Whitehorse

Whitehorse is the territorial capital and largest city in Yukon, Canada. Located just off the Alaska Highway, about 100 kilometers (45 miles) north of British Columbia, the city was incorporated in 1950, and has served as capital since 1953. In 2016, the population was approximately 25,085 people.

The city was established in the 1890s, during the "gold rush" era. Whitehorse regained its economic importance following the construction of the Alaska Highway in the 1940s and is still an important mining center. Tourists visit Whitehorse to enjoy the scenery, hunt big game, participate in winter sports, and soak in the city's gold rush and First Nations heritage.

Landscape

Whitehorse is located in the Yukon River Valley, surrounded by high mountains, which regulate the city's moderate climate. The city is 105 kilometers (approximately 50 miles) north of the border with British Columbia. Whitehorse is located on the western side of the Yukon River. Surrounding the city are several mountains: Golden Horn Mountain (to the south), Haeckel Hill (to the northwest), and Canyon Mountain, also known as Grey Mountain (to the east).

The city's climate is moderate, with warm summers. July temperatures range from around 20.5 degrees Celsius (69 degrees Fahrenheit) in the daytime, to around 7.7 degrees C (46 degrees F) at night. Because of the closeness to the Arctic, winters are long and dark. January's average daytime temperature is -17.7 degrees C (0 degrees F), with an overnight low of -22 degrees C (-8 degrees F). Precipitation is moderate, around 267 millimeters (about 11 inches) per year. This includes 163 millimeters (6 inches) of rain and 145 centimeters (57 inches) of snow.

People

Whitehorse is the largest population center in Yukon, and is home to around 65 percent of the territory's population. Much of the Whitehorse population is comprised of seasonal workers. Most inhabitants are of British, French, or other European heritage. There is a large minority of First Nations, who mainly belong to the Ta'an Kwah'an or Kwalin Dun peoples (Whitehorse lies within the tribes' traditional shared territory.) Both groups are related to the Tutchone and Tagish, as well as other tribes.

Many of Whitehorse's non-native inhabitants are Anglicans (i.e., Episcopalians) or Roman Catholics. The Anglican Church of Canada's Diocese of the Yukon, headquartered in Whitehorse, extends from Northern British Columbia to above the Arctic Circle. The cathedral is known as Christ Church Cathedral. The Jesuits brought Catholicism to the Yukon during the gold rush, and established a church and a hospital there.

The city is home to the flagship campus of Yukon College, the territory's thirteen-branch community-college system. The college is a member of the University of the Arctic, an international consortium.

The city has several elementary schools and a handful of secondary schools. The French-speaking population has its own school system. All public schools follow the British Columbia school system's curriculum and testing requirements.

Whitehorse is the center of much of the Yukon's cultural life. Cultural facilities include the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, which focuses on the history of the territory's First Nations, particularly their arrival over the Beringia land bridge during the last ice age, and the MacBride Museum, which offers exhibits on territorial history. Other attractions include skiing, stock-car racing, and hiking.

Famous residents include journalist/historian Pierre Berton (1920–2004), born in Whitehorse, whose parents came for the 1898 Gold Rush. Poet Robert W. Service (1874–1958) was an English expatriate who settled in Whitehorse for several years during the gold rush. Ione Christensen (1933–), a native of Fort Selkirk, Yukon, was the first woman to serve as Whitehorse mayor and commissioner of Yukon. Whitehorse businessman Rolf Hougen (1928–) developed retail and mass-media operations in the Yukon.

Despite the city's relatively low population, Whitehorse has fairly extensive mass media coverage. There are two daily newspapers: the Whitehorse Daily Star (published since 1900) and the Yukon News. Broadcasting outlets include several radio stations and television stations, with many programs available in native languages.

Economy

Whitehorse's economy is based heavily on tourism, mining, and government. Around 70 percent of the population is employed by the government. The tourism industry employs around two thousand people throughout the territory. Tourism focuses on the city's gold rush heritage, as well as the magnificent scenery and opportunities for hunting and winter sports. Tourism has been fostered by improvements to the Alaska Highway and the Whitehorse International Airport.

