's work with the class and hold a discussion on how these buildings collectively tell the history of the town. Finally, have the class work together to develop a promotional brochure or walking tour of their town with photos and information about the various buildings they researched.

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Last updated: September 20, 2023

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Klondike Highway Yukon Travel Guide

Epic Road Trip: Klondike Highway from Skagway, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon, Canada

The 715 km Klondike Highway (Hwy #2) is the main north-south travel route in Yukon and links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon’s Dawson City  and the Klondike goldfields. The ferry dock at Skagway is the official start of the South Klondike Highway.

Table of Contents

Klondike Highway South – Skagway to Whitehorse

From Skagway, Alaska the South Klondike climbs to the famous Chilkoot Pass before crossing into stunning alpine scenery passing many rivers, lakes, and pullouts with spectacular viewpoints.

The South Klondike Highway connects to the Yukon Communities of Carcross and Whitehorse and joins up with the Alaska Highway just south of Whitehorse. The entire road follows roughly the trail of the gold stampeders of 1898 and is full of historical facts.

Klondike Highway North – Whitehorse to Dawson City

Right after joining the North Klondike Highway on your journey to Dawson City, watch out for the turnoff to Takhini Hot Springs if you like a hot dip.

Just north of Whitehorse , the Klondike passes by the foot of Lake Laberge , known for Robert Service’s famous poem “The Cremation of Sam McGee”.

25 km further north you come to Fox Lake , and Twin Lakes , 23 km before Carmacks. The Fox Lake Burn shows the power of a forest fire and the slow forest recovery in the North.

Government campgrounds with shelters and pump water are located along the way.

As you travel north, the highway cuts through the breathtaking scenery of boreal forest and high open alpine valleys. History is alive at every corner.

Carmacks is located 199 km north of Whitehorse, a village of 500 sitting right on the Yukon River. Named after the discoverer of the Klondike Gold strike, Georg Washington Carmack, it was a major refuelling stop for the sternwheelers travelling between Whitehorse and Dawson.

This is the first major community you come across after leaving Whitehorse and heading north. Like all other communities along the Klondike, Carmacks has its own boom-and-bust stories and local historical and cultural sites.

Stop at the excellent Tagé Chao Hudän Interpretive. Learn about aboriginal life past and present and get your Yukon Passport stamp.

A 15-minute interpretive walk by the river provides some insight into their life.

Carmacks offers all major services for visitors passing through. It has the largest grocery store between Whitehorse and Dawson, a good place to stock up and a pleasant place to stop and spend the night.

Carmacks also remains a popular stop for people canoeing the Yukon River.

The Visitor Information Centre is at the Old Telegraph Office on River Road.

Carmacks is the Junction with the Robert Campbell Highway #4 connecting Carmacks to Watson Lake.

Five Finger Rapids

An important attraction you don’t want to miss is the Five Finger Rapids, located a short distance north of Carmacks. The treacherous rapid posed a major navigational hazard to riverboat skippers on the route upriver from the goldfields.

A long stairway and a trail lead 1.5 km to the famous rapids and the Yukon River Valley.

Easily missed, unless you’re travelling by canoe or kayak. A short road leads to Minto, the site of an old settlement. In 1898, the Yukon River froze up and many gold seekers, forced to winter here, starved to death.

Minto is about 72 km north of Carmacks and it is a popular place to start the four to five-day trip down the Yukon River to Dawson City.

Pelly Crossing

Pelly Crossing is the home of the Selkirk First Nation and has a population of about 300. The village is located on the banks of the Pelly River; 282 km northwest of Whitehorse and 254 km southeast of Dawson City. The Selkirk First Nation runs all facilities in the town including the Heritage Centre.

The small settlement has a post office, gas station, grocery store, RCMP detachment, campground, and dump station.

Stewart Crossing

Stewart Crossing is another popular place to launch a canoe, located at the junction of the Klondike Highway and the Silver Trail on the south side of the Stewart River. Facilities include a lodge, campground, and a service station. Stewart Crossing is situated on the Tintina Trench.

From Stewart Crossing you can venture a side trip to the old silver mining towns of Mayo, Elsa, and Keno City on the Silver Trail .

You will find the Silver Trails Information Center and the rest area at the south end of the bridge.

Update 2023: Silver Trails Information Centre is permanently closed. Pit toilets are available.

Highway 11 (Silver Trail) leads northeast to Mayo, Elsa, and Keno.

DETOUR – Silver Trail Highway #11

To tour the Silver Trail and the communities Mayo (51 km), Elsa (97 km), and Keno City (112 m) turn east at km 535.1 which is junction #11 Silver Trail.

The remote Silver Trail region has some of the most amazing terrains in the Yukon. Rolling hills, roaring rivers, and lots of wildlife with less than 450 year-round residents make this trip more than worthwhile. The area is rich with history and the communities of Mayo and Keno City are historic and scenic.

The road is paved to Mayo and gravel to Keno. This was one of Canada’s richest silver mining areas. This area was widely prospected in the early 1900s, but it was the strike of Louis Bouvette in 1919, that made the area famous.

Note: There are no gas stations or grocery stores after leaving Mayo.

• Historic Silver Trail Travel Guide

North to Dawson City

From Stewart Crossing, the Klondike Highway continues for 139 km to the junction with the Dempster Highway. From here it’s only 40 km to Dawson City.

DETOUR – Dempster Highway #5

The Dempster Highway is a road trip for adventurous travellers only. The 742 km gravel road is Canada’s first all-weather road to cross the Arctic Circle and ends in Inuvik , Northwest Territories. The trip includes two ferry crossings.

Welcome to Dawson City

Welcome to the Wild West town of Dawson City .

From Dawson City, you have several options for continuing your journey:

• Return to Whitehorse by road or by air;
• Head north to the Arctic on the Dempster Highway ;
• Drive across the Top of the World Highway to Alaska ;
• Travel down the Yukon River to Eagle, Alaska by boat.

Where to stay

During the summer months, it is important to make reservations when you travel in the Yukon. Check for accommodation and available dates.

You have plenty of camping choices along the Klondike Highway. For information on campgrounds and recreation sites, go to the Yukon Campgrounds website .

Useful Information

• The Klondike Highway is a two-lane asphalt road and is open all year round.
• Watch out for wildlife .
• Gas stations can be far apart.

Emergency Services

For emergency services dial 911 or phone the local RCMP.

Yukon Travel Information

• Yukon Travel Guide
• Driving on Gravel Roads
• Road Trip Planner for the Wilderness
• MILEPOST – Alaska Travel Planner is the only Travel Guide you need for your northern road trip.

YUKON TERRITORY

16 Best Towns and Places in Yukon

Dawson City

Road to Keno City

Yukon Highways

Campbell Highway

The Silver Trail

Dempster Highway

Tombstone Territorial Park

Morel Mushroom Hunt, Yukon

Gravel Highways

Things to do in the north

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Dawson City Is in the Middle of Nowhere and That's Precisely Why You Should Go There

By Caro Clark

Photography by Joanne Ratajczak

Strange things done in the midnight sun , reads the first line of William Service’s famous Yukon poem; it’s an apt slogan for Dawson City, Canada . A far-flung place unlike any other, the endless summer daylight shines upon wide, dusty streets, sunken buildings, and the constant churn of the Yukon River.

Dawson City sits alone on the river’s banks, a mere 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle, in the Yukon Territory: an expansive, wild, non-state of otherworldly terrain. Getting there is not a simple task. Some arrive by raft, canoe, or kayak, others in the growling throng of a motorcycle club or the purr of a winnebago; slightly less intrepid travelers may take a five hour bus ride or small plane from Whitehorse. It’s a trek, certainly, and to a gold rush town of less than 1,500, with no immediately discernible attractions.

View from the Midnight Dome

Welcome to Dawson City sign entering town

Joey playing pool at The Pit

So why on earth would anyone go to this place that is, in the most direct sense of the phrase, located in the middle of nowhere? Well, perhaps you are someone who feels nostalgia for some place you’ve never been. Perhaps you look at roadkill and think there is something sort of beautiful about the bygone animal. Maybe you went to Marfa once, and while sipping a Mexican beer in front of an airstream trailer, you looked out over the desert landscape and thought, this is almost it, but not quite. Just… not quite. Maybe you really need to get the hell away, and you don’t want any sort of packaged, highly Instagrammable vacation to help you do it. If so, consider the derelict beauty of Dawson City. It’s strange, the summers bring endless daylight, and there are women who can-can. Taverns that never close. Taverns that never open.

Downtown dog

Sebastian outside of Diamond Tooth Gerties

The usual gold rush hobbies are all possible here: panning for precious metal, old-timey photo booths (theirs is especially good), historical walking tours. One of the largest draws is the casino, Diamond Tooth Gertie’s , for its famous can-can show. There are three shows nightly, which are rumored to get progressively more bawdy than the last. It is good fun and the girls wear colorful petticoats and kick very high and are said to never sleep. (Think Moulin Rouge , but grittier, and without the tuberculosis.)

Cancan Girls at Diamond Tooth Gerties

Gertie at Diamond Tooth Gerties

Beyond the tourist-designated stuff, Dawson City contains an impressive art community. Chances are that one of the very cool-looking young people serving you a drink or wandering past you through town is a musician or artist. Start a conversation, or step into the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture . The organization hosts a global rotation of artists in residence, a discerning gallery space, and frequent events.

Flo outside of Bonanza Jellybean

Inside Bonanza Jellybean, A DIY caravan/gallery space selling Yukon-made goods n' wearables by Dawson City artists.

Ultimately, the unlikeliness of the Dawson City, its subtle and grand strangeness, comes from wandering around and letting Dawson City happen to you. Forget about the time. If you go during the warm months (you should), you can just sort of let the constant daylight work its confounding magic. Take a walk on the boardwalk that follows the Yukon. Wander the backstreets of the town, through the little cabins and past the french-speaking punks and their silent pit bulls. Follow a wooded trail up to the overlook. Have a drink or two, dip in and out of the dark saloons into dizzying sunlight and get a little midday buzz. Or maybe it’s midnight. You might not be able to tell, and that’s the whole point.

Looking down on town and the Ferry

What to Eat

Dawson City has an impressive array of charming-but-well-executed menus where you’ll often notice a Quebecois influence. Klondike Kate’s offers more locally-sourced ingredients than you’d ever expect this far from a big city, as well as an especially good poutine, and is tucked in a historic and charming gold-rush era building. At the Alchemy Café you can get your fix of fancy coffee and salads made with freshly picked greens. (It’s also for sale, just in case you’re in the market.)

The Alchemy Café

Alchemy Summer Salad - Local greens, organic apple, maple roasted nuts, fresh herbs, spicy seeds, goat cheese or feta & balsamic maple dressing

Florian Voulais & Sofia Ashenhurst, owners of the Alchemy Café

Vegetables from Kokopelli Farm at the Dawson City Farmers Market every Saturday.

Wild Salmon Fillet from Klondike Kates

Ice Fog IPA from Yukon Brewing at Klondike Kates

For something more solitary, head to the Bonanza Market , the sweet little grocery with most of what you could want and then some, including fancy soda and prepared food. Pick up a sandwich and a cookie, grab a six pack, and take yourself on a picnic. Maybe hop on the ferry (it’s free and runs 24 hours) and enjoy your spread from the other side of the Yukon.

Canoers on the Yukon River

What to Drink

There are a many options for drowning your sorrows, whether or not you have any. A couple standouts: The Pit, as it is lovingly called by locals, is tucked into the pepto-pink Westminster Hotel , and has a round-the-clock crowd of dedicated drinkers. This is the place to catch live music and rub shoulders with good-looking, aloof young people. Maybe here you will make a friend. If you really want pals and your pockets feel heavy, ring the bell and buy a round for the tavern.

For drinkers seeking a thrill, The Sourtoe Club is famous for offering its patrons the option of including a mummified human toe (yes) in their beverage of choice. You should not swallow or keep the toe (unless you’re this guy ), but rules require that it touch your lips.

Drinking the Sourtoe cocktail at the Sourdough Saloon in the Downtown Hotel.

The Sourtoe

Where to Stay

There are a number of hotels to choose from spanning a range of budgetary options, but if you’re interested in atmosphere, Bombay Peggy’s Inn houses victorian rooms in a former brothel. If you’re looking for something more rustic, try the government-run campground across the river. Though amenities are limited, these are lovely, secluded campsites where you can sleep soundly under the sun.

The Alchemy Café and the kissing-buildings downtown Dawson City.

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Dawson City Yukon: Unveiling the Best of the Klondike Gold Rush

Posted on Last updated: September 7, 2023

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel and take a trip back in time to immerse yourself in a place that combines rich history with breathtaking natural beauty?

Visit the park and explore the places that will transport you to another era. Look no further than Dawson City, the good place located in the heart of the Canadian territory of Yukon , known for its connection to the klondike spirit and its proximity to the goldfields. 

With the mighty Yukon River flowing nearby and picturesque trails waiting to be explored, outdoor enthusiasts will find endless opportunities for adventure – whether it’s dog sledding through snow-covered landscapes or panning for gold along the riverbanks.

The Klondike Gold Rush and Dawson’s Significance

The Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s marked a significant era in history, with Dawson City at its epicenter. As news of gold discoveries spread, thousands of hopeful prospectors flocked to this remote region in search of their fortunes.

Dawson City quickly became the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle , bustling with activity as miners set up camps and businesses sprouted overnight. The gold rush brought people from all walks of life, creating a diverse community that thrived on the promise of striking it rich.

In those days, the goldfields surrounding Dawson City were teeming with activity. Gold mining became the primary occupation for many, as they tirelessly worked to extract precious nuggets from the earth. It was a laborious process that required determination and perseverance.

Visiting Dawson City today offers a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the remnants of this historic era. You can start your journey by exploring the town itself, where you’ll find well-preserved buildings that tell tales of yesteryear. The Downtown Hotel is one such example, known for its Sourtoe Cocktail that features an actual human toe floating in a drink—a quirky tradition that reflects the adventurous spirit of those early days.

To truly immerse yourself in the gold rush history, take a tour to learn about significant landmarks like Discovery Claim and SS Keno—the last remaining sternwheeler on the Yukon River. These sites offer insights into how people lived and worked during this tumultuous period.

For outdoor enthusiasts, there are plenty of activities to enjoy in Dawson City and its surroundings. Dog sledding is a popular adventure, allowing you to experience firsthand how miners traveled across vast distances during winter months. You can also try your luck at gold panning along the banks of Klondike River or explore historic trails like Dome Road for breathtaking views of the area.

If you’re visiting during the summer, don’t miss the chance to witness the mesmerizing Northern Lights dancing across the night sky. Alternatively, you can head to a fishing camp and try your hand at catching some fresh Yukon salmon.

Dawson City is also home to several national historic sites, including  the Klondike National Historic Site and Tombstone Territorial Park . These locations provide a glimpse into the past through interpretive centers, guided tours, and exhibits that showcase the region’s rich history.

Getting to Dawson City is an adventure in itself. You can drive along the scenic Klondike Highway or take a ferry up the Yukon River.

Cultural and Historical Importance of Dawson, Yukon

Dawson City, Yukon holds immense cultural and historical significance, making it a must-visit destination for history enthusiasts. Designated as a National Historic Site of Canada, this charming city preserves the rich heritage and captivating stories from the renowned Klondike Gold Rush era.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Dawson City is its well-preserved buildings that offer a fascinating glimpse into life during the gold rush. As you wander through town, you’ll find yourself transported back in time, surrounded by historic structures that have stood the test of time. From the iconic SS Keno paddlewheeler to the rustic cabins that once housed gold miners, each building tells a unique tale of perseverance and adventure.

