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Parks Canada photo
Bennett Station
You can see why people might’ve wanted to build a town here. The view of Bennett from the White Pass & Yukon Route train arriving from Carcross, Yukon, with Bennett Lake in the foreground.
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Fritz Mueller photo
The Palace Grand Theatre was built in in 1899 by "Arizona Charlie" Meadows, who was an American showman and sharpshooter, and completely restored by Parks Canada in 1961. You can take a tour of the theatre or catch some of the Parks Canada programming. Check with the Dawson City Visitor Information Centre to find out what shows are playing at the theatre.
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Fritz Mueller photo
Whether you’re a Klondike Gold Rush history buff, or just learning about this incredible historical event, a guided walking tour through downtown Dawson City is one of the very best ways to get the lowdown on this gold rush town.
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Fritz Mueller photo
Robert Service embodied the spirit of the Klondike Gold Rush in his poems. His rhyming verse made him the richest poet of the twentieth century. On a guided tour, Parks Canada staff show you the cabin the “Bard of the Yukon” lived in and will guide you through the landscape that inspired him.
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Fritz Mueller photo
The S.S. Klondike was built in the Whitehorse Shipyards in 1929. During its career, the vessel hauled ore, people, and mercantile goods. It sank in 1936 and was quickly re-built. The boat continued to ply the Yukon River until 1956.
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Fritz Mueller photo
The S.S. Klondike was built in the Whitehorse Shipyards in 1929. During its career, the vessel hauled ore, people, and mercantile goods. It sank in 1936 and was quickly re-built. The boat continued to ply the Yukon River until 1956.
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Fritz Mueller photo
Now preserved as a national historic site of Canada, the S.S. Klondike was the largest vessel in the British Yukon Navigation Company fleet. The ship needed one-and-a-half days to travel downstream on the Yukon River from Whitehorse to Dawson City; four to five days for the return trip against the current.
By Lily Gontard
For a lot of people, visiting the Yukon is a trip of a lifetime. Whether it’s your first time travelling to the territory or you’re returning to rediscover it, you’ll find lots to do at one of Parks Canada’s three national parks and six national historic sites. Will you take the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry from Seattle, Washington, or Prince Rupert, British Columbia, along the breathtaking Pacific Coast to start the land-portion of your trip in Skagway, Alaska? Or, will it be the Alaska Highway from Mile 0 in Dawson Creek, British Columbia? However you choose to get to the Yukon, here are three ways you can relive the Yukon’s history once you arrive:
1. Dawson City Experience In August 1896, a gold find on Rabbit Creek, later re-named Bonanza Creek, in the Yukon started one of the largest movements of people ever: the Klondike Gold Rush. Men and women from around the world raced to Dawson City in pursuit of their fortunes. To find out what life was really like in Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush, take a guided walking tour with one of Parks Canada’s knowledgeable interpreters. Parks Canada offers several tours including one for Robert Service enthusiasts who want to venture literally off the beaten path, a classic town tour told through the stories of people who lived in Dawson during the gold rush, and a tour where you’ll hear all about the tales of the strange things done ‘neath the midnight sun (there was some ‘misfortune’ during the gold rush). Tours are offered daily and start at the Visitor Information Centre on Front Street. www.parkscanada.gc.ca/klondike.
2. Chilkoot Trail Though you may not want to hike the legendary 33 miles / 53 kilometre trek that Klondike stampeders traipsed in during the gold rush, but you can still visit Bennett in Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site. Bennett is located at the northern trailhead of the Chilkoot Trail on the shore of Bennett Lake, B.C. In the winter of 1897-1898, Bennett City became a temporary boat-building and tent encampment and home to about 20,000 Klondike Gold Rush stampeders. The construction of the White Pass and Yukon Route train line from Skagway to Whitehorse in 1900 spelled the end of the city. Today, you can see the remains of the town’s historical imprint on the land: St. Andrew’s Church, Bennett cemetery, trails and artifacts such as broken glass, tins, nails, etc. On a narrow gauge railroad that is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, the White Pass & Yukon Route (wpyr.com, 1-800-343-7373) runs train tours to Bennett from Carcross, Yukon, and from Skagway, Alaska, or Fraser, B.C. WP&YR offers lunch at the Bennett train station and you can take a self-guided walking tour of Bennett. www.parkscanada.gc.ca/chilkoot.
3. Sternwheeler Magic A visit to Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon, is complete with a tour of the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site, the sternwheeler dry-docked on the banks of the Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse. The largest vessel in the British Yukon Navigation Company fleet, the S.S. Klondike is restored to how it looked in the late 1930s. You can explore the boat on a self-guided tour—a free brochure or use the free Explora App available on tablets on site or you can download to your own smart phone or tablet. Or, for a more personalized experience, you can book a guided tour with one of three tour operators. There is no entry fee to the S.S. Klondike and there is ample RV pull-through parking. For more information, visit the Parks Canada website www.parkscanada.gc.ca/ssklondike.