Canada S Heritage: Yukon

of 7 Canada’s Heritage: Yukon by Eric Badertscher Table of Contents 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 2. PROVINCIAL SYMBOLS 3. PEOPLE & CULTURE 4. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 5. ENVIRONMENT & GEOGRAPHY 6. ECONOMY 7. GOVERNMENT & HISTORY 8. TRIVIA The Yukon is an immense but thinly-populated territory in northern Canada, extending far above the Arctic Circle. Though it covers an area of 483,450 square kilometers (186,661square miles), the territory has a population of only about 30,000. The Yukon borders the Northwest Territories on the east, British Columbia on the south, and the American state of Alaska on the west. Until the late nineteenth century, the Yukon was inhabited mostly by aboriginal peoples. The Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s brought in hordes of treasure-seekers, but the population dropped sharply after gold became harder to find. Mining is the major industry; other important sectors are tourism, fishing and fur trapping. GENERAL INFORMATION Name: The name “Yukon” is an aboriginal word meaning “great river,” referring to the Yukon River. Originally spelled “Yuk-un-ah,” the word comes from the Vuntut Gwitchin (Loucheaux) people. Provincial Symbols Bird: Raven Flower: Fireweed Tree: Sub-alpine Fir Motto: None Capital: Whitehorse, the Yukon’s economic hub and largest community, was incorporated in 1950 and has served as territorial capital since 1953. The community is located just off the Alaska Highway, and about 100 kilometers north of British Columbia. Whitehorse was incorporated in 1950. According to a 2007 estimate, the community had a population of approximately 31,000. Dawson City, on the Yukon River, served as the first capital, from 1898-1953. The city's economy boomed during the Klondike Gold Rush, but dwindled afterward. A city since 1904, Dawson was an important transportation hub until the construction of the Alaska Highway in the 1940s. Population as of 2007 was approximately 1,300. Return to Table of Contents Page 2 of 7 PEOPLE & CULTURE Population: The Yukon has a very low population for the territory’s size -- approximately 33,000 inhabitants in 483,450 square kilometers as of 2009. Much of the non-native population is seasonal, transient labor. Most communities are very small, with populations ranging from a few dozen to several hundred inhabitants. Most people live in Whitehorse. Besides Dawson City, the other main communities are Faro (population around 400), Watson Lake (1000), and Haines Junction (900). Native peoples, or First Nations, make up roughly one-tenth of the population. As of 1996, there were 16 registered native bands, with total membership of 7,200. Their communities are scattered throughout the territory, with populations ranging from a few dozen to several hundred. The northernmost is the Vuntut Gwitchin community of Old Crow (population approximately 300 as of 2001), located about 190 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle. People of British origin make up around 48 percent of the population. French-Canadians account for around 13.5 percent. They operate a French-language educational system and a strong community association. There is one institution of higher education: Yukon College in Whitehorse, which has 13 community-college branches. Full-time enrollment in 2002 was around 700, with approximately 2,600 part-time students. Native People: Native people make up around 14 percent of the population. People with at least some native background made up another 10 percent. There are 16 registered native bands, with a total membership of approximately 7,200. The Council of Yukon First Nations serves as an umbrella organization. The Tlinglit were originally settled along the Pacific Coast. Their communities include Carcoss, on the South Klondike Highway, and Teslin, south of Whitehorse, on the Alaska Highway. Burwash Landing and Pelly Crossing are Tutchone communities, while Ross is home to members of the Kaska people. Other peoples include the Han, Tagish, and Tanana. There are eight groups of native languages in the Yukon, seven of which belong to the Athapaskan family. The other language group is Tlinglit. The Yukon Native Language Centre (YNLC) in Whitehorse, located on the campus of Yukon College, works to teach and promote the aboriginal tongues. The native peoples are in the process of negotiating with the territorial legislature in regard to land claims and self-government. Some First Nations have established formal relations with the Canadian government, while others are still in negotiations. Return to Table of Contents ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Much of the Yukon’s cultural life is centered in Whitehorse, the territory’s largest community. Cultural facilities include the Yukon Arts Centre, and the MacBride Museum which offers exhibits on territorial history. Notable historical buildings include the 1899 cabin of Gold Rush prospector Sam McGee, who was immortalized in Robert W. Service’s poem "The Cremation of Sam McGee." Dawson City’s reminders of Gold Rush history include the annual celebration of "Discovery Day" (August 16), the day when prospectors George Carmack, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charley discovered gold in Bonanza Creek, marking the beginning the Gold Rush. Page 3 of 7 The Yukon has inspired many famous writers and artists. English-born Robert W. Service (1874-1958), mentioned above, wrote many poems on his experiences during the Gold Rush. Writer/artist Edward “Ted” Harrison (1926- ), another English-born immigrant, is well known for his painting and children’s books dealing with the Yukon. Whitehorse native Pierre Berton (1920- ) is a journalist and historian who has written many popular books on Yukon and Canadian themes. Media outlets are extensive, despite the low population. Whitehouse has two daily newspapers: the "Whitehorse Star" and the "Yukon