Klondike, Yukon
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The Klondike (; ) is a region of the territory of
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 ...
, in northwestern
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It lies around the
Klondike River The Klondike River () is a tributary of the Yukon River in Canada that gave its name to the Klondike Gold Rush and the Klondike region of the Yukon Territory. The Klondike River rises in the Ogilvie Mountains and flows into the Yukon River at ...
, a small river that enters the
Yukon River The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...
from the east at
Dawson City Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...
. The area is merely an informal geographic region, and has no function to the territory as any kind of
administrative region Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
. The Klondike is famed due to the Klondike Gold Rush, which started in 1896 and lasted until 1899. Since then,
gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
has been mined continuously in that area, except for a pause in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 2023, the cultural landscape of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, because of its testimony to the adaptation of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people to the European colonization that began in the late 19th century.


Climate and ecology

Klondike 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 ...
''Dfc''), bordering on a
tundra climate The tundra climate is a polar climate sub-type located in high latitudes and high mountains. It is classified as ET according to the Köppen climate classification. It is a climate which at least one month has an average temperature high enough ...
(
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 ...
''ET''). The climate is warm in the short summer, and very cold during the long winter. By late October, ice forms over the rivers. For the majority of the year, the ground is frozen to a depth of . The landscape is dominated by
spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' ( ), a genus of about 40 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal (taiga) regions of the Northern hemisphere. ''Picea'' ...
,
aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...
, and
birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 3 ...
trees interspersed with
riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. In some regions, the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, riparian corridor, and riparian strip are used to characterize a ripar ...
vegetation.
Salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
have likely been migrating from the Pacific Ocean to the Klondike River to spawn for at least 65,000 years, and archeological evidence suggests that they have been fished as early as 11,500 years ago.
Caribou The reindeer or caribou (''Rangifer tarandus'') is a species of deer with circumpolar distribution, native to Arctic, subarctic, tundra, boreal, and mountainous regions of Northern Europe, Siberia, and North America. It is the only represe ...
also migrate through the Klondike region during their seasonal migrations. Other species found in the region include
moose The moose (: 'moose'; used in North America) or elk (: 'elk' or 'elks'; used in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is the world's tallest, largest and heaviest extant species of deer and the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is also the tal ...
, black bear,
grizzly bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...
,
lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
,
marten A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...
,
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
,
wolverine The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
, Dall's sheep, and
beaver Beavers (genus ''Castor'') are large, semiaquatic rodents of the Northern Hemisphere. There are two existing species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers are the second-large ...
. There is a weather station for Klondike located along the
Dempster Highway The Dempster Highway, also referred to as Yukon Highway 5 and Northwest Territories Highway 8, is a highway in Canada that connects the Klondike Highway in Yukon to Inuvik, Northwest Territories on the Mackenzie River delta. The highway crosses t ...
, near the southern entrance of
Tombstone Territorial Park Tombstone Territorial Park is a territorial park in the Yukon, one of three territories in Canada. It is in central Yukon, near the southern end of the Dempster Highway, stretching from the 50.5 to the 115.0 kilometre marker. The park protects ...
, at an elevation of 973 m (3192 ft).


Politics

Klondike is a district of the Legislative Assembly of Yukon. The former Premier of the Yukon, Liberal Sandy Silver, represents the electoral district of Klondike.


History

The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people have continuously occupied the Klondike region for over 9000 years, and
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
has stated this was "fundamentally transformed during the colonial occupation of these lands." European traders began to arrive in the region in the mid 19th century, and in 1874, the first trading post in the Klondike ( Fort Reliance) was established. Soon after, in 1876, the
Indian Act The ''Indian Act'' () is a Canadian Act of Parliament that concerns registered Indians, their bands, and the system of Indian reserves. First passed in 1876 and still in force with amendments, it is the primary document that defines how t ...
was passed (without Indigenous negotiation), which restricted the ability of Indigenous Canadians to continue their cultural practices and live in their original lands. This act and the discovery of precious metals in the area led to a steady increase in the arrival of colonists during the 1880s, and in 1893, the first permanent non-Indigenous settlement was founded at Ch’ëdähdëk (Forty Mile), at the site of an ancient indigenous hunting spot. When gold was discovered nearby in 1896, several boomtowns were founded and the landscape around the Klondike transformed into an industrial hub. Nearly 30,000 people arrived in
Dawson City Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...
over the next few years. In mid-1901 an expedition left California hoping to prove that the Klondike was the site of the Biblical
Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden (; ; ) or Garden of God ( and ), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the biblical paradise described in Genesis 2–3 and Ezekiel 28 and 31.. The location of Eden is described in the Book of Ge ...
. It was sponsored ($50,000) by Morris Ketchum Jesup with an American naturalist (Norman Buxton) and two Russian scientists ( Waldemar Bogoras and
Waldemar Jochelson Vladimir Ilyich Jochelson () (January 14 (New Style, N.S. January 26), 1855, Vilnius - November 2, 1937, New York City) was a Russian ethnography, ethnographer and researcher of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North. Biography Jochelson c ...
). The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in were forced to relocate downriver to an ancestral camp called Moosehide, where it became the center of the Indigenous community until the 1950s. After the Klondike Gold Rush ended near the turn of the 20th century, many of the boomtowns quickly became ghost towns, but Dawson City remained the capital of the Yukon until 1953 (when the capital was moved to
Whitehorse Whitehorse () is the capital of Yukon, and the largest city in Northern Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1426 (Historic Mile 918) on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas ...
).


Tr’ondëk-Klondike World Heritage Site

Several archaeological sites in the Klondike were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023 as a cultural landscape, described as follows: The site contains eight subsites: These sites show archaeological evidence of the transition from Indigenous to European land use, and the interactions between the two cultures. In total, the World Heritage Site includes 8 distinct properties. * Fort Reliance: the first trading post in the Klondike, built in 1874. * Ch’ëdähdëk (Forty Mile): A traditional hunting location and the oldest European settlement in the Yukon, which was abandoned during the nearby Klondike Gold Rush. * Ch’ëdähdëk Tth’än K’et (Dënezhu Graveyard): A First Nations cemetery with approximately 22 graves. * Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine: Forts established in 1893 and 1895 and abandoned shortly thereafter. * Tr'ochëk: A traditional fishing camp *
Dawson City Dawson City is a town in the Canadian territory of Yukon. It is inseparably linked to the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899). Its population was 1,577 as of the 2021 census, making it the second-largest municipality in Yukon. History Prior t ...
: The major city and industrial hub of the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush. * Jëjik Dhä Dënezhu Kek’it (Moosehide Village): An important gathering place for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation and where they relocated during the European expansion. * Tthe Zra¸y Kek’it (Black City): an archeological site and abandoned Indigenous settlement used in the 19th century to take advantage of trade with the influx of European colonists.


References

{{coord, 64, 3, 45, N, 139, 25, 50, W, source:dawiki_region:CA, display=title Hän Geography of Yukon Klondike Gold Rush Geographic regions of Canada Garden of Eden World Heritage Sites in Canada