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GOLD, GRIT AND HERITAGE

In Canada’s Yukon Territory, the Dawson City Inside the Dawson City Museum
Museum offers more than just a glimpse into the
Klondike Gold Rush—it invites visitors into the
living, breathing story of a community that has each spring—a local pastime dating back over tracing ancestors who lived, mined, or passed
adapted, persevered, and flourished in one of 125 years. People bet on the day, hour, and min- through the Yukon, making it a vital resource for
the North’s most iconic frontier towns. ute the ice will break-up. A wooden tripod is on genealogists and historians alike.
Housed in the historic Territorial Administration the ice in the river, connected by wire to a clock The Legacy of Dawson
Building—a National Historic Site—the museum at the Cultural Center. When the ice breaks and Before the Gold Rush, Dawson’s location was a
occupies two floors of exhibits and archives and starts flowing, the tension in the wire stops the traditional hunting and fishing ground for the
an on-site train shelter displaying multiple loco- clock and a siren sounds. The person closest to Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in people. Later, it became a
motives dating from the early 1900s. Docents the time wins half of the pot of money. key fur trading route. Following the discovery
are often available as well as written guides. More Than Exhibits of gold on Bonanza Creek in 1896, Dawson City
A Journey Through Time The museum also includes Dawson’s original exploded from a remote outpost into a boom-
With multiple gallery spaces visitors can fol- courtroom, still in use today. When court is not ing town of 30,000—its flat terrain and strategic
low the growth of the region from its original in session, visitors are welcome to come inside, location at the confluence of the Klondike and
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in hunting grounds to the vi- take a seat at the judge’s bench, and pretend to Yukon Rivers made it a natural hub. Stamped-
brant, eclectic town that exists today. hand down decisions. ers faced a treacherous journey to the Klondike
Downstairs, an exhibit reveals how local resourc- Step inside the theater and watch a historic film goldfields; by the time many arrived, earlier ar-
es—from mammoth ivory to gold—shaped daily on the Klondike. Also, a special immersive ex- rivals had already staked the best claims, and
life and survival. Topics include the ingenuity hibit, created by the Klondike Placer Miners As- many soon left for new strikes in Nome.
and resilience of the Indigenous peoples and sociation, recreates a modern-day mining claim, Yet Dawson endured.
settlers alike. Nearby, exhibits delve into themes allowing guests to explore the tools and tech- Today, the Museum offers visitors a vibrant look
of law and order, economic transformation from niques still in use today. at Dawson City’s unique past that transformed
fur to gold, and the rise of Dawson as a sup- Outside, the Locomotive Shelter houses historic this area. Through docent-led tours, interac-
ply hub during the Gold Rush. The “boomtown engines, including three large locomotives and tive exhibits and engaging artifacts and pho-
wall” traces the town’s explosive growth, from one smaller one from the short-lived Klondike tographs, guests can explore the confluence of
moose pasture to bustling metropolis, drawing Mines Railway. The railway ran for only nine cultures, histories and stories that make up this
from Dawson’s collection of artifacts, archival years, ceasing operation in 1914. One locomo- part of the Yukon.
photographs, and interpretive storytelling. tive is a rare compound engine—one of only two “We’re our community’s museum,” Director
Upstairs, the focus shifts to post-Gold Rush remaining in North America and the only one of Angharad Wenz shared. “We want to represent
Dawson with galleries that focus on, “Coming its kind in Canada. Tours of the shelter run three all the stories of all the people who have lived
together, Working together, Living together”. times daily during the summer. here—not just the Gold Rush, but everything
Exhibits explore industrial development, includ- A Home for Heritage before and after.”
ing trapping, asbestos mining and farming; war- The Dawson City Museum also maintains an ex- Dawson City Museum is located in the Old
time contributions and multicultural community tensive archive, drawing hundreds of visitors an- Territorial Administration Building at 595
life; and traditions unique to the region, such as nually who come in search of family history. Staff Fifth Avenue. Phone: 867-993-5291. Website:
betting on when the Yukon River ice will break offer in-person research assistance for those dawsonmuseum.ca

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