News." The "Klondike Sun" (Dawson City) and "Tredmill" (Haines Junction) are published less frequently. Monthly publications include the aboriginal newspaper "Raven’s Eye," published by the Aboriginal Multi-Media Society (AMMSA). As of 2003, broadcasting outlets included six radio stations and two television stations, with many programs available in native languages. Return to Table of Contents ENVIRONMENT & GEOGRAPHY The Yukon is approximately 483,450 square kilometers (186,661square miles) in area, of which 478,970 square kilometers are land area and 4,480 square kilometers are covered by fresh water. Forests account for 281,030 square kilometers. Topography: The western part of the Yukon Territory is largely mountainous, covered by the Canadian Cordillera range running along the Pacific coast. At 5,971 meters (19,590feet), Mount Logan, located in the southwest, is Canada’s highest point. East of the coastal ranges lies the subarctic Interior Plateau. To the east of the plateau are the Selwyn and Ogilvie Mountains. The northern region, along the Arctic coast, is covered by tundra. About half of the territory’s surface is covered by forest. Around 65 percent of the territory belongs to the Yukon River watershed. At 3,185 kilometers (1,979miles), the Yukon is Canada's second longest river. Other important rivers are the Klondike, Snake, White, Alsek, Liard, the Peel; the latter two belong to the Mackenzie River watershed. The Yukon contains many large lakes, including Bennett, Laberge, Kluane, and Teslin. National Parks: The Yukon has three national parks. Ivvavik National Park contains the calving ground for the Porcupine caribou herd. Kluane National Park and Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the location of Mount Logan (5,959meters/19,545 feet), Canada’s highest point. Vuntut National Park is a wilderness area in the northern Yukon. Natural Resources: The Yukon is rich in natural resources, particularly minerals, forest products, and wildlife. Mining is the territory’s major industry, and the most important minerals are gold, zinc, lead, and silver. The Yukon is home to large populations of big game. The territory’s beautiful scenery and wildlife have been important in drawing visitors northward. Plants and Animals: Alpine or sub-arctic species of plants grow in the Yukon. Around 60 percent of the Yukon is covered by "boreal" or northern forest, home to species including pine, spruce, and birch. About 15 percent of forested land is suitable for wood products. The Arctic Coastal Plain is above the treeline, where little vegetation grows. The Yukon is a haven for many wildlife species, including big game such as moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzlies, black bears, and wolves. Small furbearing mammals include the arctic fox, beaver, and lynx. Bird species include trumpeter swans, peregrine falcons, and other Page 4 of 7 migratory species. The territorial government protects Yukon’s wildlife by means of national and territorial parks, and game sanctuaries and preserves. The rivers are full of fish, another reason for the territory’s popularity with tourists. Common species include salmon, northern pike, and whitefish. Climate: The Yukon is largely sub-arctic, with cold winters and short, hot summers. January temperatures are usually between -20 degrees Celsius to -32 degrees C, while July temperatures are usually around 14 degrees C. The western mountains generally prevent Pacific winds and rain clouds from reaching inland, making the central Yukon a somewhat dry place. Average precipitation varies widely by elevation. The mountains can receive as much as 600 millimeters (about 24 inches), while valleys and other low-lying areas receive as little as 250 millimeters (almost 10 inches). Return to Table of Contents ECONOMY (Unless otherwise noted, all monetary amounts are given in Canadian dollars.) Yukon’s economy is based largely on mining. Tourism, forestry, fishing, fur production, and government activities are other important sectors. Mining focuses on gold, silver, lead, zinc. Other important minerals are tungsten, molybdenum, gold, and nickel. Oil and natural gas are other important resources. In 2007, Yukon's gross domestic product (GDP) growth ranked fourth in Canada. Yukon's per capita GDP was estimated at $57,320 in 2008. Tourism: Tourism is a major employer in the Yukon, employing around 2,000 people. Over 329,000 visitors traveled to Yukon in 2007. Tourists come to the Yukon to enjoy the magnificent scenery, hunt big game, fish, or enjoy winter sports. Others come to relive the Gold Rush era, in communities such as Dawson City and Whitehorse. Many visitors can enter the territory by means of the Alaska Highway. Agriculture: Because of the subarctic climate and limited precipitation, agriculture is a very small economic sector in the Yukon. Farming focuses mostly on locally-sold produce, and is worth around $2 million per year. Transportation: Since World War II, the Yukon has become increasingly connected with the rest of the world. Until the 1940s, most travel was by river, in sternwheeler steamboats. The construction of the Alaska Highway during World War II made automobile travel more important. As of the early twenty-first century, the Yukon has over 4,000 kilometers (2,485miles) of all-weather roads. Around 1,600 kilometers of these are covered with gravel, while another 1,900 or so are covered with a bituminous surface. Only about 250 kilometers are paved. The Alaska Highway’s surface is completely covered with pavement or a bituminous surface, making it suitable both for commercial traffic and casual tourists. Other main roads include the Dempster Highway and the South Klondike Highway; the latter connects the Yukon to the port city of Skagway, Alaska. Water travel remains important; mining companies can use rivers to transport their products to market on the Pacific coast. The Alaska Marine Highway System carries vehicular