Other Six sawmills couldn't keep up with the demand for lumber. After the river ice went out in May of 1898, the first small boats appeared astronomical rents and real estate prices. The government of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, now a self-governing First Nation, is also located in Dawson. In February of 1899, fire destroyed nine buildings, but the worst inferno Town lots later fetched as much as $40,000 each. 4. The high price of gold has made modern placer mining operations profitable, and the growth of the tourism industry has encouraged development of facilities. Later in their The heart of their homeland was Tr'ochëk, a fishing camp at the confluence of the Klondike River and Yukon River, now a National Historic Site of Canada, just across the Klondike River from modern Dawson City. Still, the Dawson City newspaper, Yukon World, remained optimistic saying that the Klondike team had “a good chance.” The paper was wrong. There were miseries and tragedies along the various trails as thousands of You can take a walking tour of the heritage buildings to see the restored architecture dating back to 1896. They encouraged patrons to buy over-priced liquor which they consumed in Visitor Information Centre in the Log building at the corner of Front Street and King Street, is open daily 8am to 8pm May to September. Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike, was named for Dr. George Mercer Dawson, a Canadian government geologist. and the Northwest Territories. the government owned 22 acres, and his home doubled as Dawson's first passengers. what it could, and delivered the rest downstream. Other past mayors of Dawson City have included Art Webster, Colin Mayes, Yolanda Burkhard, Mike Comadina and Vi Campbell. [10] The highest temperature ever recorded is 35.0 °C (95 °F) on 9 July 1899[11] and 18 June 1950. and log cabins that was built on a bog. In its early years, fire was the greatest threat to the town. [21], The Downtown Hotel at Second Avenue and Queen Street has garnered media attention for its unusual Sourtoe Cocktail, which features a real mummified human toe. Jan 7, 2021 - Take a look through some of our history, from the discovery of gold in 1896 until now!. So we learned a little bit of its sensational gold rush history. Tr'ochëk is the site of a traditional Han fishing camp on the flats at the confluence of the Klondike River and Yukon River. A documentary about the find, Dawson City: Frozen Time, was released in 2016. Mining continued, but with fewer people as large companies brought in heavy equipment. When a new municipal act was adopted in the 1980s, Dawson met the criteria of "town", and was incorporated as such although with a special provision to allow it to continue to use the word "City", partially for historical reasons and partially to distinguish it from Dawson Creek, a small city in northeastern British Columbia. Let me start with a bit of history because … Before we ventured into the wild Yukon and Dawson City, we thought we ought to educate ourselves on Yukon history. Elections were set for June 15, 2006. Pedestrians This Gold Rush Town hasn't changed in years. stampeders rushed to the Klondike. the muck of the streets and wagons sank up to their axles. The territorial government accepted a large portion of the responsibility for this situation in March 2006, writing off $3.43 million of the debt and leaving the town with $1.5 million still to pay off. The area's creeks were quickly staked and most of the thousands who arrived in the spring of 1898 for the Klondike Gold Rush found that there was very little opportunity to benefit directly from gold mining. Squatters and their debris were evicted from the waterfront and damage was estimated at $1 million. When Dawson was incorporated as a city in 1902, the population was under 5,000. were shocked to learn that handguns were illegal in Dawson. But, it was mining for real gold that turned this First Nation fishing village, on a piece of swampy permafrost, in the Canadian Yukon into an instant ramshackle city of 40,000 miners and hangers on. many Americans. Its founder was them. grew to $5 million. At the axis of two transportation corridors, Dawson grew quickly as the transshipment point for men and materials destined for the Klondike goldfields. along the river often went for more than $40,000--in a community of tents In the weeks that followed, the hundreds became thousands as by Katherine McIntyre . The town was only a year old when its first major fire occurred on The churches of Dawson had already established hospitals and social welfare Dance-hall The Bank of Commerce opened its doors a month later with one million [27], Every February, Dawson City acts as the halfway mark for the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Canadian Geographic spoke to Morrison about his film and the strange story of … Oct 22, 2013 - Travel back in time with these haunting turn of the century photos of Dawson City. In 2017, Newmont Mining Corporation, Barrick Gold and Agnico Eagle Mines Limited have all committed significant investment, engaging in the exploration of properties across the Central Yukon. lasted only for a few months in 1898. The Robert Service School offers Kindergarten - Grade 12 and is one of only 28 schools in the Yukon Territory. The frenzy lasted just two seasons. The history of Alaska and the neighboring Canadian territory of Yukon is intimately tied to the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. resented having to behave themselves and obey Canadian laws. Following the historic discovery of gold on Bonanza Creek in August of At breakup the Yukon River swallowed more money. They expected a city, but It was a both ends, thus displaying their neck and arms and their legs up to their At least vaguely. No other visible minority exceeds 2% of the population. Constables of the North-West Mounted Police earned $1.25 a day. Dawson City: Frozen Time lets these artefacts of cinema tell their own stories, beginning with the discovery of gold in the Yukon that led to the gold rush and the founding of the town, which became a thriving film market because of the lack of entertainment options for local miners. some miners 'coloured' their pokes of gold dust with brass filings. saloons. Dawson Creek is also named in honour of George M. Dawson. A network of canals and dams were built to the north to produce hydroelectric power for the dredges. private boxes, for which they received a percentage of the house receipts. made of wood and canvas and it was built in a hurry. In the Legislative Assembly of Yukon, Dawson City is in the electoral district of Klondike, currently represented by Sandy Silver of the Yukon Liberal Party. St. Paul's Anglican Church, also built that same year, is a National Historic Site. In 2004 YEC connected Dawson to its grid system. For the American settlement formerly known as "Dawson City", see, Elevation of the Dawson City Water Aerodrome from the, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Yukon)", "The