To truly immerse yourself in the gold rush experience, embark on a walking tour or join an interpretive center to learn about the captivating history behind each site. The Discovery Claim on Bonanza Creek is particularly noteworthy as it marks the spot where gold was first discovered in 1896, igniting one of the largest gold rushes in world history. Stand at this very spot and imagine what it would have been like to be part of such an extraordinary event.

The Klondike Highway and Top of the World Highway provide scenic routes for those seeking an adventurous road trip through breathtaking landscapes. These highways take you through rugged terrain, offering panoramic views of mountains, rivers, and forests along with opportunities for outdoor activities like dog sledding or fishing camps.

For those with a thirst for knowledge about gold mining history, a visit to Dredge No. 4 is highly recommended. This massive machine played a crucial role in extracting gold from riverbeds during the early 1900s. Explore its towering structure and learn about its significance in shaping Dawson’s economy during that time.

Beyond its historical allure, Dawson City also offers unique experiences such as witnessing nature’s spectacular display of the Northern Lights. The far north location of Dawson City makes it an ideal spot for catching this mesmerizing phenomenon, adding an extra touch of magic to your visit.

To truly embrace the spirit of the Klondike Gold Rush, try your hand at gold panning in the Klondike River. Feel the rush as you sift through gravel and dirt, hoping to strike gold just like the prospectors of yesteryear. And while you’re there, don’t miss the opportunity to partake in a peculiar tradition – sipping on a drink garnished with a real human toe at the Downtown Hotel’s Sourtoe Cocktail Club.

Dawson City is not only steeped in history but also hosts vibrant cultural events throughout the year.

Jack London Museum and Cabin

The Jack London Museum  and Cabin in Dawson City, Yukon is a must-visit destination for literature enthusiasts and history buffs alike. This national historic site pays homage to the famous American author who spent time in Dawson City during the gold rush.

As you step into the museum, you’ll be transported back in time to the Klondike Gold Rush era. The museum showcases a fascinating collection of artifacts related to  Jack London’s  life and work. From personal belongings to handwritten manuscripts, you’ll gain insight into the experiences that shaped his writing.

One of the highlights of this museum is a replica of Jack London’s cabin, where he penned some of his most renowned works. Stepping inside this humble abode allows you to imagine the solitude and inspiration that fueled his creativity. It’s an incredible opportunity to connect with the spirit of this literary legend.

While exploring the museum, don’t miss out on other attractions nearby. The SS Keno, a paddlewheeler that once transported goods along the Yukon River, offers a glimpse into transportation during the gold rush. You can also take part in gold panning activities and try your luck at finding a precious nugget.

For those seeking adventure, dog sledding tours are available where you can experience the thrill of gliding through snow-covered trails like early prospectors did. As night falls, keep an eye out for nature’s dazzling display—the northern lights illuminating the sky above Dawson City.

To truly immerse yourself in gold rush history, take a tour of Dawson City itself. Walking tours will lead you through historic buildings and landmarks that played significant roles during this transformative period. Visit landmarks such as Discovery Claim or wander through downtown Dawson with its charming buildings that have stood for over a century.

If you’re up for a scenic drive, venture along Klondike Highway or even further on Top of The World Highway—both routes offer breathtaking views of the surrounding wilderness. Along the way, you can make a stop at Tombstone Territorial Park, where the rugged beauty of the landscape will leave you in awe.

Dawson City is also known for its vibrant cultural scene. The Dawson City Music Festival, held annually, brings together talented musicians from all over to perform in this historic town. You can enjoy live music while savoring a drink at one of the downtown hotels or gambling halls—a perfect way to soak up the lively spirit of this unique community.

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall is a legendary casino located in Dawson City, Yukon. This iconic establishment offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience the thrill of gambling just like in the gold rush days. Named after Gertie Lovejoy, an infamous dancer with a diamond-studded tooth, Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall has become a must-visit destination for those seeking entertainment and a taste of history.

One of the main draws of Diamond Tooth Gertie’s is its lively entertainment. The casino hosts a variety of shows and performances that transport guests back to the vibrant atmosphere of the gold rush era. From live music festivals to captivating stage acts, there is always something happening at this bustling gambling hall. It’s not just about playing games; it’s about immersing yourself in an experience that captures the spirit of those early days.

Stepping into Diamond Tooth Gertie’s feels like stepping back in time. The historic building itself exudes charm and nostalgia, with its rustic decor and vintage ambiance. As you explore the hall, you’ll come across artifacts and memorabilia from the Klondike Gold Rush, providing insight into the rich history that shaped Dawson City and its surrounding areas.

For those interested in learning more about the gold rush history, Diamond Tooth Gertie’s offers informative tours that take you on a journey through time. Knowledgeable guides share fascinating stories and facts about the town, making each visit an educational adventure. You can also visit nearby attractions such as the SS Keno paddlewheeler or take part in gold panning activities to get a hands-on experience of what life was like during this transformative period.

Dawson City itself is worth exploring beyond Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall. The town boasts numerous historic buildings that have been preserved to showcase their original architecture from over a century ago. Walking tours are a great way to delve into the past and discover the stories of the people who once called this place home. The Klondike National Historic Site and  the Dawson City Visitor Centre  provide valuable resources for those interested in delving deeper into the history of the area.

Beyond its historical significance, Dawson City offers a range of exciting activities for adventurous souls. From dog sledding along scenic trails to witnessing the mesmerizing Northern Lights dancing across the night sky, there is no shortage of awe-inspiring experiences to be had. Fishing camps along the Yukon River provide an opportunity to try your hand at catching some prized fish while enjoying the tranquility of nature.

Midnight Dome for Epic Views

If you’re looking for a breathtaking panoramic view of Dawson City, then look no further than the prominent hill known as Midnight Dome. This iconic landmark provides visitors with an unforgettable experience, offering stunning vistas of the town, rivers, and surrounding landscapes.

Perched high above the city, Midnight Dome is a popular spot for watching mesmerizing midnight sunsets or catching a glimpse of the enchanting northern lights. As you make your way up Dome Road to reach the top, you’ll feel a sense of anticipation building within you. And when you finally reach the summit, the view will leave you in awe.

From this vantage point, you can see Dawson City in all its glory. The historic downtown area with its charming buildings and vibrant streets spreads out before you. The mighty Yukon River winds its way through the landscape, reflecting the golden hues of the setting sun. And beyond that, stretches of wilderness beckon adventure seekers to explore.

Midnight Dome is not just about scenic beauty; it also holds historical significance. During the Klondike Gold Rush era, this hill was an important part of Dawson City’s bustling gold mining activities. Today, it stands as a testament to that bygone era and offers visitors a chance to step back in time and learn about this fascinating period in history.

While at Midnight Dome, take some time to visit nearby attractions such as SS Keno or Discovery Claim – both significant sites associated with the Klondike Gold Rush. You can also embark on a tour or engage in activities like gold panning or dog sledding to get a taste of life during those adventurous years.

For those who enjoy walking tours and want to delve deeper into Dawson City’s rich history, a visit to Klondike National Historic Site is highly recommended. Here, historic buildings and exhibits bring stories from the past to life. The interpretive center provides valuable insights into what life was like during the gold rush days.

If you’re feeling thirsty or hungry after your exploration, head downtown and stop by one of the local establishments. Whether it’s a cozy café, a lively pub, or a fine dining restaurant, you’ll find something to satisfy your cravings. Don’t forget to try the famous Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel – a drink with an unusual twist as it includes a real human toe!

To make your visit even more memorable, plan your trip around one of Dawson City’s annual events. The Dawson City Music Festival attracts artists from all over the world and promises great music and fun. If you prefer something more offbeat, consider attending the International Hair Freezing Contest where people sculpt their hair into frozen works of art.

Robert Service Cabin and Poetry

The Robert Service Cabin in Dawson City, Yukon, is a former residence turned museum dedicated to the famous poet Robert Service. This charming cabin showcases personal belongings, manuscripts, and memorabilia that offer visitors a glimpse into the life of this celebrated literary figure.

As you step inside the cabin, you can almost feel the presence of Robert Service himself. The walls are adorned with photographs and artifacts that tell stories of his time spent in the North. It’s like stepping back in time to an era when gold rush fever gripped the region and poets immortalized its essence through their words.

The cabin serves as a tribute to Robert Service’s iconic poems about life in the North. Visitors can explore his works through books and displays that highlight his most famous pieces. From “The Cremation of Sam McGee” to “The Shooting of Dan McGrew,” these poems capture the spirit of adventure, hardship, and resilience that defined the Klondike Gold Rush era.

A tour of the Robert Service Cabin is a must for anyone visiting Dawson City. It offers a unique opportunity to delve into the world of poetry while immersing oneself in Yukon’s rich history. Whether you’re a literature enthusiast or simply curious about life during the gold rush years, this museum provides an enriching experience.

After your visit to the cabin, take some time to explore other notable sites in Dawson City. The SS Keno is a well-preserved paddlewheeler that once transported people and goods along the Yukon River during the gold rush era. The Klondike National Historic Site showcases historic buildings from that time period, allowing visitors to step into the past and imagine what life was like during those challenging days.

For those seeking outdoor adventures, there are plenty of options available near Dawson City. Go dog sledding across snowy trails or try your hand at gold panning on one of many guided tours. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the mesmerizing northern lights dancing across the night sky.

Dawson City is not just about history and outdoor activities; it also offers a vibrant cultural scene. The Dawson City Music Festival attracts artists from all over the world, making it a must-visit for music lovers. Downtown Dawson is home to charming hotels, gambling halls, and lively bars where you can enjoy a drink while soaking in the Klondike spirit.

SS Keno Paddle Wheeler and River History

The SS Keno paddle wheeler is a fascinating piece of history that takes visitors back in time to the days when river transportation played a vital role in the development of Dawson City, Yukon. Restored to its former glory, this historic vessel once plied the waters of the Yukon River, transporting people and goods during the Klondike Gold Rush era.

Today, the SS Keno stands as a proud symbol of Dawson City’s rich river history. Visitors have the opportunity to explore this beautifully preserved paddle wheeler and learn about its significance in shaping the town’s past. Stepping aboard feels like stepping into another world, where you can almost hear echoes of conversations between gold prospectors and see visions of bustling activity on the river.

As you tour the SS Keno, you’ll discover how riverboats like this were an essential lifeline for communities along the Yukon River. They provided crucial transportation for supplies, equipment, and people during a time when roads were scarce or nonexistent. The paddle wheelers played a pivotal role in connecting Dawson City with other settlements and gold mining areas in the region.

One of the highlights of visiting the SS Keno is gaining insight into what life was like during those adventurous times. You’ll learn about how people traveled long distances by dog sledding or on foot to reach Dawson City in search of gold. The Klondike Highway and Top of the World Highway now offer easier access to this vibrant town, but back then, it was a treacherous journey filled with hardships.

The SS Keno also provides a window into Dawson City’s vibrant past as a hub for entertainment and leisure activities. In addition to being transport vessels, many paddle wheelers served as floating gambling halls or dance halls where locals could gather for fun-filled evenings. These boats became an integral part of social life in Dawson City, offering residents an escape from the challenges of gold mining and a chance to let loose.

As you explore the SS Keno, you’ll come across exhibits that showcase the various aspects of river life. From displays on gold panning techniques to stories about famous discoveries along the Yukon River, there’s something for everyone interested in the Klondike Gold Rush history. You can even try your hand at gold panning or immerse yourself in interactive exhibits that bring this era to life.

Visiting the SS Keno is not just an educational experience; it’s also an adventure. Dawson City is known for its breathtaking natural beauty, and a trip on the Yukon River allows you to witness it firsthand.

Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre – First Nations Culture

The Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre  in Dawson City, Yukon is an exceptional visitor centre that showcases the rich heritage and traditions of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. This interpretive centre offers a fascinating glimpse into their history, art, and cultural practices.

At the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre, visitors have the opportunity to learn from local Indigenous guides who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and stories. Through interactive exhibits, they bring to life the vibrant culture and deep-rooted traditions of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people.

One of the highlights at this cultural centre is exploring the history of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation. Visitors can delve into their past and gain a deeper understanding of how they have thrived in this region for generations. From their connection to the land to their survival skills, every aspect is explored with great detail.

Art also plays a significant role at Dänojà Zho. The centre features stunning displays that showcase traditional artwork created by talented Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in artists. From intricate carvings to beautiful beadwork, these pieces reflect both historical and contemporary perspectives.

To truly immerse yourself in Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in culture, participating in one of their workshops or demonstrations is highly recommended. You can try your hand at traditional crafts like beading or moccasin making, or even learn about ancient hunting techniques passed down through generations.

In addition to its educational exhibits and workshops, Dänojà Zho offers various guided tours for visitors eager to explore more of Dawson City’s rich history. These tours take you on a journey back in time as you visit significant sites such as Discovery Claim – where gold was first discovered during the Klondike Gold Rush – and the SS Keno, a historic paddlewheeler.

For those seeking adventure, dog sledding is a popular activity in Dawson City. You can experience the thrill of mushing your own team of dogs through the pristine wilderness surrounding the town. The Yukon River also offers opportunities for fishing and canoeing, allowing you to connect with nature while enjoying the tranquility of this breathtaking region.

Dawson City itself is steeped in gold rush history, and exploring its streets is like stepping back in time. The downtown area boasts beautifully preserved historic buildings that transport you to the Klondike Gold Rush era. Walking tours are available for visitors to learn about the town’s fascinating past and hear captivating stories from knowledgeable guides.

Experience the Spirit of the Klondike

Now that you’ve delved into the cultural and historical significance of Dawson City, Yukon, it’s time to experience the spirit of the Klondike for yourself. From exploring Jack London’s cabin to trying your luck at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, there’s something for everyone in this vibrant town. Don’t forget to climb Midnight Dome for breathtaking views and immerse yourself in the poetry of Robert Service at his historic cabin. And if you’re interested in learning about First Nations culture, be sure to visit the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre. So pack your bags and get ready for an adventure like no other – Dawson City is waiting for you!

How can I get to Dawson City?

To reach Dawson City, you have a few options. You can fly directly into Dawson City Airport from Whitehorse or take a scenic drive along the Klondike Highway from Whitehorse or Alaska. Another unique way to arrive is by taking a paddlewheel cruise up the Yukon River.

What is the best time to visit Dawson City?

The best time to visit Dawson City is during the summer months from June to August when temperatures are milder and many events and festivals take place. However, if you’re interested in seeing the Northern Lights, visiting during winter can be a magical experience.

Are there accommodations available in Dawson City?

Yes, there are several accommodations available in Dawson City ranging from cozy bed and breakfasts to hotels and cabins. It’s recommended to book your accommodation in advance, especially during peak tourist seasons.

Can I pan for gold in Dawson City?

Yes! You can try your hand at gold panning in various locations around Dawson City, including Bonanza Creek where gold was first discovered during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Are there any guided tours available in Dawson City?

Absolutely! There are several guided tours available in Dawson City that offer insights into the town’s history, culture, and natural beauty. Whether you prefer walking tours or river cruises, there’s a tour for every interest.

The Meandering Traveler

A Travel Blog with Travel Tips and Interesting Facts

New Holland America Tour in Yukon’s Dawson City Plus Updates to Denali Resort

Many cruise guests headed to Alaska enjoy learning about 19th century Gold Rush-era history at Skagway, AK . For the full picture, though, also consider a visit to Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon Territory. Just announced, a new, complimentary Holland America tour in Dawson City will allow guests to dive deeper into Gold Rush history.