and passenger traffic aboard ferries to British Columbia and Washington State. Page 5 of 7 There are seven airports and 22 aerodromes throughout the Yukon, as well as numerous aerodrome radio stations. The largest airport is Whitehorse International Airport, which handles tens of thousands of passengers each year. Return to Table of Contents GOVERNMENT & HISTORY Government: The Yukon received territorial status in 1898, at the height of the Klondike Gold Rush. As a territory rather than a province, the Yukon does not have full self- government. In recent years, however, the Canadian government has given greater responsibility for local matters such as health care and natural resources management, social services, and education. The elected territorial legislature is the 18-member Legislative Assembly. Premier Dennis Fentie, of the majority Yukon Party (formerly the Conservative Party), has headed the government since November 2002. Other political parties include the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Liberal Party. The territory is represented in the federal Parliament in Ottawa by one Member of Parliament and one Senator. The head of state, appointed by the Prime Minister, is the Territorial Commissioner. The Commissioner formerly served as chief executive, but this role has now been taken over by the Premier. A key political issue is whether the Yukon should become a province. Another important issue relates to the various First Nations’ land claims and desire for more self-government. History: For thousands of years, the area now known as the Yukon Territory has been home to the various native groups known as First Nations. These groups were all part of the Na-Dene language group, and belonged to the Tlinglit and Athabaskan cultures. Major tribes included the Gwitch'in, or Loucheaux, who gave the name “Yuk-un-ah” (“great river”) to the territory’s namesake river. They emigrated from Asia to North America between 10,000 and 25,000 years ago, during the last ice age, over the ancient land-bridge known as “Beringia.” Europeans arrived in the eighteenth century. The first to arrive were the Russians, exploring the Pacific Northwest and stopping along what is now the coast of Alaska. Naval Captain Vitus Bering visited Alaska in 1741. The Russians eventually fur trading posts and other colonies throughout the region. Alexander Mackenzie (1764-1820), who worked for the North West Company of Montreal, explored the Yukon region in the late 1780s. In 1789, using information from natives, he traveled down the river which now bears his name and discovered the Arctic Ocean. Another important early explorer was Sir John Franklin, who reached the Yukon’s Arctic coast in 1825. Traders, missionaries, and whalers all began arriving in the mid-nineteenth century. The Hudson’s Bay Company set up several trading posts (Fort Yukon and Fort Selkirk) in the 1840s, hoping to trade with the First Nation groups for furs. The HBC faced fierce rivalry from other European traders, the Americans, and occasionally with the First Nations. Catholic and Anglican missionaries began arriving in the 1860s, often using trading posts as their headquarters. In the late 1880s, American whalers from Alaska began operating off of Herschel Island. Gold prospectors began arriving in the late nineteenth century. In 1895, the Dominion Government sent the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) to the Yukon to maintain order among the prospectors. The NWMP were already policing the Northwest Territories, which Page 6 of 7 included present-day Alberta and Saskatchewan. Thanks to the influx of people from the Gold Rush, the Yukon was organized as a separate territory in 1898, with the mining town of Dawson as territorial capital. The Gold Rush had ended by the early twentieth century, however, and population declined from around 16,000 to below 10,000. Yet even after the Gold Rush ended, the Yukon’s economic importance remained. Large-scale mining operations used dredges to obtain precious metals, such as silver, from the ground. Fur trapping became an important industry as well. The Yukon’s next great boom came during World War II, when the United States began building the Alaska Highway as a strategic route for troops and war materials. Whitehorse, located on the highway’s route, became a major economic center. After the war, it became the new provincial capital. The aboriginal peoples became a minority population in their own homeland, due to the arrival of non-native workers. The Canadian Oil (CANOL) pipeline, another U.S. wartime project, helped improve military supplies of petroleum. Mining continued to grow in importance after the war, though the industry suffered from low prices and the general economic depression of the 1980s. Though mining remains the major industry, tourism, forestry, and fur trapping remain important as well. Another important post-war development has been the issue of self-government: both for the territory as a whole, and for the local First Nations. The territorial government has gradually received more autonomy from Ottawa, including control of natural resource management. The First Nations in the Yukon have been negotiating their land-claims with the federal government since the 1970s. Return to Table of Contents TRIVIA  The Yukon International Storytelling Festival has been held each summer in Whitehorse since 1988. Native Tagish speaker and storyteller Angela Sidney, a co- founder, was inducted in 1986 into the Order of Canada.  The Yukon has one of the longest histories of aboriginal settlement in North America. Artifacts around 20,000 years old have been discovered near the Vuntut Gwitch'in community of Old Crow, in the far north.  The Aurora Borealis, or "northern lights," are clearly visible in the Yukon’s winter sky for most of the year.

Source: Badertscher, Eric. (2009). “Canada’s Heritage: Yukon.” Great Neck Publishing. Student Research Center. EBSCOhost.