In 1896, a gold strike in Canada’s Yukon
Territory set off the Klondike gold rush. Thousands of prospectors rushed to
the territory hoping to get rich by finding gold. The American writer Jack
London was among them.
London didn’t get rich. After two years, he went
home nearly broke. But he was loaded with story ideas! The Yukon Territory
inspired two of London’s most famous novels: White Fang and The Call
of the Wild.
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Facts About the Yukon Territory
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|
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Capital
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Whitehorse
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Population
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31,000
people
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Rank
among provinces and territories in population
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12th
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Major
cities
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Whitehorse,
Dawson
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Area
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186,000
square miles
482,000 square kilometers |
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Rank
among provinces and territories in area
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9th
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Entry
into federation
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June
13, 1898
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Provincial
bird
|
Common
Raven
|
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Provincial
flower
|
Fireweed
|
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Abbreviation
|
YT
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A CHILLY LAND
The Yukon Territory lies in Canada’s far northwest
corner. The northern part of the territory is inside the Arctic Circle, an area
that rings the North Pole.
The Yukon boasts some of North America’s coldest
temperatures. It is so cold that a layer of permanently frozen earth covers much
of the territory. It’s called permafrost, and it lies just below the surface of
the ground.
THE YUKON RIVER
The Yukon Territory gets its name from the Yukon
River. It’s one of North America’s longest rivers. The Yukon flows west across
the Yukon Territory, enters Alaska, and then flows to the Bering Sea. Boats can
travel nearly the entire length of the river. Many prospectors used the river
to reach the Yukon Territory during the Klondike gold rush.
COVERED BY MOUNTAINS
Tall mountains cover much of the Yukon Territory.
Mount Logan, the highest peak in Canada, is in the Yukon. Forests thrive in the
mountain valleys. Barren Arctic plains, called tundra, are found in the north.
THE YUKON’S FIRST PEOPLE
The Yukon Territory’s native people have lived in the region
for thousands of years. They are called First Nations people. For a long time,
there were many more First Nations people than any others in the territory.
The first known visitors from Europe were Russian
traders in the 1700s. But the Yukon Territory was largely ignored by outsiders
until the gold rush began.
THE KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH
In 1896, George Carmack and his Indian friends,
Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie, found a gold nugget in Bonanza Creek. The creek
flows into the Klondike River. When word of the discovery got out, thousands of
people flocked to the area in search of gold. The Klondike gold rush was on!
Few “Klondikers” were prepared for the region’s rugged
conditions. Many died trying to get there, so a rule was made. Anyone coming to
the area had to bring along supplies for a whole year. The supplies included
hundreds of pounds of food, heavy woolen blankets, and sturdy boots.
Most gold seekers traveled the Chilkoot Trail from
Alaska through British Columbia. Those who could afford it hired dogsled teams,
horseback riders, or Indians to carry their things. Once they reached the Yukon
River, rafts and paddle-wheel riverboats brought them over the rapids to Dawson
City. Dawson City (now Dawson) became the Yukon Territory’s first capital in
1898.
TRAVELING IN THE YUKON TERRITORY
Paddle-wheel boats are no longer used on the Yukon
River. The SS Klondike, first built in 1929, was once the largest
riverboat to travel the Yukon. Now it is preserved as a national historic site
in the town of Whitehorse.
Today, roads serve the Yukon Territory’s major
towns. Air travel is vital to the many remote villages without roads. Railroads
are used to transport copper, lead, and zinc mined in the territory.
In 1942, during World War II, railroad lines
carried supplies to build the Alaska Highway. Part of the highway crosses the
Yukon Territory. Today, this highway is the main road linking Alaska with the
lower 48 United States.
WHITEHORSE
In 1953, the city of Whitehorse became
the capital of the Yukon Territory. It is Canada’s most westerly capital. Like
the territory’s first capital, Dawson City, Whitehorse was founded during the
Klondike gold rush. Its name comes from the whitewater rapids that rush by on
the nearby Yukon River. Many people think the rapids look like the mane of a
white horse on the run.
During World War II, Whitehorse played a big
role in the building of the Alaska Highway. Thanks to the Alaska Highway, the
town’s population grew rapidly. Today, most of the Yukon Territory’s residents
live in Whitehorse.
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