Heading out on the new “Klondike Gold Tour,” cruisers will visit the original discovery claim site that launched the Gold Rush. They’ll also see Gold Dredge 4. That’s a preserved wooden-hulled dredge once used to mine gold in the Klondike River Valley.

During the tour, a Parks Canada guide will share tales of local gold dredging history and the first discovery of Yukon gold.

Dawson City: New Holland America Tour

Starting in 2024, Holland America will offer this included tour on select Denali and Yukon cruisetours. It’s also worth noting that Holland America Line is the only line that transports guests for touring and overnight stays within Canada’s Yukon Territory.

“The Yukon Territory is where the Klondike Gold Rush began,” says Dan Rough, Holland America’s vice president of revenue management. This new tour “will give our guests a first-hand encounter with an important part of North American history and in-depth insight into this era.”

What’s special for history buffs? Holland America gives guests a chance to explore both the beginning and end of the Klondike trail – from Skagway to the Yukon.

Facts about the Klondike Gold Rush

To whet your interest in an Alaska cruisetour that includes the Yukon, here are a few facts about the Klondike Gold Rush.

• Gold was first discovered in the Yukon’s Rabbit Creek on August 16, 1896.
• Those first “discoverers” were Charlie Tagish, Jim Skookum and Carmack George.
• That triggered a migration by 100,000 prospectors between 1896 and 1899.
• Most prospectors were just ordinary folks, not miners by trade.
• In reality, only 30,000 to 40,000 gold seekers actually completed the harsh journey to the Klondike.
• They traveled via two main trails to reach Dawson City in the Klondike. One was the White Horse Pass from Skagway, another the Chilkoot Trail from Dyea near Skagway.
• The trails were harsh, claiming many lives, both of people and pack animals.
• One portion of the White Horse Pass was actually named Dead Horse Pass for the loss of horses along the route.
• Klondike prospectors saw a trip to the Yukon’s gold strike region as a chance to get rich quick! So, they considered it worth the effort.
• Here’s one link for other historical tidbits . Plus, the U.S. National Park Service site has good information about the Klondike Gold Rush.

Yukon and Denali Cruisetours

Holland America Line’s Yukon and Denali Cruisetours range from nine to 18 days. They include either a three- or four-day “Inside Passage” cruise on Koningsdam  or  Zaandam , or a seven-day “Glacier Discovery” cruise on  Nieuw Amsterdam  or  Noordam.

Guests also receive a two- or three-night stay at Denali so guests can head out to explore Denali National Park; a journey into the Yukon with one or two nights in Dawson City; and more.

2024 Denali Cruisetours

Some travelers may opt for a Denali Cruisetour that doesn’t include Dawson City but rather a seven-day “Glacier Discovery” cruise featuring Glacier Bay, either College Fjord or Hubbard Glacier, cruising of the Inside Passage, up to three nights at McKinley Chalet Resort, and more.

But those still provide insight into Gold Rush-era history. At Skagway, for instance, guests might head out on Holland America shore excursions such as the  Gold Fever Experience  including panning for gold; riding the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad to Liarsville Gold Camp ; and visiting the Gold Rush Cemetery   and Historic Skagway Inn (the largest brothel in Skagway during the Gold Rush-era).

For the full list of Holland America’s Alaska cruises and Denali and Yukon cruisetours, visit this official website page.  

McKinley Chalet Resort and Denali Square

Every Yukon and Denali Cruisetour includes a stay at the 68-acre McKinley Chalet Resort. It’s owned and operated by Westmark Hotels & Inns, a subsidiary of Holland America.

The resort is located near the entrance to Denali National Park . Guests will discover a reception hall, dining facilities and guest rooms.

What’s new for summer season 2024? First, balconies are being added to 28 river view rooms at the resort. So, that will upgrade them to the Denali Suite category. In total, the resort will soon offer 84 Denali Suites.

Second, Holland America will also upgrade 45 non-balcony rooms to include all the suite amenities. Those will include a “s’more kit” to enjoy at Denali Square (a nearby gathering area with restaurants, amphitheater, fire pits, outdoor seating and more).

Plus, guests will have use of Pendleton blankets, premium bathrobes and a Keurig coffee machine. Those upgrades will create a new Deluxe room category of accommodations.

If you have questions about the new categories, your personal travel planner can assist. He or she can also find the right Holland America itinerary for your travel style and budget. Be sure to ask about any unadvertised discounts or amenity perks the agency may offer.

New Holland America Tour and Resort Updates

“We are consistently evolving our Alaska Cruisetour product by adding new amenities that will enhance the overall experience and opportunities to learn more about the destination,” says Rough. “Increasing the balcony rooms at McKinley Chalet Resort offers even more visitors the opportunity to take in the incredible views, and adding the Deluxe category allows additional guests to have an elevated stay at the property.”

Standard rooms are included in the cruisetour fare. In turn, the upgraded Deluxe and Suite rooms are available to book for an additional fee.

Again, to see the full list of all Holland America Alaska cruises as well as Denali and Yukon cruisetours, visit this official website page.  

“For questions about pricing, accommodations and itineraries, as well as booking, consult your personal travel planner ,” says Shelby Steudle , president, Pavlus Travel. “We’ll help you get started on your vacation journey to the Klondike region via a Holland America cruisetour.”

To learn about what else is happening in Alaska, check out The Meandering Traveler’s previous what’s new in Alaska blog. It provides additional insight about what’s to see and do for those heading to America’s Last Frontier.

Important Notes from  Pavlus Travel

• For information about the best deals, sign up for Pavlus’ email newsletter, which  spotlights terrific pricing  on a multitude of cruise and travel options. Readers can simply add their email to the sign-up box on the top right corner of the  Pavlus Travel website .
• If anything tweaks your interest in this blog above, and you DO have questions about specific pricing, brochures, savings, accommodations, accessible options and so on, please contact us at   800-528-9300. 
• Or  visit us online at Pavlus Travel’s official agency Web site;  t here you can “live chat” with us online too!
• This blog site provides “basic, general information” about travel. It’s not staffed by travel advisors.
• Any price examples and included vacation features in blogs are subject to change. They also don’t represent the full range of options; a travel advisor can assist with additional information.
• Please don’t use the Reply Section below if you are asking for pricing, travel dates, accommodations, brochures or other specific requests. Please use the 800 number or online link. 

Susan J. Young

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17 Unique Things to do in Dawson City, Yukon

Last Updated on March 7, 2024

Dawson City is one of my absolute favorite towns in the entire world . I’ve been lucky enough to visit many times, when I lived in Skagway and when I lived in Fairbanks . I’ve also had the chance to visit since then while updating the Milepost. Dawson is in Canada’s stunning Yukon Territory north of British Columbia and east of Alaska.

Combine the location with extensive history and culture and friendly locals and lots of quirky and unique things to do, it’s impossible not to love Dawson City. It is well set up for visitors, but doesn’t feel crowded. There are so many interesting things to do in Dawson City , from learning about the Klondike Gold Rush to exploring First Nations Culture to hiking the wild beauty of Tombstone Territorial Park.

Dawson City isn’t easy to get to, it’s a long day’s drive from Fairbanks and a slightly shorter, but still long way from Whitehorse. For travelers who like to get off the beaten path, Dawson City is an ideal place to add to your Yukon or Alaska itinerary.

This area has long been and still is home to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations people. After the discovery of gold along Bonanza Creek in 1896, Dawson exploded to become the largest city north of Seattle with 30-50,000 people by 1898. In addition to prospective miners, Dawson was filled with high end entertainment and services for those joining in the gold rush. Today Dawson is home to less than 2000 people and tons of adventure and history. It’s a small community far away from major airports and it is absolutely worth the effort to get to this unique and unforgettable town.

• How to Get to Dawson City

How many days do you need to visit Dawson City?

• Explore Historic Downtown Dawso n

Learn about First Nations Culture at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre

• Join the SourToe Cocktail Club

Ride the George Black Ferry

• Explore the Paddlewheeler Graveyard
• Check out a restored Paddlewheeler
• Visit Author’s Row and the Jack London Museum

Catch a show at the Palace Grand Theatre

• Try your luck at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall

Try Gold Panning

• Dive into Klondike Gold Rush History at Gold Dredge #4 and the Discovery Claim on Bonanza Creek
• Hike or Drive to big views on Midnight Dome
• Paddle the Yukon River

Drive Top of the World Highway

• Take a Hike or Scenic Drive to Tombstone Territorial Park

Chase the Northern Lights or the Midnight Sun

• Dawson City’s Unique Community Festivals

How to get to Dawson City

Dawson City is in the remote northern part of Canada’s Yukon Territory , and it’s not easy to get to! This is part of what makes it such a fun place to visit and it’s absolutely worth the effort to get there.

Note: Dawson City is NOT the same place as Dawson Creek, British Columbia , the official start of the Alaska Highway.

How to get to Dawson City by Air

To get to Dawson City by Air, you can fly from Whitehorse , the largest town in the Yukon. Whitehorse has multiple flights a day from Vancouver as well as other Canadian cities.

How to Drive to Dawson City from Whitehorse or Alaska

Driving from whitehorse to dawson city on the klondike highway.

This scenic 330 mile/530 kilometer drive takes about 6 hours in good weather. The road is in good condition, though there are very few services and limited cell phone service. In the summer months, scheduled bus transportation is available between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The Klondike Highway is open all year.

Driving to Dawson City from Alaska over Top of the World Highway

Top of the World Highway is one of the most stunning stretches of road I’ve been on. The remoteness and the scenery are incredible, especially in fall which is early September here.

The road is partially gravel and partially paved , with many steep drop offs without guardrails. Take it super slow (plan on it taking AT LEAST 5 hours to go from Tok to Dawson) and watch out for the dropoffs! You won’t want to hurry on this road anyway, it’s so incredibly beautiful.

There are no services between Tok, Alaska and Dawson except in Chicken (yes, there’s a town in Alaska called Chicken). Chicken is 108 miles from Dawson and Tok is 175 miles from Dawson. The total driving distance from Fairbanks to Dawson is about 400 miles and the total driving distance from Anchorage to Dawson is about 500 miles. Top of the World Highway closes in winter. There is very little cell service along this route.

There are two other important things to note if you are driving from Alaska on Top of the World Highway:

• The border crossing between Alaska and the Yukon closes at night . The last time I was there, the border closed at 8pm Alaska time/9pm Yukon time. If you miss the border opening you’ll have to wait at the border until the next day. The border crossing is not open as early or late as the road is so it’s important to check on the current dates for the border season. There is a one hour time change between Alaska and Canada at the border.
• Top of the World Highway ends on the west side of the Yukon River, directly across from Dawson City. There is a free ferry called the George Black ferry which takes cars and people across the river from mid May through sometime in October. The exact timing depends on when the river is free of ice and when it starts to freeze up again in the fall. The ferry crossing is short (less than 10 minutes) but you may need to wait a bit before you can cross.

I recommend spending two nights in Dawson City, giving yourself a full day to explore. If you can make it three nights, you’ll have two full days in town, giving you plenty of opportunity to see everything the town has to offer as well as fit in a hike or a tour on the river. This will also give you time to get out to the Discovery Claim and Gold Dredge #4.

If you only have one day, you’ll still have time to take in the town and get out to the Discovery Claim, but it will be a busy day and you’ll have to make some choices about what to see.

Explore Historic Downtown Dawson City

Walking around historic downtown Dawson City is a great way to get started and get a feel for where you are. Pop into the Visitor Information Center to get the latest happenings around town and get all of your questions answered. This is a good place to get information on any tours you might want to book during your stay. You can also find maps and a ton of informaton. Get tickets here for the Klondike National Historic Site walking tours , a great way to get oriented and catch up on gold rush history!

Parks Canada also offers an interpretive tour of the restored Palace Grand Theatre.

The Dawson City Museum is another great place to learn about the natural and cultural history of this part of the Yukon.

You can further explore the historic buildings from the wooden boardwalks, checking out shops and restaurants and more!

My favorite shop in Dawson is Maxmillien’s Gold Rush Emporium. Maxmillien’s is an amazing independent bookstore with an impressive selection of maps . One of the many fun shops in historic downtown Dawson, you can also find gifts from the Yukon and souvenirs to remember your trip.

In addition to the perfectly restored historic buildings, some have been left as they were and you can see what happens to old buildings build on frozen ground! They start to sink or tilt when some of that frozen ground melts.

Long before the Klondike Gold Rush made Dawson City famous around the world, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nations people lived and thrived here for generations. Today, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people are self governing and continue to steward the land and culture for modern people and those in the future.

At the Cultural Centre, you can see exhibits and learn about the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people’s language, stories and culture from the people who have stewarded this land for generations.

Join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club – or enjoy a less gross cocktail

The Sourtoe Cocktail is a world famous activity at the Sourdough Saloon (worth a visit even if you don’t want to become a member of the club). The Sourdough Saloon is in the Downtown Hotel and offers food and drinks in a fun historic setting.

Becoming a member of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club (I’m a member!) involves taking an oath, taking a shot which has a preserved human toe in it which you have to touch your mouth to (ack! I know!) and then getting a certificate. I know it sounds gross, and it is, but it’s the kind of fun and quirky thing you can totally do if you get caught up in the moment.

Another bar with lots of local flavor and great live music is the Westminster Hotel, known as the Pit . Another quirky bar to add to your experience in Dawson City!

Even if you’re not driving Top of the World Highway, I highly recommend a quick ferry ride across the Yukon River on the George Black ferry. This is a really unique experience and if you don’t have a car you can just walk on. The ferry runs 24 hours a day in summer and it’s free.

Explore wrecked boats in the Paddle Wheeler Graveyard

The Paddlewheeler Graveyard is one of my absolute favorite things to do in Dawson City because it’s so unique and unusual . For 50 years starting at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush at the turn of the last century, paddlewheelers where the primary way that people and cargo got around in the Yukon. Hundreds of these boats traveled the Yukon River as well as along the Pacific Northwest Coast.

As airplanes and roads replaced them, many were tied up next to the river across from town. Over time the river and especially the breakup of the river in the spring smashed them until they are now warped wreckages of their former glory. You can walk around (be careful!) and explore a very different time in the world of transportation.

To get there, you’ll need to take the George Black ferry across the river (if you are driving Top of the World Highway you can check it out as you arrive or leave since you’ll already be taking the ferry). Once on the west side of the Yukon River (opposite town) go through the campground to the far side and then go a little further either through the brush (make noise and pay attention in case of bears) or beach (if the water level permits) and then you’ll see it!

Visit the Restored Paddle Wheeler SS Keno

Before or after you check out the Paddlewheeler graveyard, check out the SS Keno National Historic Site , operated by Parks Canada. From the 1920s until the 1950s, the Keno supplied the mining activity along the Stewart River in the Yukon. When roads replaced the sternwheelers, she was dry docked in Whitehorse and then later restored and brought to Dawson City. Today you can see the Keno on Front Street along Dawson’s waterfront.

Jack London Museum and Author’s Row

Along 8th Street on the edge of town, is what is known as “Authors Row”, a collection of cabins inhabited by well known authors of the past. Jack London spent a winter here and you can see what life was like in a cabin in the winter. Spoiler alert – Jack London did not love it.

You can also see the Robert Service cabin and memorize some of his well known poetry about the north.

The Pierre Berton cottage is now a place for Canadian authors in residence who can stay for a time to work on their writing. Pick up one of Pierre Berton’s excellent history books about the Klondike if you’d like to read more about the gold rush!

