My wife, Kathy, has a special talent for finding images that provide a glimpse into Yukon’s past. Over the years, she has collected hundreds of photos and postcards depicting the people, places and events that have made Yukon what we know today.
Many of these old photos illustrate the social activities. Picnics were often captured in silver. Gatherings at Moosehide Dome overlooking Dawson City on June 21, the longest day of the year, were a popular subject. The photos were taken at midnight to illustrate the long days of a northern summer.
Other photos capture the crowds and excitement on special days. Images of celebrations on May 24 (Victoria Day) emphasize the colonial reach of the British Empire during the gold rush. These photos often show parades and sporting events, as do photos of Discovery Day, a holiday celebrating the discovery of Klondike gold as a turning point in Yukon history and a tribute to the independent and free-spirited prospectors who searched for the yellow metal.
We have compiled a wide variety of subjects in our photo collection. Businesses such as hotels and mining operations are frequently captured, as are photos of social institutions such as Dawson’s government buildings (courthouse, territorial administration building, commissioner’s residence, post office and school). Churches, firehouses and banks illustrate the community’s stability and optimism about the future.
Other photos illustrate the mining industry (excavators and hydraulic mining) and transportation (river boats, dog teams, horse-drawn wagons and sleighs, and yes, even some cars).
We have images showing the streetscape of Dawson, and there are plenty of panoramas taken from the north, the south, and across the river. The people of Dawson were proud of the progressive little town that had emerged from the Klondike Gold Rush.
Images of Whitehorse focus on the waterfront, showing the importance of river transportation to trade. Photos of rows of sternwheelers being pulled out of the river at the end of summer show an armada of such vessels. The riverboats have disappeared (except for the SS Klondike, south of Rotary Peace Park next to the Robert Campbell Bridge) and the area where they once anchored has been transformed into what is now Shipyards Park.
Before the Alaska Highway was built, Whitehorse was a small stopping and transfer point on the way to Dawson City. It is interesting to look at photographs from that time. They show a main street extending west from the river only as far as Fourth Avenue. Beyond that point, the Avenue becomes a winding footpath through the forest to the base of the bluff. Again, photographs of the buildings gathered along the waterfront and Main Street remind us that Whitehorse did not become the capital of the Yukon until 1953, and that the port warehouses along the river were the center of commerce even before that. There is not a single car in the early photos (they were added gradually over a few years later). But someone had the foresight to lay out the wide streets for the time when there would be many vehicles.
There are albums in our collection that capture the private lives of individuals and families. Others portray the personal journey of tourists over the White Pass by railroad, down the river by steamer, and arriving in the glorious gold rush town with its dilapidated buildings.
In addition to the various social endeavors, individuals are also shown in special places and at special times. Group photos capture the memorable fun moments, such as picnics or afternoon tea, while others show men in uniform serving in the Yukon or going to war. Many of the latter never returned to the Yukon. A wartime photo of Watson Lake shows a few posts supporting several dozen road signs. Today there are tens of thousands, and it is a major attraction for people passing through.
Other photos capture special events at a particular time. A line of Shriners dressed in drag and other ridiculous costumes marched through the streets of Dawson. That happened once, on August 8, 1914, and someone was there to take a snapshot.
We are fortunate that other photos and postcards have captions that place them in a time period. With this information, in many cases it was possible to track down an article in the newspaper or other sources that tells us what was happening. This gives these images an additional layer of meaning.
Don’t forget the postcards that were sold by the thousands to visitors to the territory. Popular photos featured wildlife, the Klondike Gold Rush, riverboats, dredges and dog sleds in the Yukon. First Nations citizens were often captured in postcard images.
Some of my favorite images are more quirky. Take, for example, three postcards depicting giant mosquitoes, one of which shows one of the monstrous insects pinning a man to the ice of a frozen river. I found one of these cards for sale in Caley’s Store when I first arrived in Dawson City in 1978.
Another photo, taken by photographer Wolfe in 1907, shows a man riding a moose with a large backpack of supplies piled up behind him. Is this a real moose, I wonder? And if so, how did the photographer manage to hold the animal still while it was loaded with supplies and a rider, and how did he set up his tripod and camera to take the photo? This image is so well composed; I keep looking at it.
One final photo I’d like to mention is one Kathy recently acquired, showing the devastating flood that hit Dawson City in May 1979. In the foreground, two men are paddling a canoe past buildings on Queen Street that are flooded in all directions. To the right is a two-story building. This is the building I lived in at the time of the flood. A closer look at the two men paddling the canoe reveals Randy Mitchell, my boss at Parks Canada at the time, and a much younger History Hunter in the stern.
I don’t know who took the photo and at the time I wasn’t aware that anyone with a camera was there. So I too unexpectedly became part of our picture story.
Michael Gates was the Yukon’s first Story Laureate from 2020 to 2023. His latest book, Hollywood in the Klondike, is now available in Whitehorse stores. You can contact him at [email protected].