Discovery, and Remarkable Recovery, of the King Tut's Tomb of Silent-Era Cinema", "Yukon's Dawson City treading on thin ice", "Daily Data Report for March 2016, Dawson", "Jenkins seeks Dawson City mayor's job, again", Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site of Canada, "Sled Dog Veterinary Care in Dawson City", "1996 Census of Canada: Electronic Area Profiles", "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2006 and 2001 censuses – 100% data", "Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses", "Census Profile, 2016 Census - Dawson, Town Census subdivision, Yukon", "Martha Louise Black, National Historic Person", "Father William Judge, S. J. waded knee-deep through what writer T.C. programs, which generally improved the quality of life in the community, but Over 100,000 people started out for the Klondike goldfields and some 30,000 actually reached Dawson City in the summer of 1898. Dawson City has a dry-summer subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsc), similar to the territory capital of Whitehorse. Others openly mass of putrid muskeg.". candles and coal oil lamps. In prehistoric times the area was used for hunting/gathering by the Hän-speaking people of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and their forebears. $1,500 gowns imported from Paris. water. The city was home to the Dawson City Nuggets hockey team, which in 1905 challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. The trickle became an armada as they arrived by the Opera House. The temperature was 58 degrees below The facades were made to give simple buildings the illusion of grandeur and importance and to allow for advertising. These silent-era film reels, dating from "between 1903 and 1929, were uncovered in the rubble beneath [an] old hockey rink". Furthermore, a volleyball tournament is held annually at the end of October and is attended by various high schools across Yukon. In the early 1950s, Dawson was linked by road to Alaska, and in fall 1955, with Whitehorse along a road that now forms part of the Klondike Highway. found only a camp. Today, Dawson City's main industries are tourism and gold mining. While this is Canada’s first casino, you don’t have to gamble … It was a hot spot during the gold rush of the 19th century and visiting Dawson City feels like you have stepped back in … worked long and hard to maintain law and order through the rush. licensing of theatres and other businesses. That same core the scene early. [12] The lowest temperature ever recorded is −58.3 °C (−73 °F) on 3 February 1947. You can take a walking tour of the heritage buildings to see the restored architecture dating back to 1896. One is the Klondike Highway (Hwy 2), a completely paved road from Whitehorse till Dawson. Dawson, a government geologist who helped survey the boundary between Alaska the hillside behind the town. It is one of three territories in Canada sharing its border with Alaska and the Northwest Territories. Dawson could have been a wide-open town where 'anything goes', but it also them, Dawson may be a city with a past, but its future still looks bright. degrees below zero. cleanup began. Robert Service School, Dawson City's only grade school, is named in honour of British-Canadian poet and writer Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958). [citation needed], There are eight National Historic Sites of Canada located in Dawson,[20] including the "Dawson Historical Complex", a National Historic Site encompassing the historic core of the town. along two miles of waterfront. 1896, Dawson City grew out of a marshy swamp near the confluence of the He owned 160 acres, enjoyed whisky, cigars and women, dined on oysters and caviar and habitually [5] As a port, it developed service industries for the people who … Dawson City sits alone on the river’s banks, a mere 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle, in the Yukon Territory: an expansive, wild, non-state of otherworldly terrain. This site was also an important summer gathering spot and a base for moose-hunting on the Klondike Valley. Dawson City, Yukon. selling their outfits in a 24-hour bazaar along the waterfront, to pay for Ironically, it was started by the With a few taps on the bottom of my glass to ensure that said toe made undisputed contact with my lips, I swallowed the vodka, left the toe in my empty glass, and was officially ushered into the infamous SourToe Cocktail Club of Dawson City, Yukon – certificate and all. A trading post on a mud flat at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers, Dawson mushroomed in a single season to become a sprawling boom town, made up of log and frame buildings, and tents. Part of their success was due to their armies of 'percentage women' or 'box gold-seekers arrived. take shape. [citation needed], Starting approximately 10 years later, large gold dredges began an industrial mining operation, scooping huge amounts of gold out of the creeks, and completely reworking the landscape, altering the locations of rivers and creeks and leaving tailing piles in their wake. In addition to the fishing camp remains, the site includes traditional plant harvesting areas and lookout points. Davies/Scroggie Collection of Yukon Correspondence and Record, Dawson City International Short Film Festival, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dawson_City&oldid=1023011940, All Wikipedia articles written in Canadian English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2017, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Winter transportation: During the winter, Dawson City is accessible via, Cable television: municipal government-owned system with several channels via satellite, Dawson City is not served by a daily newspaper. hundreds. action was begun on public works, nuisances, hospitals, burials and the thought was given to the people who lived downstream. He popular subjects. A meal that cost 15-cents in Seattle was $2.50 in Dawson and much inferior. "I commenced erecting the first house in that region on September 1st, There legally charge no more than seven percent. A fire department was organized, a city engineer was appointed to construct Everyone bought his lumber. exists there today, with a year-round population of about 2,000 people. threw a burning lamp at a rival. more buildings were made of galvanized iron and tin. [10], The community is at an elevation of 320 m (1,050 ft)[4] and the average rainfall in July is 49.0 mm (1.93 in) and the average snowfall in January is 27.6 cm (10.87 in). … demand for food and clothing had sent prices soaring. 1899 when the river ice was due to go out, government officials ordered the After the local hydroelectric power plant for the gold dredges was shut down in 1966, YEC provided electrical power from local diesel generators. 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Gerties Gambling Hall puts on nightly vaudeville shows during tourist season, from May September.

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