When the original building was built in 1899, the Palace Grand Theatre was an opera house every bit as beautiful and well equipped as anything in San Francisco or a big European City, giving it the name “Paris of the North”.

An exact replica (with modern safety features), was built in 1962 and today you can catch a show in the summer in this beautiful building. Ask at the visitor centre for the current schedule and offerings.

Try your luck at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s – Canada’s Oldest Casino

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, Canada’s oldest casino, has casino games as well as Cancan shows and is a fun way to step back in time! Operating since 1971, the building itself was built in 1901 and renovated to take guests back to gold rush days. They also have a full bar with local beer and a long list of Klondike themed cocktails.

Gold put Dawson City on the map, so there’s no better place to try your hand at gold panning! At Claim 33, you can learn how to gold pan and use their supplies to try it out, along with a small museum and gift shop.

If you want to strike out on your own , you can head to Free Claim #6, near where the original Klondike claim was. Here you can pan for gold to your heart’s content but you’ll need to bring your own gold pan (buy one in downtown Dawson).

Experience the Klondike Gold Rush at Gold Dredge #4 and the Discovery Claim

If you really want to learn about the Klondike Gold Rush, do not miss driving out Bonanza Creek to the Discovery Claim and Gold Dredge #4.

As you drive about 20 minutes outside of Dawson, you’ll see the impact over a century of gold minging has had on this valley. From the Discovery Claim in 1896, where miners used gold pans to look for specks of gold in Bonanza Creek, to the enormous dredges of the mid 20th century, to today’s mining equipment, you’ll really get a feel for gold fever through time. Gold continues to be a major part of the economy in Dawson City.

The Dredge and Discovery Claim are Parks Canada National Historic Sites. Book a tour in town at the visitor centre before you head out and learn all the ins and outs of gold placer mining.

The Discovery Claim has an interpretive sign about the first gold found here, but what I really love about this spot is how beautiful and reflective it is.

Paddle or walk the Yukon River

For the adventurous, book a tour to canoe or raft the Yukon or Klondike Rivers for a few days! Experience the Yukon as humans have for centuries. You can start or end in Dawson and design your own adventure or join one already happening.

If that sounds like too much, spend some time walking along the trail along the river. You don’t want to miss spending some time with this epic North American River. The path is gravel, wide and flat though there are stairs in places to get up to it.

If you have a car that can go on gravel roads and a bit of extra time, I highly recommend driving Top of the World Highway. Even if you are not planning to drive to Alaska, the views along this highway are stunning and you do indeed feel like you’re on top of the world!

Hike or Drive to the Incredible View at Midnight Dome

Expansive views of Dawson City as well as the surrounding landscape and the mighty Yukon River abound at the summit of Midnight Dome.

To drive to the top of Midnight Dome , follow appropriately named Dome Road out of town. It winds up and takes you straight there in about 15 minutes.

If you prefer to hike it , grab a map at the visitor centre downtown and ask about the different route options. Starting from downtown, you’ll climb about 2000 feet (600 meters) in about 5 miles round trip.

Take a Hike or drive to Tombstone Territorial Park

An hour and a half from Dawson City, Tombstone Territorial Park is an outdoor lovers paradise. A possible day trip or multi day camping trip from Dawson, start your adventure at the Tombstone Interpretive Centre. The Centre is open late May through September and has wheelchair accessible toilets. There is also a short nature trail here that is wheelchair accessible.

Tombstone is a remote park with no services and no cell phone service, north of Dawson City on the gravel Dempster Highway . Make sure you have food and water and all your supplies for your trip including a good spare tire and tire changing equipment.

The Interpretive Centre has maps and information about camping, backpacking and hiking trails. In addition to rugged and beautiful scenery, Tombstone is an excellent place to see wildlife. Make sure to check on the latest bear activity and any areas that may be closed for wildlife activity. Follow all guidance from park staff and information boards about bear safety while visiting.

Driving from Dawson City to Tombstone Territorial park is stunning by itself, so those who are not hikers can still enjoy the drive and the Interpretive Centre. You’ve come this far, whey not a bit farther to see some of the most stunning scenery in the Yukon!

Depending on the time of year, Dawson City is an ideal place to experience the unique wonders of the Far North. In winter (September through March), keep your yees on the sky to see the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis.

From April through August, enjoy long evenings, no darkness and see. theMidnight Sun from Midnight Dome (a long standing local tradition).

Join in a Local Festival

Dawson has a ton of local festivals and events that are worth planning a trip around! Visiting for an event will add to your experience and give you an even more intimate feel for the people of Dawson City. Some of the festivals during the summer months include:

• Indigenous People’s Day – Hän singing, storytelling and celebration are part of this annual celebration in June
• Dawson City Music Festival – live music all around town for this weekend in July
• Discovery Days – a parade, mud bog races and more to celebrate the Klondike gold rush every year in August
• Klondike International Outhouse Race – form a team of four and decorate your “outhouse” and get your team in costume for a fun run (carrying the outhouse). Even if you’re just watching, it’s hilarious! The “outhouse” can be reserved and it’s basically a metal box on wheels that resembles an outhouse with metal poles for the runners to carry it. Your team provides the decorations!

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• Travel Destinations

Dawson City, Yukon: A Guide To The Town That Time Forgot

Published: September 7, 2023

Modified: December 27, 2023

by Reine Anderson

• Plan Your Trip
• Travel Essentials & Accessories
• Travel Guide
• Travel Tips

Introduction

Welcome to Dawson City, Yukon – a charming town that seems to be frozen in time. Tucked away in the vast wilderness of Canada’s North, Dawson City is a place where history comes to life and adventure awaits at every turn. With its rich heritage, stunning natural beauty, and vibrant cultural scene, it’s no wonder that Dawson City has become a popular destination for tourists from around the world.

Located at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers, Dawson City was once the epicenter of the Klondike Gold Rush, which attracted thousands of fortune seekers in the late 1800s. Today, the town still retains its gold rush charm, with well-preserved buildings and a nostalgic atmosphere that transports visitors back in time.

Getting to Dawson City is an adventure in itself. You can choose to fly in to Dawson City Airport, or take the scenic route by driving along the iconic Klondike Highway. The journey is filled with breathtaking vistas of snow-capped mountains, winding rivers, and dense forests, making it a memorable experience for nature lovers.

Dawson City experiences a subarctic climate, with long, cold winters and brief, mild summers. If you’re planning to visit, be sure to pack warm clothing and prepare for some chilly temperatures, especially during the winter months.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll take you on a journey to explore the best attractions, activities, and dining options that Dawson City has to offer. Whether you’re a history buff, outdoor enthusiast, or simply looking for a unique and unforgettable travel experience, Dawson City is sure to captivate your heart.

History of Dawson City

The history of Dawson City is deeply intertwined with the Klondike Gold Rush, which started in 1896 when gold was discovered in Bonanza Creek. The news of this gold discovery spread like wildfire, attracting thousands of aspiring miners from all corners of the globe.

Originally inhabited by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people, the area that would become Dawson City was first settled by European fur traders in the 1840s. It served as a trading post and a transportation route for goods traveling between Alaska and the rest of Canada. However, everything changed with the arrival of gold prospectors.

In just two years, the population of Dawson City surged from a mere handful to over 30,000 people, making it the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of San Francisco. The booming town became a hub of excitement and opportunity, drawing people from diverse backgrounds in search of their fortunes.

Life in Dawson City during the gold rush era was anything but glamorous. Miners endured treacherous journeys to reach the Klondike region, facing harsh weather conditions, dangerous terrain, and the constant fear of running out of supplies. Once they arrived, they faced grueling work in the goldfields, battling freezing temperatures and back-breaking labor.

The gold rush brought not only wealth but also a sense of lawlessness and chaos to Dawson City. Gambling, prostitution, and other vices were rampant, earning the town a reputation as a wild and lawless frontier. Despite the hardships, many people were drawn to the promise of striking it rich, hoping to build a better life for themselves and their families.

While the gold rush eventually declined, leaving many disillusioned and financially ruined, Dawson City managed to preserve its rich heritage. Today, it stands as a living testament to the determination and resilience of those who sought their fortune in the Klondike Gold Rush.

Walking through the streets of Dawson City, you’ll find beautifully restored buildings that reflect the architecture and design of the gold rush era. Many of these buildings have been converted into museums, shops, and restaurants, giving visitors a glimpse into the town’s fascinating past.

Exploring the history of Dawson City is like stepping into a time machine. You can visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site, where you’ll learn about the hardships faced by gold seekers and witness mining demonstrations. The Dawson City Museum is another must-visit attraction, showcasing artifacts and stories from the gold rush era and beyond.

The history of Dawson City is deeply rooted in the gold rush, and its legacy continues to shape the town’s identity. Today, it is not only a historical destination but also a thriving community that embraces its past while looking towards the future.

Getting to Dawson City

While Dawson City may be tucked away in the remote wilderness of Yukon, getting there is easier than you might think. Whether you prefer to fly, drive, or take a scenic journey by river, there are several options to reach this historic town.

If you’re traveling from outside of Yukon, the most common way to reach Dawson City is by flying into Dawson City Airport (YDA). Several airlines offer regular flights from major cities such as Whitehorse, Vancouver, and Calgary. The short flight to Dawson City provides stunning aerial views of the rugged landscape, giving you a taste of the scenic beauty that awaits.

For those seeking a more adventurous and scenic route, driving to Dawson City is a popular choice. The iconic Klondike Highway connects Dawson City to Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. The highway offers awe-inspiring views of mountains, rivers, and forests, making it a journey to remember. Keep in mind that the highway conditions can vary, especially during winter, so be sure to check for any road closures or hazardous conditions before setting off.

If you’re up for a unique and unforgettable experience, consider taking a riverboat tour to Dawson City. The Yukon River, which flows through the heart of Dawson City, was once the primary mode of transportation for gold prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush. Today, you can follow in their footsteps by embarking on a guided riverboat tour from Whitehorse to Dawson City. The journey showcases the untamed beauty of the Yukon River and allows you to immerse yourself in the history and wilderness of the region.

Once you’ve arrived in Dawson City, getting around town is best done by foot or bicycle. The compact size of the town makes it easy to navigate, and you’ll have the opportunity to soak in the historic charm at your own pace. If you prefer, there are also car rental options available for those who want to explore the surrounding areas or venture out on longer trips.

Whether you choose to fly, drive, or take a riverboat tour, the journey to Dawson City is part of the adventure. The anticipation builds as you make your way through the breathtaking landscapes, eager to immerse yourself in the history and charm that await in this enchanting town.

Climate and Weather

Dawson City experiences a subarctic climate, characterized by long, cold winters and brief, mild summers. The town’s location in the northern part of Canada means that it is subject to extreme temperature variations throughout the year.

Winter in Dawson City lasts from November to March, and temperatures can plummet well below freezing. Average daytime temperatures range from -10°C to -20°C (14°F to -4°F), but it’s not uncommon for temperatures to drop even lower during the coldest months. The town is known for its long, dark nights during the winter season, with only a few hours of daylight each day. However, the pristine beauty of the snow-covered landscape and the magical Northern Lights dancing across the sky make it a unique and mesmerizing winter destination.

Spring arrives slowly in Dawson City, generally starting in April and continuing through May. Temperatures start to warm up, but it can still be quite chilly, with average daytime temperatures ranging from -5°C to 5°C (23°F to 41°F). Spring is also the season of melting snow, which can cause occasional flooding in low-lying areas.

Summer in Dawson City is short but refreshing. It typically begins in late June and lasts until August. During this time, temperatures can range from 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F), making it the most pleasant time to visit. The long summer days bring extended daylight hours, giving you ample time to explore the town and enjoy outdoor activities under the midnight sun.

Fall in Dawson City begins in September and lasts through October. The temperatures start to drop, and you can expect crisp, cool days with average temperatures ranging from 5°C to 15°C (41°F to 59°F). It’s a beautiful time to visit if you want to experience the breathtaking autumn colors that blanket the surrounding forests.

When visiting Dawson City, it’s important to pack clothing suitable for the climate. In winter, be sure to bring warm winter coats, hats, gloves, and insulated boots to protect against the cold. Layering your clothing is key, as temperatures can vary throughout the day. In the summer, pack lightweight and breathable clothing, along with sunscreen and insect repellent for protection against the sun and bugs.

Whether you embrace the winter wonderland or bask in the warmth of summer, experiencing the unique climate and weather of Dawson City adds to the overall adventure and charm of this historic town.

Attractions in Dawson City

Dawson City is a treasure trove of attractions, offering a diverse range of experiences that cater to history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, and culture seekers. From museums and historic sites to unique experiences and natural wonders, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this charming town.

One of the must-visit attractions in Dawson City is the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site. Step back in time as you explore the restored buildings and exhibits that depict the struggles and triumphs of the gold rush era. Pan for gold along the Bonanza Creek, where the gold rush began, and gain a deeper understanding of the hardships endured by the prospectors in their quest for fortune.

No visit to Dawson City is complete without a visit to Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall. This lively casino transports you back to the days of the gold rush, with can-can dancers, blackjack tables, and a raucous atmosphere. Test your luck, enjoy a live performance, and immerse yourself in the vibrant entertainment that this iconic establishment offers.

For a deeper dive into the history and culture of the region, head to the Dawson City Museum. Housed in a beautifully restored building, the museum showcases artifacts, photographs, and exhibits that tell the story of Dawson City’s past. From indigenous history to the gold rush era and beyond, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the town’s rich heritage.

Another fascinating attraction is the SS Keno National Historic Site. This preserved riverboat provides a glimpse into the transportation methods of the gold rush era. Take a guided tour aboard the ship and explore the historic quarters, engine room, and cargo holds, learning about the role that riverboats played in the development of Dawson City.

Literature enthusiasts will appreciate a visit to the Robert Service Cabin, the former residence of the renowned poet and writer. The cabin has been preserved as a museum and offers a fascinating glimpse into the life and work of Robert Service, who was inspired by the rugged beauty and unique character of the Yukon.

For a truly unique and daring experience, stop by the Downtown Hotel and try the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail. This peculiar tradition involves drinking a cocktail garnished with a preserved human toe. While it may sound bizarre, this unusual ritual has become a legendary part of Dawson City’s culture and attracts adventurers from around the world.

These are just a few highlights of the many attractions that await you in Dawson City. Whether you’re exploring the history of the gold rush, immersing yourself in the cultural scene, or seeking unique experiences, you’ll find a wealth of options to keep you entertained and intrigued in this captivating town.

Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site

The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site is an essential stop for history enthusiasts and those seeking to immerse themselves in the fascinating era of the gold rush. Located in Dawson City, this historic site provides a glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the men and women who flocked to the Klondike region in search of fortune.

The site offers a variety of exhibits and experiences that bring the gold rush era to life. Begin your visit by exploring the interpretive center, where you can learn about the history of the gold rush through informative displays, artifacts, and multimedia presentations. Discover the stories of the prospectors who made the arduous journey to the Klondike, facing harsh conditions and treacherous terrain.

One of the highlights of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site is the opportunity to try your hand at gold panning. Experienced guides provide instruction on the traditional techniques used by miners during the gold rush. Grab a pan, dip it into the water, and swirl it around to separate the gold from the gravel. It’s a chance to connect with the past and experience firsthand the excitement and anticipation that gripped the gold seekers of the time.

Take a stroll along the Bonanza Creek, where the first gold discovery was made. Follow in the footsteps of the early prospectors, imagining the bustling activity that once filled the creek. The site features well-preserved historic buildings, including cabins and a blacksmith shop, which provide a glimpse into the daily lives of those who called this rugged land home during the gold rush.

