The town was founded back in 1897 by a man named Joseph Ladue and was named after the man who mapped the entire area 10 years earlier (George M. Dawson). It was the Capital of Yukon for over 50 years before the seat was moved to Whitehorse. The Klondike Gold Rush is really what got the town started (population wise at least). This rush, started in 1896 changed the First Nations camp into a huge city of 40,000 in 1898. After World War II, The Great Depression in America, and the Capital moving to Whitehorse, the city dwindled to under 1000 before stabilizing right around 1000. In 2004 the town Mayor was removed because the city was going bankrupt. What will always keep people coming back to Dawson City is the fact that Jack London not only used to live there but most of his books are based on the area.  One of the most interesting things about this area is the fact that the town is almost nearly supported by gold mining. The only other support given really is tourism. Gold mining is huge is this part of the world and most gold mining operations are shut down during the winter but Joe Boyle was able to figure out how to keep them working year round through the harsh winters. This guy was a complete genius and its even rumored that he had a sexual relationship with the Queen consort of Romania. Pretty scandalous if you ask me. One of the things I plan on doing my next visit is going to Claim #6. Anyone can pan for gold here I believe for free.

The Dawson City Nuggets were a hockey team which back in 1905 actually played for the Stanley Cup.  The problem is they ended up losing the most lopsided series in Stanley Cup history losing two games by a total combined score of 32-4.  Dawson City hosts a softball and volleyball tournament every year in which Inuvik teams show up and play during the late summer months.  The harsh winters that we talked about earlier are no joke.  We are talking lows below freezing temps all but one month with the average highs feeling somewhat comfortable in the 70’s 2-3 months out of the year.  This is permafrost area and its not for the weak minded for sure.  It takes a special type of human being to withstand that kind of cold year round.  The crazy part is that in the past 10 years the population has risen almost 20% which puts it on pace with some of the faster growing cities in America.  You would think that this far north would surely consist of a large population of First Nations folk but really the last census in 2016 showed that there was just 15.3% First Nations while the majority of residents are European Canadian.

If you are serious about heading up to the Yukon I suggest you get ahold of these guys who offer all kinds of tours for you: Klondike Experience. They will be able to fit whatever need you might have.  If you want to go on a helicopter tour of the area, if you need to get into a tight spot for some hiking or snowboarding, if you need bikes to rent…or if you are just in need for someone to drive you from point A to point B these are your people.  They do day tours, custom tours, charter transportation, educational tours and even just rentals/services.  They are small and family owned so you know you are going to get taken care of the second you call them.

Population: 1,577
Elevation: 1,214ft (370m)
Website: www.cityofdawson.ca
News: The Klondike Sun | Yukon News
Area Code: 867

Things to Do

Places to Stay

 

Food to Eat