Atlin ( Tlingit: ''Wéinaa'') is a community in northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada, located on the eastern shore of

Atlin Lake Atlin Lake (Tlingit language, Lingít: ''Áa Tlein'') is the largest natural lake in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. The lake is wide and long. The northern tip of the lake is in the Yukon, as is ...

. 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 ...

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

Tlingit language The Tlingit language ( ; ' ) is an Indigenous language of the northwestern coast of North America, which is spoken by the Tlingit people of Southeast Alaska and Western Canada and is a branch of the Na-Dene language family. Extensive effor ...

word for "big body of water". The surrounding area has been used by Inland Tlingit 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, Tlingit people, who are otherwise coastal, ...

. Every July, the town hosts the Atlin Arts & Music Festival in Tarahne Park. However, the festival did not take place in 2010 or since 2019.

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. "Although production was greatest in its early years, the Atlin field still produces today. 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 through the

British Columbia Coast The British Columbia Coast, popularly referred to as the BC Coast or simply the Coast, is a geographic region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of British Columbia. As the entire western continental coastline of Canada ...

and the

Alaska Panhandle Southeast Alaska, often abbreviated to southeast or southeastern, and sometimes called 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 provi ...

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 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 Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. During the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, 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 was built in 1949.

Infrastructure

Atlin can be reached via the Atlin Road (Yukon Territorial Highway 7; no number in B.C.) that is maintained jointly by the British Columbia and

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

governments. At its Yukon terminus, the Atlin Road connects to the Tagish Road and the Alaska Highway (Highway 1). It can also be reached through Atlin Airport. Prior to the 1949 construction of the Atlin Road by the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

, Atlin was reached overland by two lake steamers, the Tutshi and Tarahne, with a two-mile rail line between the lakes they plied, until the 1930s, then was isolated. Atlin landline telephone service is provided by Northwestel, following a purchase from the incumbent

Telus Communications Telus Communications Inc. (TCI) is the wholly owned principal subsidiary of Telus Corporation, a Canadian national telecommunications company that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, v ...

in November 2023. Satellite internet is provided by the local ISP Atlin Community Network, Xplornet, and more recently

Starlink Starlink is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services, LLC, an international telecommunications provider that is a wholly owned subsidiary of American aerospace company SpaceX, providing coverage to around 130 countries ...

. Northwestel has stated that it intends to bring its own internet service to Atlin in the future. In December 2024, cellular service became operational in Atlin. Atlin long relied on a local diesel generator, but

hydroelectric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

was restored around 2009 with a micro-hydro project near where one historically operated. The output is sufficient for local use, but expansion is being studied, with the possible sale of surplus to Yukon Energy. Atlin has a radio repeater carrying

CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...

, and used to have a community-owned television transmitter carrying CBC Television by satellite; when first established, the CBC TV signal was relayed from Whitehorse by a repeater on White Mountain near Jake's Corner. Currently, the only available TV service is through Shaw in Whitehorse.

Climate

Atlin has a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dsc'') with long, cold winters and short, mild summers. The westerly location and minor Pacific influence, however, make the winters markedly less severe than in most of northern Canada, and the town is among the northernmost in Canada with a mean annual temperature above . Precipitation is generally light, with less than of actual rainfall per year, and a snowfall less than that of markedly milder

Juneau Juneau ( ; ), officially the City and Borough of Juneau, is the capital of the U.S. state of Alaska, located along the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle. Juneau was named the capital of Alaska in 1906, when the government of wha ...

on the coast.

Television

Atlin was featured on the historical television series '' Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'', season 1, episode 9.

References

External links

Discover Atlin

Atlin Arts & Music Festival
{{Authority control Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Mining communities in British Columbia Atlin District Populated places in the Regional District of Kitimat–Stikine