For a deeper understanding of the mining operations of the time, take a guided tour of the Dredge No. 4. This massive floating factory played a crucial role in the gold mining industry, extracting gold from the creek beds. Step aboard and explore the dredge, marveling at the engineering ingenuity of the era and learning about the backbreaking work that went into extracting the precious metal.

Visiting the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site is a chance to step back in time and gain a profound appreciation for the determination and resilience of those who sought their fortune in the Klondike. The site offers a captivating blend of history, education, and hands-on experiences that make the gold rush era come alive. Whether you’re an avid history buff or simply intrigued by the allure of the gold rush, this historic site is a must-visit destination in Dawson City.

Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall

Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall is one of Dawson City’s most iconic and entertaining attractions. Step into this lively casino, and you’ll be transported back to the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, immersing yourself in the vivacious spirit and vibrant atmosphere of the era.

Named after a legendary dancer, Diamond Tooth Gerties offers an authentic glimpse into the wild and lively entertainment scene of the gold rush days. The hall features a variety of games of chance, including blackjack, poker, roulette, and slot machines, providing plenty of opportunities for a thrilling night out. Test your luck at the tables, and who knows? You might strike it rich, just like the prospectors of the past.

One of the highlights of the Diamond Tooth Gerties experience is the can-can show. Watch as talented can-can dancers take to the stage, performing energetic and captivating routines. The lively music, colorful costumes, and high-kicking dancers bring an authentic touch of the gold rush entertainment that once filled the streets of Dawson City.

Throughout the evening, Diamond Tooth Gerties hosts a variety of live entertainment, including live music performances and comedy acts. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as you soak up the lively atmosphere and revel in the excitement of the gold rush ambiance.

While you’re at Diamond Tooth Gerties, be sure to indulge in the tasty treats and refreshing beverages available at the bar. Savor a delicious cocktail or sample some local beers, enjoying the lively atmosphere and mingling with fellow visitors. It’s the perfect way to enhance your experience and add an extra touch of enjoyment to your evening.

Diamond Tooth Gerties is more than just a casino and entertainment venue – it’s a place where history comes alive. The hall’s decor, reminiscent of the gold rush era, adds to the nostalgic charm, immersing you in the allure and excitement of the past. It’s a unique and immersive experience that offers a glimpse into the roaring entertainment scene that captivated gold rush adventurers.

No trip to Dawson City is complete without a visit to Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall. Whether you’re a fan of casino games, lively entertainment, or simply want to experience the authentic spirit of the gold rush, you’ll find it all at this iconic venue. Embrace the vibrant energy, raise a glass to the past, and enjoy an unforgettable night of fun and excitement.

Dawson City Museum

The Dawson City Museum is a fascinating attraction that offers a deep dive into the rich history and heritage of Dawson City and the surrounding Yukon region. Housed in a beautifully restored historic building, this museum is a treasure trove of artifacts, photographs, and exhibits that bring the stories of the past to life.

As you step inside the museum, you’ll be greeted with a comprehensive overview of Dawson City’s history, starting from the First Nations settlements that existed long before the gold rush. Explore the Indigenous history and culture of the region, gaining a deeper understanding of the people who have called this land home for centuries.

The museum’s exhibits cover a wide range of topics, including the Klondike Gold Rush, pioneer life, transportation, and natural history. Learn about the challenges and triumphs of the gold rush era through captivating displays that showcase the lives of the prospectors who flocked to the region in search of fortune.

One of the highlights of the Dawson City Museum is the extensive collection of artifacts that provide a glimpse into the daily lives of the people who lived in the area during the gold rush. From personal belongings and tools to clothing and household items, these artifacts offer an intimate look at the struggles, successes, and ordinary moments of those who shaped the town’s history.

Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the museum’s vast collection of historic photographs, which document the evolution of Dawson City from its early days to the present. These images transport you back in time, showcasing the vibrant streets, bustling businesses, and the spirit of the gold rush era.

The museum also hosts temporary exhibits that delve into specific aspects of the area’s history and culture, ensuring that there is always something new and engaging to discover. These exhibits provide a deeper exploration of topics such as Indigenous art, contemporary issues, and the impact of the gold rush on the environment and society.

Visiting the Dawson City Museum is like embarking on a journey through time. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the region’s past, its people, and the forces that shaped its development. The museum’s knowledgeable staff are always on hand to answer questions and provide insight, enriching your experience and enhancing your appreciation for the rich history of Dawson City and the Yukon.

Whether you’re a curious history enthusiast or simply intrigued by the unique stories of the past, the Dawson City Museum is a must-visit destination during your time in Dawson City. Immerse yourself in the town’s fascinating history, broaden your knowledge, and gain a deeper appreciation for the people and events that have shaped this remarkable community.

SS Keno National Historic Site

The SS Keno National Historic Site is a fascinating attraction in Dawson City that offers a glimpse into the rich history of river transportation during the Klondike Gold Rush. This well-preserved riverboat provides a unique opportunity to step back in time and explore the engineering marvels and challenges of navigating the Yukon River during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The SS Keno is a paddlewheel steamboat that was once part of a fleet that plied the Yukon River, carrying supplies, passengers, and, most importantly, gold. The boat’s construction was completed in 1922, and it played a vital role in transporting goods up and down the river, connecting remote communities and mining operations.

Today, the SS Keno has been meticulously restored and converted into a captivating museum. Step aboard and wander through the various sections of the boat, including the engine room, cargo holds, and the beautifully preserved captain’s quarters. The museum showcases the intricate workings of the steam engine, providing insights into the challenges faced by the crew members as they powered this mighty vessel through treacherous waters.

During your visit, knowledgeable guides are on hand to provide fascinating stories and details about the boat’s history, the river transportation industry, and the people who relied on these riverboats for their daily lives and livelihoods. Gain a deeper appreciation for the skill and dedication required to navigate the Yukon River during the gold rush era.

Exploring the SS Keno allows you to visualize and understand the crucial role that riverboats played in shaping the development of the region. At this national historic site, you can step into the shoes of those who worked on the river, experience the conditions they faced, and gain a firsthand understanding of the challenges and triumphs of river transportation.

Located on the banks of the Yukon River, the SS Keno offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape. Take a moment to soak in the natural beauty and tranquility of the river as you reflect on the stories and memories preserved within the walls of this historic vessel.

Whether you’re a history buff, a fan of engineering marvels, or simply curious about the unique transportation methods of the past, the SS Keno National Historic Site is a must-visit attraction in Dawson City. Immerse yourself in the history, appreciate the preservation efforts, and gain a deeper understanding of the important role that riverboats played in the development of the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush.

Robert Service Cabin

The Robert Service Cabin is a historic landmark in Dawson City that pays homage to the renowned poet and writer, Robert W. Service. This small log cabin, nestled in a tranquil setting, offers a glimpse into the life and work of the man often referred to as the “Bard of the Yukon.”

Robert Service, originally from Scotland, arrived in the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1898. Inspired by the rugged wilderness and the colorful characters he encountered, Service penned poems and stories that captured the essence of life in the Yukon during those adventurous times.

The Robert Service Cabin, preserved as a museum, provides visitors with an intimate look at the living space where Service resided during his time in Dawson City. Step inside the modest cabin and be transported back to the early 1900s, surrounded by the simple furnishings and personal items that depict life in the remote Yukon wilderness.

As you explore the cabin, take in the collection of artifacts that help bring Service’s life and work to life. Photographs, letters, and other personal items offer insight into his experiences and the impact that the Yukon had on his writing. Delve into his poetry, which often delved into themes of adventure, hardship, and the extraordinary characters that populated the gold rush era.

The grounds around the Robert Service Cabin are beautiful and serene, allowing visitors to truly appreciate the stunning natural surroundings that inspired the poet. Take a leisurely stroll along the pathways, perhaps even finding a quiet spot to sit and reflect on Service’s words amidst the tranquil setting of the Yukon wilderness.

The cabin itself is situated near the downtown area of Dawson City, making it easily accessible for visitors exploring the town’s other attractions. It’s a must-visit destination for literature enthusiasts and anyone seeking a deeper connection to the legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush era.

Whether you’re a fan of Robert Service’s poetry or simply intrigued by the history and culture of the Yukon, a visit to the Robert Service Cabin is a rewarding experience. Immerse yourself in the life and work of this celebrated poet, gain insight into the essence of the gold rush era, and find inspiration in the beauty of the surrounding landscape that captivated Robert Service’s imagination.

Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel

For those seeking a truly unique and daring experience in Dawson City, look no further than the Sourtoe Cocktail at the Downtown Hotel. This peculiar and infamous tradition has become a legendary part of the town’s culture, attracting adventurers from around the world.

The Sourtoe Cocktail is not your average drink. It is a cocktail garnished with a bizarre and unusual ingredient – a preserved human toe. The tradition dates back to the 1970s when Captain Dick Stevenson discovered a severed toe preserved in a jar. As a way to attract customers to the hotel’s bar, he challenged patrons to drink a shot with the toe touching their lips, adding the warning: “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe.”

The Downtown Hotel has since continued the tradition, acquiring a collection of several toes, some lost due to accidents or mishaps and others donated by generous individuals. Each Sourtoe Cocktail is carefully prepared with a secret recipe, allowing you to choose the spirit of your preference.

Partaking in the Sourtoe Cocktail is an experience that pushes the boundaries of adventure and thrill-seeking. It’s not for the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach. But for those willing to embrace the bizarre, it’s a story that will undoubtedly be shared and remembered for years to come.

Getting your lips around the toe might seem like a daunting challenge, but thousands have embraced the tradition and become members of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club. Upon completion, you’ll receive a certificate, joining a peculiar brotherhood of individuals who have pledged their dedication to this unique ritual.

While partaking in the Sourtoe Cocktail may seem unusual, it is rooted in the eccentric and adventurous spirit that embodies Dawson City. It has become an iconic symbol of the town’s history and allure, offering visitors a chance to connect with the wild and lawless reputation that Dawson City once held during the gold rush era.

If you’re up for a truly unforgettable experience, head to the legendary Downtown Hotel and raise a glass to the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail. With each sip, you’ll join the ranks of those brave enough to embrace the strange and unusual traditions that make Dawson City an extraordinary destination.

Activities in Dawson City

Dawson City offers a multitude of activities that cater to a wide range of interests and preferences. Whether you’re seeking outdoor adventures, cultural experiences, or a taste of the town’s rich history, there’s no shortage of things to do in this charming northern community.

Gold panning is a quintessential activity in Dawson City, allowing visitors to try their luck at finding gold, just as the early prospectors did during the Klondike Gold Rush. Join a guided tour or head out on your own to the nearby creeks and rivers where gold can still be found. With a pan in hand, sift through the gravel and experience the excitement of uncovering a glimmering speck of gold.

For a unique perspective of the town and its surrounding landscapes, consider taking a riverboat tour along the iconic Yukon River. These guided tours provide a relaxing and scenic way to explore the area, offering stunning views of the rugged wilderness and a chance to learn about the river’s role during the gold rush era.

Hiking enthusiasts will find plenty of opportunities to explore the natural beauty surrounding Dawson City. Lace up your hiking boots and hit the trails to discover hidden gems like the Midnight Dome, a popular spot offering panoramic views of the town and the Yukon River Valley. Explore the beautiful landscapes that inspired artists and writers throughout history.

No visit to Dawson City is complete without experiencing a can-can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall. This lively entertainment venue showcases energetic dance routines, live music, and a vibrant atmosphere that transports you back to the gold rush era. Sit back, relax, and enjoy an evening of entertainment and revelry.

Dawson City is also known for its vibrant festival scene. If you happen to visit during the summer months, you may have the chance to witness or participate in events such as the Dawson City Music Festival, the Thaw di Gras Spring Carnival, or the Discovery Days Festival. These festivals celebrate the town’s rich cultural heritage and provide a lively and festive atmosphere.

For those seeking a dose of history and culture, a visit to the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) is a must. Explore the galleries, attend art exhibits, and engage in workshops that showcase the talents of local and visiting artists. Immerse yourself in the vibrant arts and culture scene of Dawson City.

These are just a few of the many activities available in Dawson City. Whether you’re exploring the outdoors, attending festivals, or immersing yourself in the town’s history and cultural offerings, there’s no shortage of ways to make the most of your time in this captivating northern destination.

Gold Panning

Gold panning is an exhilarating activity that allows visitors to step back in time and experience the excitement of the Klondike Gold Rush firsthand. In Dawson City, surrounded by the same creeks and rivers that captivated fortune seekers over a century ago, you have the opportunity to try your hand at this age-old method of extracting gold from the earth.

Guided tours are readily available throughout the area, providing an immersive and educational experience. Knowledgeable guides offer demonstrations and provide all the necessary equipment, including pans and buckets, to get you started. They’ll share stories of the gold rush era, providing insight into the challenges faced by the prospectors and the techniques they employed in their search for precious metal.

The process of gold panning is simple yet captivating. You start by filling your pan with gravel and sediment from the riverbed, and then gently swirl the pan in the water, allowing the currents to wash away the lighter material. With patience and a little practice, you’ll develop the skills to identify the glimmers of gold among the remaining particles, often referred to as “paydirt.”

As you sift through the gravel, the anticipation builds. Each swirl of the pan brings the possibility of finding a glittering speck of gold. Finding your first flake or nugget offers a rush of excitement and a connection to the prospectors who once flocked to the area in search of untold riches.

Gold panning is not only a recreational activity but also a chance to immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the wilderness. As you stand in the cool waters of the creeks, surrounded by towering trees and breathtaking landscapes, you’ll gain a deep appreciation for the untamed beauty of the Yukon.

Whether you’re a seasoned prospector or a first-time gold panner, the experience of seeking gold in the rivers near Dawson City is unforgettable. It offers a glimpse into a bygone era and a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by those who ventured into the Klondike in search of dreams and fortune. Plus, the thrill of finding even a tiny fleck of gold will leave you with a lasting memory of your time in this historic region.

So, roll up your sleeves, grab a pan, and venture into the creeks and rivers surrounding Dawson City. Whether you strike it rich or not, the experience of gold panning is a true Yukon adventure that will leave you with stories to share and a newfound appreciation for the intrepid prospectors of the past.

Riverboat Tours

Embarking on a riverboat tour in Dawson City is a captivating way to explore the pristine wilderness and immerse yourself in the rich history of the region. The Yukon River, which played a crucial role during the Klondike Gold Rush, beckons visitors to experience the beauty and serenity of its waters while appreciating the historical significance of river transportation.

Guided riverboat tours offer a unique perspective on the landscape and give you the opportunity to learn about the river’s role in shaping the history and culture of Dawson City. As you meander along the Yukon River, your knowledgeable guide will share captivating stories and anecdotes about the gold rush era, the people who traveled these waters, and the challenges they faced.

These tours often take you to places that are only accessible by boat, revealing hidden gems and untouched landscapes. Cruise past towering cliffs, dense forests, and picturesque riverbanks, providing ample opportunity to spot wildlife and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the area.

One of the highlights of riverboat tours is the chance to witness remnants of the past, such as abandoned mining equipment, riverside settlements, and historic points of interest. Imagine the bustle and activity that once lined the shores, as you envision the riverboats of the past carrying miners, goods, and gold downriver.

During the tour, you may also have the opportunity to disembark and explore the surrounding areas on foot. Guided hikes allow you to delve deeper into the wilderness, discovering hidden trails and experiencing the untouched beauty of the Yukon up close.

