The Canadian North

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All sorts of images come to mind when one thinks of the Canadian North. Once the domain of a few Aboriginal communities living in extremely difficult living conditions, those Territories have attracted many adventurers and missionaries over the years, followed by an entire non-Aboriginal population from southern Canada, lured here by government jobs and the rich gold mines near Great Slave Lake.

Far to the north, above British Columbia, is a region where glaciers lie nestled between high peaks. Here, the great Yukon River originates in inland Tagish Lake, and seems to take sly pleasure in turning its back on the sea, heading north before forking off to the west, into Alaska. Fed by waters from many tributaries along the way, it finally flows into Bering Strait after travelling almost 3,200km. Aboriginals called it the "great river," or Yukon, in their language.

Approximately 35,500 people live in the Yukon, mostly in the southern part of the territory. The native community is comprised of about 7,000 people. English is the most common language. Over 23,000 Yukonites live in the capital, Whitehorse. The three other major towns in the territory (1,500 to 3,000 residents) are Dawson, Watson Lake and Faro. The rest of the population is dispersed among some 20 towns and hamlets, some of which are no more than a cluster of buildings.

The Yukon's modern history begins in 1825 when John Franklin explored its north shore. The Hudson's Bay Company proceeded to set up fur-trading posts around 1840. Canada affirmed its sovereignty over the territory in 1895, sending in a Mountie detachment just in time to keep the Americans from doing likewise. The gold rush began in 1896, following the discovery of gold in the Klondike. This led to a demographic boom which lasted until 1904. Once the frenzy subsided, however, the total population dropped to under 5,000 inhabitants until the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. The development of transportation routes over land soon led to a drop in the amount of activity on the Yukon River. Thus, Dawson ceased to be the capital, and Whitehorse became increasingly developed as more and more services were introduced. Since the 1960s, so many mining towns have either been established or developed that the population of the Yukon is now growing twice as fast as that of Canada on the whole.

The little city of Whitehorse is the capital and administrative centre of the Yukon, and lies on the west side of the Yukon River, right at the foot of the plateau where the airport is located and across which the Alaska Highway now runs. The city has started to spread over to the east shore of the river, which is spanned by the Robert Campbell Bridge.

Whitehorse is located at the natural upstream terminus on the Yukon River, which is why people people settled here in the first place. Gold prospectors travelling to the Klondike by way of Alaska had a hard time crossing the Whitehorse and Miles Canyon Rapids with loaded canoes. The most prudent way to proceed was to reach the shore and then portage the gear.

Right near the bridge over the Yukon River is the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site (Main St., 667-4511 during summer, or 667-3910). The S.S. Klondike was a steamer built in 1929 to travel up and down the river between Whitehorse and Dawson, but sank in 1936. Rebuilt in 1937, it now houses a museum.

Constructed one room at a time, the McBride Museum (First