The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but only for those who seek them
Posts tagged the Yukon
The Yukon – Canada
Feb 4th
The Yukon takes its name from Yu-kun-ah, the Loucheux word for the Yukon River, the ‘great river’ that drains most of the territory. Some five per cent of Canada’s landmass, the Yukon lies in the northwest corner of Canada. Bordered on three sides by rugged mountains and on the 4th by the Arctic Ocean, it shares many of the characteristics of its neighbours, Alaska, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. More >
Dawson City – Canada
Jul 22nd
Built in the wake of the Klondike Gold Rush, Dawson City was a classic boomtown. Founded in 1896, it had 40,000 inhabitants by 1898 but, just a few years later this had dwindled to 5,000. The surviving buildings, carefully preserved and restored, provide a colourful reminder of these heady days, when adventurers around the world were gripped by gold fever.
The stampede began an August 1896, when George Carmac, Dawson Charlie, and Shookum Jim discovered gold in Rabbit Creek. As news of the discovery spread, thousands of prospectors flocked to this remote spot, located near the confluence of the Yukon and Klondike Rivers. However, while most individuals went in search of their fortune panning for gold, a shrewd character called Joe Ladue staked out a town-site, well aware that it was the merchants, rather than the miners, who usually got rich. He called the place Dawson City, after George Dawson, the geologist who had originally surveyed the region. More >