As you cruise along the river, take in the tranquility and vastness of the landscape. The uninterrupted beauty of the rugged mountains, pristine waters, and endless skies evokes a sense of awe and appreciation for the untouched wilderness that still exists in this remote corner of the world.

Whether you choose a short riverboat excursion or a full-day tour, the experience of gliding down the Yukon River is an unforgettable adventure. Immerse yourself in the history, culture, and natural wonders that define Dawson City and the Yukon, and create memories that will last a lifetime.

So hop aboard a riverboat, relax as you journey through scenic landscapes, and let the gentle currents carry you into the heart of the Yukon’s past. Riverboat tours offer an enchanting and immersive experience that allows you to truly appreciate the beauty, history, and spirit of this remarkable region.

Hiking and Outdoor Adventures

Dawson City is a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, offering a wide range of hiking and outdoor adventure opportunities. With its pristine wilderness, breathtaking landscapes, and vast network of trails, this region beckons adventurers to explore its untamed beauty.

Whether you’re an experienced hiker or a leisurely walker, there are plenty of trails to suit every skill level. Lace up your hiking boots and embark on a journey of exploration and discovery as you immerse yourself in the natural wonders that surround Dawson City.

For panoramic views of the town and the stunning Yukon River Valley, head to the top of the Midnight Dome. This popular hiking spot offers a rewarding trek up a steep but well-maintained trail. Once you reach the summit, you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking vistas that stretch as far as the eye can see.

For a longer adventure, set out on the Dome Road Trail, a multi-day hiking route that takes you through alpine meadows, dense forests, and pristine valleys. Marvel at the diversity of flora and fauna, and immerse yourself in the tranquility of the wilderness as you camp under the starlit skies.

If you’re seeking a more leisurely experience, the Five Finger Rapids Trail is a picturesque option. This easy, well-marked trail winds along the banks of the Yukon River and offers spectacular views of the rapids and surrounding landscapes. Keep an eye out for wildlife and learn about the historical significance of this important section of the river.

For those with a taste for adventure, several river rafting and canoeing options are available. Paddle along the Yukon River, navigating its gentle currents and immersing yourself in the serenity of the waterways. Rafting and canoeing tours provide an opportunity to spot wildlife, explore secluded areas, and connect with the natural environment on a more intimate level.

For a unique outdoor experience, consider embarking on a multi-day trek along the historic Chilkoot Trail. This challenging trail takes you through rugged terrain and dense forests, retracing the footsteps of the Klondike gold seekers. Along the way, you’ll gain a deep appreciation for the arduous journey they took as you cross the border into Alaska.

It’s important to come prepared when venturing into the wilderness surrounding Dawson City. Carry necessary supplies, such as water, snacks, appropriate clothing, and bear safety essentials. Also, be mindful of the weather conditions and potential wildlife encounters.

Whether you’re conquering mountain peaks, strolling along scenic riverbanks, or embarking on a multi-day wilderness trek, the hiking and outdoor adventures in and around Dawson City offer a chance to reconnect with nature, challenge yourself, and create lasting memories. So, lace up your boots, breathe in the fresh air, and set out to explore the untamed splendor of this remarkable region.

Diamond Tooth Gerties Can-Can Show

One of the iconic attractions in Dawson City is the Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall, where you can experience an unforgettable performance of the renowned can-can show. This lively and energetic production takes you back to the days of the Klondike Gold Rush, capturing the spirit of the era and providing a delightful evening of entertainment.

The can-can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties is a showcase of high-kicking dancers, vibrant costumes, and lively music. As the curtains rise, you’ll find yourself transported to a world of exuberance and excitement. The dancers, trained in the traditional can-can style, captivate the audience with their synchronized choreography and infectious energy.

Immerse yourself in the joyous ambiance as the dancers take to the stage, kicking their legs high and demonstrating impressive flexibility and skill. The can-can, known for its high-energy and fast-paced movements, captivated audiences during the gold rush era and continues to dazzle visitors to this day.

The show at Diamond Tooth Gerties features a variety of dance routines, ranging from classic can-can numbers to other toe-tapping and crowd-pleasing performances. You’ll be enthralled by the talented dancers as they showcase their skills and bring the vibrant history of Dawson City to life through their captivating performances.

Throughout the show, live musicians accompany the dancers, infusing the performances with a lively musical backdrop. The combination of the dancers’ energy, elaborate costumes, and the infectious melodies provide an unforgettable experience that will have you tapping your feet and clapping along with the rhythm.

Attending the can-can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties is not just a spectator experience; it’s a chance to become fully immersed in the lively atmosphere. Feel the excitement build as the dancers interact with the audience, inviting participation and creating a sense of camaraderie and celebration. You might even find yourself joining in on the fun!

As you revel in the can-can show, take the opportunity to indulge in the various refreshments available at the bar. Raise a glass to the lively entertainment, and savor the vibrant atmosphere that permeates Diamond Tooth Gerties.

Whether you’re a fan of dance, history, or simply in search of a lively and enjoyable evening, the can-can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties is a must-see attraction in Dawson City. It’s an opportunity to experience the vibrant entertainment scene of the gold rush era, immerse yourself in the spirit of the past, and create lasting memories of your time in this extraordinary northern town.

Festivals and Events in Dawson City

Dawson City is a town that knows how to celebrate its rich cultural heritage and embrace the spirit of the North. Throughout the year, this vibrant community plays host to a variety of festivals and events that showcase its history, art, music, and unique character. Whether you’re a visitor or a local, these festivities offer the perfect opportunity to immerse yourself in the lively atmosphere of Dawson City.

One of the most renowned events on the calendar is the Dawson City Music Festival, which takes place annually in July. Musicians from across Canada and around the world gather to perform in this multi-day celebration of music. The festival showcases a diverse range of genres, from folk and bluegrass to rock and jazz, providing something for every music lover to enjoy.

Another lively event is the Thaw di Gras Spring Carnival, held in March. As winter gives way to spring, locals and visitors come together to celebrate the changing of the season with a host of activities and events. From snow carving competitions and ice slide races to live music and a colorful costume ball, this carnival is a fun-filled way to bid farewell to winter and welcome the arrival of spring.

The Discovery Days Festival, taking place over the August long weekend, commemorates the discovery of gold in Bonanza Creek. This family-friendly event features a range of activities, including a parade, live entertainment, art exhibits, gold panning competitions, and historical reenactments. It’s a unique opportunity to step back in time and experience the vibrant history that shaped Dawson City.

Art enthusiasts will appreciate the Yukon Riverside Arts Festival, a multidisciplinary arts festival that showcases the vibrant creative community of Dawson City. The festival features visual art exhibits, live performances, workshops, and interactive installations. It provides a platform for local and visiting artists to showcase their talents and engage with the community.

The vibrant cultural scene of Dawson City is also celebrated during the annual Great Klondike International Outhouse Race. This quirky and lighthearted event sees teams racing outhouses on wheels through the streets of Dawson City. It’s a hilarious spectacle that brings together locals and visitors alike for an afternoon of laughter and friendly competition.

These are just a few examples of the many festivals and events that take place in Dawson City throughout the year. From music and arts to historical celebrations and unique competitions, these gatherings reflect the town’s vibrant spirit and offer an opportunity to connect with the community, embrace its heritage, and create lasting memories.

Whether you’re a music enthusiast, an art lover, or simply looking for a good time, the festivals and events in Dawson City provide a chance to celebrate the rich cultural tapestry of this captivating northern town.

Where to Eat in Dawson City

Dawson City may be a small town, but it boasts a vibrant culinary scene that reflects its rich history and diverse cultural influences. From hearty comfort food to international delicacies, there are plenty of dining options to satisfy every palate. Here are some top recommendations for where to eat in Dawson City:

The Klondike Rib & Salmon is a popular spot, known for its mouthwatering smoked ribs and fresh salmon dishes. Indulge in tender, flavorful ribs that have been slow-cooked to perfection, or savor the delicate flavors of Yukon salmon prepared in various creative ways. With its cozy atmosphere and generous portions, this restaurant is a favorite among locals and visitors alike.

The Drunken Goat Taverna offers a taste of the Mediterranean right in the heart of Dawson City. This Greek-inspired eatery serves up flavorsome dishes such as souvlaki, moussaka, and spanakopita. Combined with warm hospitality and a vibrant atmosphere, dining at the Drunken Goat transports you to the shores of the Mediterranean.

If you’re in the mood for a classic pub experience, head to the Sourdough Saloon. This lively establishment serves up a variety of pub-style fare, including juicy burgers, crispy fish and chips, and hearty sandwiches. Pair your meal with a locally brewed beer, and soak in the friendly atmosphere that permeates this beloved local watering hole.

For a taste of the Far East, visit Bonanza Dining Room & Grill, which offers a fusion of Asian cuisine. Enjoy the flavors of sushi, Thai curries, and stir-fried dishes, expertly prepared with fresh ingredients. The cozy and inviting atmosphere makes this restaurant a great spot for a relaxed and flavorful meal.

For a unique culinary experience, indulge in the famous sourdough pancakes at the Downtown Hotel’s restaurant. These fluffy pancakes, made with the hotel’s renowned sourdough starter, are a popular breakfast choice among locals and visitors. Drizzle them with maple syrup, add a side of crispy bacon, and start your day off on a delicious note.

To satisfy your sweet tooth, visit the Klondike Kates Café and Bakery. Known for its delectable pastries, freshly baked bread, and rich coffees, this charming café is the perfect place to indulge in a sweet treat or enjoy a leisurely brunch. The aroma of freshly baked goods and the cozy atmosphere make it a local favorite.

These are just a few of the many dining options available in Dawson City. Whether you’re craving comfort food, international flavors, or a taste of local specialties, you’ll find something to satisfy your cravings in this charming northern town.

As you explore the culinary offerings of Dawson City, be sure to embrace the friendly hospitality and welcoming ambiance that accompanies each dining experience. The town’s rich history and vibrant culture are reflected in its diverse culinary scene, making every meal an opportunity to savor the flavors and immerse yourself in the unique charm of this remarkable destination.

Where to Stay in Dawson City

Dawson City offers a range of accommodations that cater to various budgets and preferences, ensuring a comfortable and enjoyable stay for every visitor. From historic hotels to cozy bed and breakfasts, here are some top recommendations for where to stay in Dawson City:

The Downtown Hotel is an iconic landmark in Dawson City, known for its colorful exterior and lively atmosphere. This historic hotel offers a range of room options, from comfortable standard rooms to spacious suites. The Downtown Hotel is also famous for its quirky tradition of serving the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail, making it a memorable place to stay for those seeking a unique experience.

If you prefer a more quaint and intimate setting, consider one of the charming bed and breakfasts in Dawson City. These establishments offer personalized hospitality and cozy accommodations in historic homes. The Cottages at the Midnight Sun and Bunkhouse and Triple J Hotel are popular choices, providing a serene and homey atmosphere.

For a touch of luxury, the Aurora Inn is a top-notch boutique hotel that offers stylish and comfortable rooms. Located in a beautifully restored heritage building, this inn combines modern amenities with historic charm. Enjoy the warm and inviting ambiance, exceptional service, and convenient location near downtown Dawson City.

If you’re traveling with a group or seeking a more independent option, consider renting a cabin or cottage. The Klondike Kate’s Cabins and Dawson City Wilderness Cabin Rentals offer cozy cabins with rustic charm. These private retreats allow you to enjoy the tranquility and natural beauty of the surrounding area while providing all the comforts of home.

For those who prefer the convenience of camping, the Dawson City RV Park and the Gold Rush Campground are excellent choices. These well-equipped campgrounds offer spacious sites, modern facilities, and a friendly atmosphere. Set up your tent or park your RV, and enjoy the outdoor experience while still being close to all the attractions and amenities.

Regardless of where you choose to stay in Dawson City, most accommodations are located within close proximity to the town’s main attractions, restaurants, and shops. This makes it convenient to explore the town on foot and immerse yourself in the unique charm of this historic destination.

When planning your stay, it’s important to book in advance, particularly during the busy summer months when Dawson City sees an influx of visitors. Whether you’re seeking a cozy bed and breakfast, a historic hotel, or a wilderness cabin, you’ll find a range of options that cater to your needs and provide a comfortable base for your Dawson City adventure.

Wherever you choose to stay, the warm hospitality of Dawson City will make you feel right at home. Immerse yourself in the rich history, natural beauty, and vibrant culture of this remarkable town, and create lasting memories during your stay in Dawson City.

Practical Tips for Visiting Dawson City

Visiting Dawson City offers a unique and memorable experience, but it’s essential to come prepared and be aware of a few practical tips to make the most of your trip. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when planning a visit to Dawson City:

• Weather and Clothing: Dawson City experiences a subarctic climate, so pack accordingly with warm clothing, especially if you’re visiting during the winter months. Layering your clothing is key to adjust to changing temperatures throughout the day.
• Transportation: Dawson City is a walkable town, and many of its attractions are within walking distance. However, it’s a good idea to have a vehicle for exploring the surrounding areas and visiting attractions that are further away, such as the Bonanza Creek and Midnight Dome.
• Services: While the town offers essential services, it’s a good idea to plan ahead by withdrawing cash before arriving, as ATMs may have limited availability. Also, make sure to stock up on supplies and groceries, especially if you’re planning outdoor adventures or staying in a cabin or campground.
• Wildlife and Safety: Dawson City is located in a wilderness area, so be aware of potential wildlife encounters. It’s advisable to carry bear spray when hiking or venturing into remote areas. Familiarize yourself with bear safety guidelines and always be respectful of the wildlife and their habitat.
• Seasonal Considerations: Summer is the peak tourist season in Dawson City, so be prepared for larger crowds and higher prices. However, this is also the time when many festivals and events take place, adding to the festive atmosphere. If you visit during the winter, be aware of shorter daylight hours and extreme cold temperatures.
• Reservations: Dawson City sees an influx of visitors, especially during the summer months. It’s recommended to make reservations for accommodations, tours, and popular restaurants well in advance to secure your desired dates and ensure availability.
• Respect the Community and Culture: Dawson City is a place of rich heritage and cultural significance. Respect the local customs, traditions, and historic sites. Learn about the local First Nations communities and their contributions to the region.

By keeping these practical tips in mind, you can enhance your visit to Dawson City and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. Embrace the unique spirit, immerse yourself in history, and create lasting memories in this remarkable northern town.

Dawson City, Yukon is a captivating destination that offers a journey back in time, immersing visitors in the rich history, natural beauty, and unique charm of the North. From its gold rush heritage to its vibrant cultural scene, there is something for everyone in this charming town.

Exploring the streets of Dawson City feels like stepping into a living museum. The well-preserved buildings, museums, and historic sites transport visitors back to the exciting days of the Klondike Gold Rush. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Site and the Dawson City Museum provide captivating insights into this transformative era, while the SS Keno offers a glimpse into the river transportation methods of the time.

But Dawson City is not just about history. It offers a wealth of outdoor adventures, from gold panning along scenic creeks to hiking through breathtaking landscapes. Riverboat tours along the Yukon River provide a unique perspective on the region’s history and natural beauty, while the can-can show at Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall entertains with its lively performances.

Throughout the year, Dawson City hosts a variety of festivals and events that celebrate its heritage, arts, and culture. From the Dawson City Music Festival to the Thaw di Gras Spring Carnival, these gatherings showcase the lively spirit of the town and provide an opportunity for visitors to connect with the local community.

Practical tips, such as being prepared for the weather, making reservations in advance, and respecting the local culture, can enhance your visit to Dawson City and ensure a smooth and memorable experience.

