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S.S. Klondike in Whitehorse, Yukon
It's hard to believe that boats like this once traveled our rivers. It was an era that is associated with exploration and commerce into new territories...Yukon included. Hi guys,
As you an see I am making up time and getting my blog entries posted on the computer. As I mentioned WiFi is not always available. In fact, coming through Yukon, cell phone service was not available. I had to purchase a phone card to call my family to let them know where I am at. When your family does not hear from you and knowing you are in a part of North America where a person can disappear and never be seen again, well, if give a peace of mind.
Did I mention that I ran into rain again today? I know, it's a broken record....
I crossed into Alaska today from Yukon. Yukon is huge, more than twice the size of Great Britain and larger than all the New England states put together. Its 186,000 square miles are bordered by BC on the south, Alaska on the west, the NW Territories on the east and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Only 30,000 people live on this frontier with over half of them living in Whitehorse...which is where I stayed last night, at Robert's Campground right next to the famous Yukon River.
Before
S.S. Klondike in Whitehorse, Yukon
Another view of this huge sternwheeler. I would like to know how many crew members it took to operate. leaving Whitehorse, I had a chance to see a piece of history that plied up and down the Yukon...the steampowered S. S. Klondike.
Steam powered sternwheelers were used on many river and lake systems in Canada. While not unique to the Yukon there are few other places where they were used as extensively - sternwheelers were the centerpiece of the Yukon’s transportation system for almost four generations. During this ninety-year period over 250 sternwheelers plied the Yukon River and its tributaries. The S.S. Klondike is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada to commemorate the role these sternwheelers played in the history of the Yukon.
Most Yukon River sternwheel steamers burned wood. While there was coal in the Yukon it was not widely distributed and hence not readily available. Wood on the other hand was plentiful, and at least in the early days available along the length of the river. There were wood camps located every fifty to one hundred miles between Whitehorse and Dawson City. Talk about labor intensive...which everything you did in that era was labor strong.
Tonight, I am staying at a hotel in Tok, AK and getting caught up on my blog
Old wooden bridge on ALCAN Highway
I drove by this old bridge and just happened to look over my right shoulder and saw this old structure and it turned out to be a replica of what the bridges looked like in the building of the Alaska Highway. I cannot begin to imagine how many logs and people it took to build a 1,500 mile road. Simply an engineering feat! and drying me gear once again.
From my research Tok had its beginnings as a construction camp on the Alcan Highway in 1942. The name Tok was long believed to be derived from Tokyo Camp, a road construction camp sprung up in 1943 as part of the straightening and improvement projects on the Alcan Highway. During WWII, Tokyo Camp was patriotically shortened to “Tok." Tok is the only town in Alaska that the highway traveler must pass through twice—once when arriving in the state and again on leaving the state.
But it sure feels great to be in the States...keep in mind that people refer to us being from the "lower 48."
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Rob the Tourguide
Rob, You continue to speak (er, write) like a historal interpreter; no doubt the ND Dept of Tourism will want you on their team when you return. Your writing is so good, I feel like I'm there right along with you...