Arriving Dawson City

Coming from Tok on the Taylor Highway you have to cross the ferry to Dawson City. It's a free ferry. There is no bridge across the Yukon river.
Yukon Queen. You can cruise down the river and retrace the old stern-wheeler route of this historic Gold rush area as you cruise past abandoned settlements among the forested hills.
Downtown Dawson City. All the streets are dirt. Dawson City was the Yukon's first capital, when the Yukon came a separate territory in 1898. But by 1953, Whitehorse - on the railway and highway and with a large airport - was so much the hub of activity that the federal government moved the capital from Dawson City, along with 800 civil servants, and years of tradition and pride. Some recompense was offered in the form of a road linking Whitehorse with the mining at Mayo and Dawson City. With its completion, the White Pass trucks replaced White Pass river steamers.

New government buildings were built in Dawson, including a fire hall. In 1962 the federal government reconstructed the Palace Grand Theatre for a gold rush festival that featured the Broadway musical "Foxy", with Bert Lahr, who played the cowardly lion in the classic Wizard of Oz. A museum was established in the administration building and tours and entertainments were begun.

Dawson City was declared a nation historic site in the early 1960s. Parks Canada is currently involved with 35 properties in Dawson City. Many buildings have been restored, some reconstructed and others stabilized. Parks Canada offers an interpretive program for visitors to this historic city.
See more on the next post.