With its unparalleled blend of history, adventure, and natural beauty, Dawson City beckons travelers seeking a unique and immersive Northern experience. So, pack your sense of adventure, embrace the captivating heritage, and get ready to create unforgettable memories in this enchanting town that time forgot.

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17 Awesome Things to Do in Dawson City, Yukon

• Last Updated: February 9, 2024

Whether you love history, adventure or dancing to local music, you’ll find plenty of amazing things to do in Dawson City, Canada in this first-hand guide.

Dawson City is one of those towns that everybody seems to know about, but few people ever get to.

For anybody that has an interest in Klondike Gold Rush history, the Yukon in Canada’s north and the towns scattered around the territory are well worth visiting.

It’s not just Klondike gold rush era history and gold panning that draws people up this way though. The landscapes of Yukon are some of the most spectacular in the country, and the people that call this place home could not get any more friendly and welcoming.

While almost everybody that travels to Yukon makes their way through Whitehorse, the capital of the territory, it’s Dawson City 530km further north that has the real appeal to those looking to for an authentic experience.

Table of Contents

Join the Sourtoe Cocktail Club

Visit the jack london museum, try your luck at diamond tooth gertie’s gambling hall, take a city tour with klondike experience, gold panning, head up the midnight dome for epic dawson city views, wander the streets, explore tombstone territorial park, time your visit with the yukon quest, go dog sledding, party at dawson city music festival, check out the s.s. keno, look for the aurora borealis (northern lights), spend some time in the dänojà zho cultural centre, paddle the yukon river, wander around the cemeteries, take a drink (or 5) in the pit, downtown hotel, the best things to do in dawson city.

On our second trip to Yukon we had the pleasure of finally making it up to this historic and quaint town from the Gold Rush era, and instantly fell in love with its quirkiness and charm.

Our visit was quite short, but you could very easily spend weeks exploring the area around Dawson City.

With Tombstone Territorial Park close by, and tonnes of adventure activities to be enjoyed, it’s a wonderful place to visit at any time of year.

Enjoy gold panning and learning about the history of the Gold Rush, drinking with the locals, partying at a music festival, or immersing yourself in the pristine nature around the town.

Here’s our complete guide to the best things to do in Dawson City, Yukon

READ MORE – Check out our  southern Yukon road trip itinerary .

“You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow, but your lips must touch the toe.” – Everybody who has joined the club.

If the Klondike Gold Rush is what put Dawson City on the map, it’s the Sourtoe Cocktail Club that made it legendary amongst travellers the world over.

This famous, and pretty grotesque, tradition involves enjoying a delicious cocktail at the bar of the Downtown Hotel, with one unique ingredient.

A severed human toe.

Yes, you read that right.

It’s a tradition that has been around for decades. In 1920 a man named Louie Liken lost his toe due to frostbite and apparently kept it in a jar of alcohol in his private cabin to preserve it.

In 1973 another local, Captain Dick Stevenson, was cleaning the cabin and came across the toe.

That night he headed down to the Sourdough Saloon in the Downtown Hotel and started putting it in the drinks of anybody who would be game to try it.

And thus, the Sourtoe Cocktail was born.

Since that night there have been a number of different toes used to join the club ( the first was swallowed after 7 years, and subsequent toes have all been either eaten, stolen or fallen apart) , all donated by people who have lost their appendages due to various ailments or injuries.

To join the club you can order any drink (although a Yukon whiskey is the recommended option for newcomers), and the toe is dropped inside it.

You must down it all in one go, and make sure your lips touch the filthy toe.

Once you’ve successfully completed the challenge you get your name inside the ledger (over 85’000 people have done it), and you get a certificate to take home and hang on your wall.

Just don’t swallow or steal the toe, or you’ll be fined $2500.

Jack London was one of the most popular American authors of the early 20th century, thanks to his works such as The Call of the Wild, Martin Eden, and White Fang.

In the early days of his career, Jack London spent a year living and travelling around the Klondike, including a harsh winter holed up in a log cabin close to Dawson City.

Jack London was trying his hands at various hard labour work, but instead his time in the Klondike inspired many of the future stories that would turn him into the famed storyteller he was.

Years after his death his cabin was discovered by local man Dick North, and he brought it to Dawson City to set up a memorial for the great author.

Today the cabin is part of the Jack London Museum, and visitors can come to check out his cabin and learn more about the American author inside the interpretative centre.

It is only open in summer, but you can have a look at London’s cabin from the outside at any time of the year.

READ MORE: Want to know travel tips for Canada? Check out our ultimate travel guide !

Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall is an old school casino that feels like you’re stepping back in time the moment you walk in the door.

This is actually Canada’s first licensed casino, opening in 1971, and they’ve decided to keep the theme the same as the Klondike Gold Rush era style you’d expect in Dawson City.

Besides the typical games like slots, roulette and blackjack, the real highlight is the can-can dancers that throw their heels up on the stage. Even if you don’t like gambling, it’s worth stopping by Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall in the evenings to check out the dancers anyway.

As an added incentive Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall is also a not-for-profit enterprise. All revenue is invested back into the community to preserve the heritage buildings.

READ MORE – Learn more about our other amazing local adventure,  dog sledding in Yukon .

While simply walking around Dawson City is a great way to get a feel for the place, we’re big believers in getting a local guide to learn the history and culture as well, which is why we recommend walking tours.

The best tour company in Dawson City is Klondike Experience , run by Canadian man Jesse, who moved to Dawson City over a decade ago and instantly fell in love with the town.

His company is a bit of a one-stop-shop for just about any kind of adventure you’d want to have in the area.

Whether it’s helicopter rides, dog sledding tours, transport options (he runs a regular shuttle between Whitehorse and Dawson City) or anything in between, Jesse can make it happen.

We did a city tour with Jesse, and he spent a few hours walking and driving us around the best parts of town, diving into all the stories and details that we would have missed on our own.

Afterwards, he took us up to the Midnight Dome for an awesome view of the area, which was an added bonus to the tour.

Jesse was an amazing guide, and we really got so much more understanding for what makes Dawson City tick because of him. Highly recommended!

Dawson City was built on the backs of the gold mining industry as gold miners headed north to try and make their fortune in the mineral-rich soil and rivers of the Yukon Territory. This was known as the Klondike Gold Rush.

These days most of the huge nuggets have been claimed, and anywhere that has potential is being mined by larger companies with big budgets. Places like Bonanza Creek and Rabbit Creek were hotspots for gold mining during the Klondike Gold Rush.

But there’s still guaranteed fun to be had, and a small chance to strike it rich, for the average person.

Whether you are experienced in gold panning and you have your own equipment, or you just want to learn one sunny afternoon, you’ll find plenty of spots around Dawson City to go searching for this valuable rock.

We recommend joining a gold panning tour (hit up Jesse at Klondike Experience), so you can make the most of this cool gold mining experience.

As a city made famous by the Gold Rush, it’s cool to take part in the gold panning experience that shaped Dawson City.

The large hill looming over Dawson City is known as the Midnight Dome, and it has incredible views of the area while being easily accessible for almost anybody.

There are two ways to reach the top of Midnight Dome. You can drive along the road that takes you directly to the lookout, or you can hike the 5-mile round trip along a variety of different hiking trails.

No matter how you get up there though, the views are going to be worth it.

You can see many of the mountains that surround Dawson City, and you’ll get a great perspective of Dawson’s location right on the Yukon River.

If you’re wondering what to do in Dawson City on a sunny day, this is a great activity.

One of our favourite Dawson City activities was simply walking around the streets and admiring all the old buildings.

The heritage buildings of Dawson City are actually managed by Parks Canada, which means they’re doing everything in their power to keep them looking the way they always have, rather than modernising them.

You can easily spend a few hours walking around and photographing the derelict structures, checking out the crazy leans on some of them (due to the permafrost and not being able to build proper foundations) and chatting to friendly locals.

One of the most famous buildings to check out are of course the Robert Service Cabin, and the Dawson City Museum.

The Dawson City Museum is the best place to learn all about the history of Dawson City if you’re interested in that.

The Robert Service Cabin is a Klondike National Historic Site and is the former cabin of the famous poet from the Yukon Territory.

Just 1.5 hours past Dawson City along the Dempster Highway is the striking Tombstone Territorial Park, a place that should not be missed on your trip to the Yukon.

This 2200km 2 park is home to an abundance of wildlife, such as caribou, moose, Dall sheep, grizzly and black bears, and spotting any of these mammals is always a real highlight.

The landscapes are also spectacular, with large valleys punctuated by jagged peaks.

The First Nations’ history is also fascinating, as the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in have been using this area for thousands of years.

There are plenty of great activities you can enjoy in the park, with hiking and camping being the most popular ones, along with fishing and off-road driving.

Tombstone Territorial Park is rugged and remote, so make sure you are adequately prepared before visiting.

If you don’t have your own vehicle, you will have to book a guided tour when you visit Dawson City.

Known as being one of the world’s most challenging dog sledding events, the Yukon Quest is a 1000-mile race that stretches from Whitehorse in Yukon all the way to Fairbanks in Alaska.

The teams of mushers and their dogs spend most of the time out in the wilderness during the race, but in Dawson City they have a rare opportunity to briefly hang out in civilisation.

The course passes right through downtown Dawson City, and on the day that the racers are in, most of the town heads down to the checkpoint to cheer them on as they continue the adventure.

While the winters are long and cold in the north, it’s events like this that really bring some fresh life into the town. Definitely one of the top things to do in Dawson City, Yukon if you can time your trip right.

While you might not be up for taking on a crazy 1000-mile race in the middle of Yukon’s most challenging terrain, you could always try dog sledding for yourself in a much more enjoyable fashion.

Dog sledding has been a method of transport for locals for generations, and in recent years it’s become a popular tourist activity.

Around Dawson City, there are a number of operators that run excellent, responsible dog sledding tours, ranging from one-hour taster sessions right up to multi-day expeditions.

You’ll be sure to fall in love with the gorgeous huskies that make up the sled teams, and in these places it’s actually encouraged to play around with the dogs and show them affection.

It really is one of the top fun things to do in Dawson City in winter.

READ MORE – Make sure you read our article asking ‘ is dog sledding cruel? ‘ before you book a tour.

Besides the Sourtoe Cocktail Club, there was something else we kept hearing about whenever we talked to people about Dawson, and that was the legendary Dawson City Music Festival.

What started off as a small barbecue one weekend in 1979 has now turned into a not-to-be-missed attraction for all Yukoners.

Every year a number of Canadian and international artists head to Dawson City to partake in the family-friendly event, which is held in a variety of venues around town.

The Dawson City Music Festival is a 3-day party, and is one of the best Dawson City attractions, and people from far and wide travel to town to dance the days (and nights) away.

Make sure you book accommodation early if you’re planning on coming up for the Dawson City Music Festival.

During the Gold Rush, one of the most luxurious and popular ways to travel between towns was to take a paddleboat steamer along the massive Yukon River.

Unfortunately this historic era of Gold Rush travel is long gone, but luckily for us there’s still a number of original paddle wheelers scattered around the territory, and one of them is right in Dawson City!

The S.S. Keno was built in 1922 and used to transport various minerals for mining companies along the Yukon River until it was decommissioned in 1951.

In 1960 the vessel made its way from Whitehorse to Dawson City along the Yukon River, becoming the last paddle steamer to make the trip under its own power, and it’s stayed in town ever since.

These days it’s a National Historic Site located just outside of town on the shores of the Yukon River, and visitors can learn more about its Gold Rush history on an interpretative tour.

No list of what to do in Dawson City would be complete without seeing the Gold Rush era S.S. Keno on the Yukon River.

If there’s one thing that is on everybody’s Yukon bucket list, it is to see the Northern Lights. And it’s hard to find a better spot to see them than right here in Dawson City.

Being so close to the Arctic Circle means that in the winter months the night skies can come alive in brilliant displays of greens and purples as gases in the atmosphere dance around.

If the conditions are right you can see them right from downtown, but for a really unbelievable experience, drive out of town or take an Aurora Borealis sightseeing tour.

Seeing the Northern Lights in Dawson City is something that will stay with you forever!

The First Nations history of the Yukon is an important element of the territory’s culture, and thankfully it is celebrated the way it deserves to be.

From the artwork of Carcross to the cultural centres in Haines Junction, there are plenty of amazing places to learn more about the indigenous people of northern Canada.

Luckily one of the best things to do in Dawson City is to do just this at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre.

Here you’ll find excellent exhibitions and gorgeous artwork throughout the centre, and the staff are more than willing to tell you everything you’d ever like to know about these First Nations people.

In the summer they host a range of activities to get people more interested in their culture, and there’s also a store where you can buy traditional clothing and handicrafts.

Check website for seasonal updates and visitor info!

It might be the ultimate Yukon adventure – taking a canoe and paddling along the territory’s most powerful and legendary river over the course of a few weeks.

When we first heard of a couple doing this, literally renting a canoe and going off on their own in the Yukon wilderness, we immediately thought that they were crazy, but that we had to do it for ourselves.

After some research though it turns out they weren’t so crazy, and that paddling the Yukon River is actually a fairly common journey for plenty of people every year.

A popular route is to paddle from Whitehorse to Dawson City over the course of 16 days broken up into two stages, with the town of Carmacks being the stopping point halfway.

Companies in Whitehorse can organise everything for you, including the canoe and equipment rental and transfers back to Whitehorse, meaning all you need is food and a sense of adventure.

Dawson City has a couple of historic and picturesque cemeteries around town, and while it might seem like an odd thing to add to a list of things to do, they’re worth checking out as you walk the streets.

You’ll find tombstones going back as far as the gold mining days of the Gold Rush, and with their picturesque settings surrounded by trees, they can make for great photos.

As far as fun and dirty bars go, it doesn’t get much better than The Pit in Dawson City!

Located downstairs at the Westminister Hotel, this Dawson institution has been serving drinks for decades, and you’re bound to meet some hilarious locals on any night of the week.

The larger bar is known as the Snake Pit, while the dingier dive bar is called the Arm Pit.

We personally preferred drinking some craft beer in the Arm Pit, surrounded by old pictures, news stories and Yukon memorabilia hanging on the walls.

Where to Stay in Dawson City

For such a small town, there’s a surprising number of accommodation options in Dawson City. And while you won’t find any 5-star luxury resorts, you will definitely find some good quality and homely places to rest your head at night.

This is where we personally stayed, and we absolutely loved the style of the place , which felt like it was plucked straight out of the Gold Rush era.

The rooms were large and quirky, the staff were friendly, wifi worked (didn’t expect that), and it was of course the closest place to the Sourdough Saloon, home to the Sourtoe Cocktail.

Alesha and Jarryd

Hi, We’re Alesha and Jarryd!

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Back in 2017 someone actually stole the toe. It made national news!

no way. That is crazy and so not Yukon like. I am glad they got another toe to continue the tradition. 🙂

Hi Alesha and Jarryd

I’m just in the process of planning a trip to Alaska from the UK. You’ve absolutely persuaded me to visit Dawson. Thank you!

Hi Jan, that is amazing. Alaska is on out travel bucket list. It looks beautiful. Yukon is a special place. We loved our time there. Dawson City was a lot of fun. Have a great time and don’t forget to kick the toe. 🙂

This is such an amazing list, I’m visiting Dawson in two weeks and your list really helped me plan what activities and places I want to see. Thank you so much! 🙂

Thank you so much Sarah. We hope you have a great time. It is such an amazing city. 🙂

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From The Pas to Toronto: Connor Dewar’s remarkable journey to the Maple Leafs

Driving north on the barren, two-lane Manitoba Highway 10, you might feel swallowed by endless, non-descript trees with nothing larger on the horizon. No signs of commerce for miles and as such, no signs of life. Only ruggedness on one side and desolation on the other.

