Yukon – Heartland of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897
When the Klondike Gold Rush began in 1897, tens of thousands of hopefuls set out for the Yukon. The sudden rise in population led to the Yukon being separated from the Northwest Territories in 1898 as its own territory – a turning point that still shapes its identity.
The story reaches much further back: parts of the Yukon escaped glaciation, and archaeological sites here hold some of the earliest evidence of human life in North America. Around 800 AD, an eruption of Mount Churchill covered the south in ash that is still visible along the Klondike Highway and lives on in First Nations oral tradition. Today Whitehorse is the largest city in northern Canada. Share your own Yukon stories with the community!