Atlin (

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

: ''Wéinaa'') is a community in northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, located on the eastern shore of

Atlin Lake Atlin Lake ( Lingít: ''Áa Tlein'') is the largest natural lake in the Canadian province of British Columbia. The northern tip of the lake is in Yukon, as is Little Atlin Lake. However, most of the lake lies within the Atlin District of British ...

. In addition to continued gold-mining activity, Atlin is a tourist destination for fishing, hiking and

Heliskiing Heli-skiing is off-trail, downhill skiing or snowboarding where the skier reaches the top of the mountain by helicopter, instead of a ski lift. History In the late 1950s, helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain. The i ...

. As of 2016, there are 477 permanent residents. The name comes from Áa Tlein, the

Tlingit language The Tlingit language ( ; ''Lingít'' ) is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada and is a branch of the Na-Dene language family. Extensive effort is being put into revitalization programs in Southeast Alaska to rev ...

word for "big body of water". The surrounding area has been used by Inland

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

people for many years and the community is home to the

Taku River Tlingit First Nation The Taku River Tlingit First Nation are the band government of the Inland Tlingit in far northern British Columbia, Canada and also in Yukon. They comprise two ''ḵwaan'' (tribes) of the Tlingit people, who are otherwise coastal, the ''Áa Tlei ...

. Every July, the town hosts the

Atlin Arts & Music Festival The Atlin Arts & Music Festival (AAMF) is an annual arts and music festival directed towards families located in Atlin, British Columbia. The festival has hosted acts such as Michelle Wright, Sloan, Delhi 2 Dublin, Iskwé, Rock Plaza Central, ...

in Tarahne Park. However, the festival did not take place in 2010 nor in 2020.

History

The exact time when prospectors arrived in Atlin is unknown. George Miller is supposed to be the first person to have learned of the presence of gold within the area surrounding Atlin. The two men most commonly referred to as the "founders" of Atlin are Frederick Miller and Kenneth McLaren, who staked claims along the nearby Pine Creek in 1898. The Atlin Gold Rush came to Atlin Lake country in 1898 and was one of the richest offshoots of the Klondike Gold Rush. By the end of the mining season of 1899, around 5,000 people had flocked to the region and Atlin became a busy and important settlement, centre of the Atlin Mining District, and one of the flash-points of the

Alaska boundary dispute The Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, which then controlled Canada's foreign relations. It was resolved by arbitration in 1903. The dispute had existed ...

. Although production was greater in its early years, the Atlin field still produces. Total placer gold production has exceeded $23,000,000. In the 1920s, Atlin was popular as an exotic tourist destination. There was no road to the settlement, requiring tourists to travel up the

Inside Passage The Inside Passage (french: Passage Intérieur) is a coastal route for ships and boats along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific Northwest coast of the North American Fjordland. The route extends from southeaster ...

through the

British Columbia Coast , settlement_type = Region of British Columbia , image_skyline = , nickname = "The Coast" , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = British ...

and the

Alaska Panhandle Southeast Alaska, colloquially referred to as the Alaska(n) Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, bordered to the east and north by the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia (and a small part ...

and via passes through Alaska and a series of lakes in Yukon and British Columbia. The journey ended when the M.V. ''Tarahne'' (and other lake boats) took the tourists across the lake to stay at the large three storey Atlin Inn (built by the

White Pass and Yukon Route The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) is a Canadian and U.S. Class III narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railr ...

company). It was during this time it was nicknamed the "Switzerland of the North" because it is surrounded by mountains in much the same way as

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, tourism decreased and the White Pass and Yukon Route closed their transportation routes and hotel. Atlin was largely isolated from transportation and commerce until the

Atlin Road The Atlin Road is a road in British Columbia and Yukon, Canada. It is designated as Highway 7 in Yukon, and has no official highway number in British Columbia. It was built by the Canadian Army from 1950 to 1951, connecting the village of Atlin ...

was built in 1950–51.

Infrastructure

Atlin can be reached via the

(Yukon Territorial Highway 7; no number in B.C.) that is maintained jointly by the British Columbia and

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

governments. At its Yukon terminus, the Atlin Road connects to the Tagish Road and the

Alaska Highway