Inching closer to the next town, a railway creeps out of the trees and might accompany you for stretches along the highway. But trains only run from Winnipeg to The Pas once a week on their affably-named “Scenic Adventure Route.”

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The people of The Pas have an understandable amount of pride in the place often referred to as “The Gateway to the North,” but they will also be the first to tell you: The town that made one of the newest Toronto Maple Leafs , Connor Dewar , does not lend itself to producing NHL players.

“You have to love the outdoors,” Greg Hunter, one of Dewar’s coaches in The Pas, said of the town of 5,639. “But shopping-wise, it’s starting to dry up a bit up here. We’re kind of a stop-and-go spot, to be honest.”

Consider the list of Canadian-born players who come from as remote a place as Dewar does: Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens is the lone active NHL player from one of Canada’s three territories, but was raised in a town (Whitehorse, Y.T.) more than five times the size of The Pas. Washington Capitals forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel was born well off the grid in Slave Lake, Alta., yet developed mostly in a suburb of Montreal. Dawson Mercer and Alex Newhook are the two lone active NHL players born in Newfoundland.

But for Dewar, the remoteness of the place he was raised in, the lack of competitive playing opportunities and the harshness of the climate meant his upbringing in The Pas created his character. He is a feisty, hard-working bottom-line forward on the ice, and a man of few words off of it.

“It’s everything I am,” Dewar accurately summarized of being raised in The Pas during a remarkably brief “Hockey Night in Canada” interview after being acquired by the Leafs, “a scrappy person from up north.”

And now, Dewar’s unique path from The Pas and tough-as-nails character could help the Maple Leafs when they need it in the playoffs.

You can never know for sure if someone will go far in hockey, but Chris Perchaluk, another of Dewar’s earliest coaches in The Pas and a family friend, insists Dewar had something.

“My first memory of Connor,” he said, unable to contain his laughter. “Well, he was just one. I walked into his house, and I was going to meet him for the first time. And he was screaming at the top of his lungs, so upset at his father because he had to stop playing mini-sticks. He was running around the house with the mini-stick, so angry. He just wanted to play.”

Dewar’s feisty spirit didn’t just come to life in The Pas. The town made him who he is.

“The most sincere, hard-working kid you’d ever want to meet,” Hunter said. “That might come from the harshness of our winters up here: We’re minus-40 two months of the year. It creates that edge. Players are hard-nosed, they work hard, nothing (is) granted to them. Connor is typical of that. He’s worked his ass off to get where he is.”

Dewar first started playing hockey at 5. Skating came naturally to him. But if there was a battle for the puck, Dewar stayed on the periphery.

It was around this time he began watching his father play adult recreational hockey on Opaskwayak Cree Nation land. Friends would gather after long hours in the paper mill operated by Canadian Kraft Paper Industries Ltd., the town’s largest employer and where Connor’s father, Jade, worked shift work. The games were a place for friends to let out the pent-up emotion that comes from being cooped up in the mill.

After one game, Jade heard from Dewar’s mother, Kim, that their son was particularly enthralled.

“He looked up at her and said, ‘Mom, I didn’t know you were supposed to work that hard at hockey,’” Jade said.

Immediately afterward, they drove to one of Dewar’s few practices.

“All of a sudden, he wanted the puck and he never looked back,” Jade said. “I don’t know what the hell happened, but he decided to play hockey.”

Dewar could dance with the puck but from that day on , he brought a fiercer spirit into his play, game by game.

“(Dewar) would give it his all, all the time,” Hunter said. “But we had a hard time challenging him because he was so far ahead of most kids because of his skating.”

The tiny size of The Pas meant there were just two, maybe three, house league teams that would just play each other multiple times a week at the smallish Roy H. Johnston Arena. So what Dewar lacked in development opportunities, he made up for by adding the physical edge that’s become part of his DNA.

“It’s very remote. You see the same people every day,” Dewar said of playing hockey in The Pas. “Seeing the same kids all the time and playing against the same teams all the time, there’s a lot of rivalries at play. And that makes it a lot more competitive, I found.”

By the time Dewar was 11, he was the best player in his age group. Maybe one of the most gifted players from the town since defenceman Curt Giles, who still owns the record for most NHL games played (895) of any player from The Pas. Dewar’s 177 games are second on that list. “It’s a very short list,” Dewar quipped.

The Pas Minor Hockey Association created a makeshift travel team that would head out every other weekend, with their shortest trip being 90 minutes north to Flin Flon, Man., but the more regular trip being the four-hour drive (one way) south to Dauphin, Man.

“We couldn’t build an elite program because we just don’t have the population,” Perchaluk said.

It was on these trips that Dewar and his teammates realized how remote their hometown was.

“You’ve got to make do with what you have,” Perchaluk said of The Pas. “When Connor was playing, 15 years ago, and you’d go on road trips, you’d get excited just so you could shop at Walmart.”

Heckling from opposition players on the ice was common. Dewar and his teammates would get asked what it was like to come play from “The Bush.”

At home, Jade built two separate outdoor rinks for his son, the second of which came when they moved further into the countryside: It was 40 feet by 80 feet, four-foot high boards, a shack outside to properly dress and warm up, and lights so his son could play well into the night.

“Sometimes you’re using a snowblower to move the snow and it comes down right behind you. He really wanted to be out there all the time. He’d come in for some warmth but keep his skates on so he could get back out,” Jade said.

It was a place for Dewar to be free, and let the constant, swirling winds push at his back. It was a place for Dewar to shoot and let out the emotion he had building inside him.

“And I was goalie, every damn night,” Jade said.

Dewar logged hundreds of extra hours of outdoor ice time every winter. That rink was the most pivotal element to his success.

“That’s where I made all my separation,” Dewar said. “I was pretty lucky.”

By the time Dewar was 14, his parents realized their son had outgrown The Pas, at least on the ice. He’d gotten a few questions from scouts on weekend trips about his plans. He needed time to try his hand with a Triple-A program.

Many NHL players get locked into elite-level hockey from a much younger age. But Dewar was always destined to be different.

“Kids across the province were getting to play at a level I wasn’t able to,” Dewar said.

Dewar made the four-hour trip south to Dauphin, where he had been pestered by opposition players as a child.

“I was homesick for about an hour,” Dewar said confidently.

When Jade called to check in, a story was relayed by Dewar’s billet parents: His new teammate, Tyler Jubenvill, asked Dewar how it felt to be out of “The Bush” once again.

“In The Pas, we use a different compass,” Dewar replied. “There’s North, East, West and Soft.”

Dewar would stand up to his new challenge and make the town behind him proud: He led the Parkland Rangers Triple-A team in scoring his first season before moving to the Under-18 Triple-A program as a 15-year-old.

After three years with the Everett Silvertips of the WHL, Dewar was named captain of the team.

But no joy could compare to becoming just the second player drafted into the NHL from The Pas. Being selected in the third round of the 2018 draft by the Minnesota Wild and eventually making his NHL debut in 2021-22 meant “that’s the closest I’ve ever played from home,” Dewar said with a devilish grin. The 13-hour drive from The Pas to St. Paul pales in comparison to the 22-hour haul to Everett, Wash., of course.

It was a perfect landing spot for Dewar, who earned a fan in former Wild head coach Dean Evason who hailed from, of all places, Flin Flon.

“(Dewar’s) grit and competitiveness is over the top,” Evason said.

Every summer, Dewar returns to The Pas to train and hold court at Good Thymes bar and restaurant. There’s always someone to see. These are the same people who celebrated Dewar’s trade to the Maple Leafs, and will watch closely as he tries to instill the indomitable spirit of the small town in the biggest city in the country.

The same people who understand his journey in a way only a few thousand can.

“Everybody in town knew within 20 minutes of the trade being completed,” Perchaluk said. “The whole town is behind him.”

(Top photos of Connor Dewar: Mark Blinch / Getty Images; Courtesy Jade Dewar)

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Joshua Kloke is a staff writer who has covered the Maple Leafs and Canadian soccer for The Athletic since 2016. Previously, he was a freelance writer for various publications, including Sports Illustrated. Follow Joshua on Twitter @ joshuakloke

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Deep listening: the haunting sonic world of Cassandra Miller

Her intimate compositions take existing melodies that she refracts, rethinks and expands into compelling new pieces. Ahead of the premiere of a new work for guitarist Sean Shibe, Cassandra Miller talks about process, pleasures and sleep chanting

“I steal people’s souls”, says Cassandra Miller. The 47-year old Canadian composer sits in her light-filled living room at the top of a London block of flats, looking tranquil and as unlike a master of the dark arts as it is possible to imagine.

Miller’s intimate and engaging compositions take as their starting point existing melodies, which she variously deconstructs, loops, magnifies and utterly transforms. The act of transcription is an inherently creative process in her hands, and the physicality of a performance – ornaments, notes, pauses, breaths and even sighs – is a vital part of what she transcribes.

“When I start with source material, I’m interested in the entirety of somebody’s performance,” Miller says. “I’m sort of stealing part of their humanity. It’s like making a portrait of somebody.”

In the past decade, Miller’s profile has risen rapidly. Her works have been performed in concert hall from New York to Warsaw and Oslo to Barcelona; last year’s Aldeburgh festival premiered her “ quietly captivating ” La Donna, and her 2015 Duet for Cello and Orchestra was named one of the Guardian’s Best of the 21st century – “A strange but profoundly haunting piece,” wrote Andrew Clements . Like most of her compositions, it is a piece of expansive and luminous beauty whose apparent simplicity belies its complexities.

Inspiration has come from sources as various as Bach, birdsong, Kurt Cobain and Bellini. In 2023’s The City, Full of People , she transcribed herself singing a passage of Thomas Tallis’s 16th-century setting of lines from Lamentations and expanded the transcription into a score for 16 singers. “On its journey with Miller, Tallis’s somber austerity has been gently blurred, taking on a circling, overlapping, dreamlike melancholy and a surprising joy,” said the New York Times.

Thanksong , written for Quatuor Bozzini and singer Juliet Fraser, is based on the third movement of Beethoven’s late Quartet Op 132 (the Heiliger Dankgesang). Miller sang along to the four individual string lines of the quartet, many times in repetition, transforming the material into gentle pendulum-like repeated gestures. The composition is held together by the pacing and breath of Fraser, singing the distilled essence of Beethoven as slowly and quietly as possible. The piece feels organic and fragile. The shimmering Daylonging, Slacktide , written for viola player Lawrence Power, is the work of Miller’s that first stopped me in my tracks, its melodic origins in a traditional song about the beauty of Georgia, but the unmooredness of 2020’s lockdown also brings its emotional impact. “All is suspended now – time is dilated, and like many others, I’m like a sailboat at sea with no wind,” wrote Miller of the composition’s mood.

“I love to explore the idea of accidental, she says. “It’s like the source material is a question because I don’t know at first what I’m going to do with it.”

This week sees the premiere of her latest work, a concerto written for guitarist Sean Shibe . Named Chanter after the part of the bagpipes on which the melody is played, it takes as its source melody a performance by Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul of O Chiadain an Lo , an old Highland air that Chaimbeul herself had transformed by translating it for her instrument and into a minor mode.

“Sean and I started by sharing music that we liked,” says Miller. Their mutual love of Scottish music quickly became a focus, they both knew Chaimbeul and loved this plaintive track. “There’s something really magical about how she plays it, like she’s singing.”

Singing was precisely what Miller then asked Shibe to do, which can’t have been what the virtuosic guitarist might have expected. Luckily Sean is up for anything, she says.

She recorded him singing along to O Chiadain an Lo. He then sang along to his own recorded voice again and again, reclining on the sofa, until he was somewhere between sleep and song, a process she calls automatic singing-in-meditation.

And yet we don’t hear Shibe’s voice – at least not literally – in the final work. “The goal of the transcription process is to transform the source material into a new melody informed by the physicality of the source material, but also by the physicality of the person who is transforming it. So in this case, it’s Sean singing,” she says. This combination of Shibe singing Chaimbeul’s melody, and of Chaimbeul’s own playing infusing it, formed the skeletal architecture for the guitar part of the final concerto.

Layers. Ghosts. Echoes? Yes and no. “It’s hard to describe, and whenever I try, I feel I’m not doing it quite right,” Miller admits. “Chaimbeul’s tune – used, of course, with her permission – has been transformed into something new, but without her work, nothing of the concerto would exist. Small ‘truth-window’ moments of her melody can be heard in the string ensemble, as occasional shafts of richly coloured light.”

Miller has been composing since she was a student in British Columbia. She went to the University of Victoria to study harp, and on the first day took a composition class. “By the end of the 45-minute class, my heart had changed and I was like: ‘OK, this is what I’m doing now.’” She went on to study with Richard Ayres and Yannis Kyriakides in The Hague and in the UK with Michael Finnissy and Bryn Harrison . Her home is London these days, and her listening and influences are omnivorous.

“I do love classical music, but it’s not my home base any more than any other type of music,” she says. Every evening over dinner in the flat she shares with fellow composer Leo Chadburn , 6 Music is on and she loves how she is always hearing things she didn’t know. So what else excites her? Free jazz – “for its vibrant physicality, in particular Pharoah Sanders and Alice Coltrane”, plus music from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and northern Greece; Brazilian jazz, and Italian and Sardinian folk. Closer to home, folk musicians she listens to include Richard Dawson , Stick in the Wheel, Aidan O’Rourke - “because of how they make work that somehow sounds like it always existed – which is often also what I go for in my own way.”

Her teachers, colleagues and collaborators are her main influences, she says. She works frequently with the same musicians: Fraser and Power, and improvising violinist Silvia Tarozzi, and she has a longstanding relationship with the Quatuor Bozzini . “They have taught me about half the things I know about music in a practical and spiritual sense. And Sean [Shibe] is becoming a really important person on that level too.”

Classical-wise, early-20th-century French composers Satie, Debussy and Ravel – “from a time when musical ‘pleasure’ was expressed through the colour rather than the trajectory of harmony”, are influences. She also cites fellow Canadians Linda Catlin Smith and Martin Arnold, while US experimental composer Pauline Oliveros and her philosophy of deep listening is very close to her heart – “a massive influence”.

If you file Miller under M for minimalism, she is OK with that. “People need labels – it helps you navigate and certainly what I write often involves a kind of repetition, recognisable harmonies and an expansive sense of time.”

Really, though, what she’s doing and how she does it, feels quite unique. “I think of the primary tool of composition as listening. So if I develop myself as a listener, then that’s the main way to develop myself as a composer. If I hear some music in the world and it moves me, then I want to go deeply into that. It’s become how I work.”

But there’s no prescription for how to listen. “A piece of music is just a sort of a place to live in for a while,” she says. “I wouldn’t ever want to impose how an audience member has to listen. When I’m in a concert, my mind is usually wandering, and I love it. In a concert hall, someone in row A is going to have a different experience to someone in the gallery. And it’s not just where they’re sitting in the hall. It’s about who they are as a person and how they have felt about every single piece of music they’ve ever heard in their life, and what they had for breakfast that day and everything! The piece exists in the person’s ears, right?”

Sean Shibe and the Dunedin Consort perform Chanter at Milton Court, London on 11 April, then Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden (12 April), Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (13 April) and Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh (14 April).

This article was amended on 12 April 2024. Cassandra Miller studied at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, not Victoria University, which is in Australia, as a previous version said.

• Classical music

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