The Yukon

The Yukon, Present day

The Yukon Territory is 186,661 square miles large. That’s larger than the State of California and larger than Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands combined.

Area big, Population small!POPULATION:Barren ground caribou:185,000Moose:50,000People:31,881Mountain sheep:25,000

Black bears:7,000Grizzly bears:10,000Birds(in species):254Fish (in species):38

Most of the Yukon is rural and unsettledTotal Population of the Yukon: 31,070The City of Whitehorse: 22,879Dawson City: 1,953Watson Lake: 1,662

That’s 13 people for every 100 square miles

LandThe Yukon is a land ranging from snow and tundra to deep forests and mountain meadows and includes a pocket desert.

The Yukon can be divided into two broad geographical regions: 1. Taiga, the boreal forest belt that circles the world in the sub arctic zone, including most of the Yukon.

2. Tundra, the vast, rocky plain in the Arctic regions, where the extreme climate has stunted vegetation

Climate

The average temperature in January is between 0 and -15 degrees F, though lows can reach -58 degrees F.

In other words…

It’s a cold, desolate, harsh, unforgiving, place that’s miles from anywhere!

Gold!

On August 17, 1896 George Carmack discovered gold on Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River. This discovery marked the beginning of what is often considered the world's greatest gold rush.

Dawson CityFounded by Joe Ladue when gold was found in Bonanza Creek. “I commenced erecting the first house in that region on September 1st, 1896," Ladue wrote later. "Within six months from that date there were over 500 houses erected, which included stores, supply stations, hotels, restaurants, saloons and residences."

By 1898, Dawson had grown into the largest Canadian city west of Winnipeg, developing a complete range of services including water, sewerage, electricity and telephones. At its peak, the population has been estimated at 40,000. Between 1897 and 1904 over $100 million in gold was recovered from the creek gravels of the Yukon.

Just as quickly as it began, it ended. Gold was found in Nome, Alaska and many prospectors, disillusioned with the high prices in Dawson and the lack of remaining gold packed up and left.

Today, much of Dawson tells the story of rapid expansion and rapid abandonment

Many Gold mining methods are not environmentally friendly and have long-lasting effects on the earth. The sudden influx of inexperienced prospectors concerned only with making fast money led to occasional tensions between the indigenous Indians, legitimate prospectors, and newcomers, or “greenhorns.”

Transportation was limited, especially inland. To move goods from one location to another, people relied on dogs to pull large sleds loaded with supplies.

The sudden increase in population led to an increased demand for sled dogs to transport the newcomers and their supplies. Since dogs could not be bred fast enough to meet this new demand, they were stolen or bought from many locations throughout the west.