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Dawson City. Currently with a population of 1800 people, stable since it inception
in 1896 when Gold was first discovered. In its hayday of 1989 30,000
people lived here, mostly American. The Klondike Gold rush made the Yukon what
it is today. 538km northwest of Whitehorse, travelling there is long now, imagine
it over 100 years ago when there was no road or cars and the area where Whitehorse
now lies was a First Nations campsite.
The first wave of Stampeders came to the Klondike up the Yukon River via the Chilcoot
Trail. The Mounties required the men to carry one ton worth of gear on their
trek to ensure they could survive the winter they would never expect in their
wildest imagination. The Klondike Gold rush ended one year later when Gold
was found in Nome Alaska. Over these two years $2.5 million was pulled out
in 1897 and $10 million in 1898.
After the Stampeders left the Companies moved in with the Dredges. These huge
machines would churn up the rivers, extract the gold and leave the remaining
rock and sand looking like a giant worm had burrowed through the area ( see
Google Earth Image.)
Dredge No. 4 was built in 1912 for the Canadian Klondike Mining Company. It
took a year to transport it from where it was built to Bonanza Creek. Having
22 – 2 ton buckets to dig up the rivers it was 99% efficient in removing Gold
from the creeks. It worked for 18 years and moved 12km down the creek. 9 Dredges
were operated by the Yukon Gold Corporation until 1966 when it was no longer
financial viable to continue operating them.
Great National Film Board Video – City Of Gold – By Pierre Burton, a great piece of history.
Robert Service lived in the Yukon and worked in the bank for 8 years. This is one of his famous poems.
Many of the buildings retain their heritage while taking on new signs.
Drunken Goat, mmmm greek food.
Some of the buildings are in disrepair
St. Andrews Church built in 1901
Jack London Square
Dawson City Museum
Our Hotel
Every town has cool bikes!
Inside the Drunken Goat with their celebrity wall.
Civilization ! ?
Dredge no 4. Now under the care of Parks Canada. The tour is worthwhile.
Dredges have been around for awhile!
12 foot diameter wooden wheel
The Dredges ran 24/7. They only stopped digging when the sluices needed emptying.
Four men operated the Dredge. Plus other who were around for maintenance etc.
One on the ‘deck’, one in the back, one in the front and one near the sluices.
Their only means of communication was a large bell that would ring with the
below signals. These men usually ended up deaf.
One of the two stops of the road back to Whitehorse. Time to get something to drink!
Google earth view of Dawson and the area west that was dredged in the early 1900’s