Mining remains important to the economy, focusing on minerals such as silver, copper, and lead-zinc. There is still gold mining activity in Whitehorse, though not at the levels enjoyed during the 1898 Gold Rush. Mining recovered in the mid-1990s after a slump in the 1980s.

Whitehorse is located just off the Alaska Highway (known locally as Highway 1), which links Alaska with British Columbia. The nearby Klondike Highway (Highway 8) links Whitehorse with Skagway, Alaska, around one-hundred miles away.

The Haines Road links Whitehorse via Haines Junction to the port city of Haines, Alaska. Other highways are the Dempster Highway and the Stewart/Cassier Highway. Public transportation includes a municipal bus line, as well as a trolley that serves the scenic waterfront.

Whitehorse is also linked to the port of Skagway via an historic narrow-gauge railroad, the White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&Y). Completed in 1900, the 110-mile line was built in response to the Klondike Gold Rush, but also served the large mining operations which followed. When the Yukon's mining industry collapsed in 1982, due to sharply dropping metal prices, the WP&Y was forced to close down. The line opened six years later as a tourist railroad. The WP&Y has been designated an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Due to the relative lack of road infrastructure, air travel is a major form of transportation in the Yukon. The Whitehorse International Airport, the largest aviation facility in the territory, handles tens of thousands of passengers each year. The other local airports and aerodromes are very small.

Landmarks

Whitehorse is the territorial capital of the Yukon. Most federal offices are located in the Elijah Smith Building. Territorial employees are located in the administration building next to the Rotary Peace Park. The Council of First Nations has office space in the Riverdale section of the city.

Whitehorse itself is governed by an elected mayor and six-member city council, who serve three-year terms. Daily operations are handled by a city manager reporting directly to the council. Actual police duties are performed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Many reminders of Whitehorse's gold rush history remain, such as the "Klondike" restored riverboat. Prior to the construction of the Alaska Highway, river travel was a major means of transportation. Another historical building is the Anglican log church constructed at the turn of the twentieth century.

Major museums include the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, which focuses on the history of Yukon's First Nations, particularly the movement of peoples into North America during the last ice age.

Yukon College and the Yukon Arts Centre serve as major venues for the visual and performing arts.

The local landmarks known as the "Log Skyscrapers" were built in the 1940s as residential buildings. Martin Berrigan constructed the three-story wooden "skyscrapers" in 1947 as rental properties.

Sam McGee's Cabin is one of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse. It was built in 1899, by a local prospector, who was later immortalized by poet Robert W. Service in "The Cremation of Sam McGee."

History

Whitehorse was established in the 1890s, during the gold rush era, as a mining town. Its location on the Yukon River made it an ideal transit point for men and equipment. The end of the gold rush around the turn of the twentieth century meant that Whitehorse remained a small town for the next 50 years.

By the beginning of World War II, the community had less than one thousand inhabitants. During the early part of the century, Whitehorse's economy was based on tourism and some mineral development.

New growth came during World War II, with the construction of the Alaska Highway. Whitehorse, located just off the highway, was a strategic point on the route between Alaska and the continental United States.

The construction of the highway opened up the Yukon to greater civilian traffic. Whitehorse became the center of a post-war petroleum boom, including the CANOL Pipeline. The community was incorporated in 1950, and three years later became the territorial capital. The arrival of government workers also boosted the city's economy.

Whitehorse has gained in political importance, as the federal government has placed more responsibility on the territorial government. One of the ongoing issues in Yukon politics is the question of whether the territory should become a full-fledged province.

Trivia

• Whitehorse hosted the 2007 Canada Winter Games. They also bid to host the 2027 Canada Winter Games.
• Whitehorse is located "north of 60," or north of the 60th degree of latitude.
• The boyhood home of Canadian author and broadcast personality Pierre Berton, one of Whitehorse's most famous natives, has been turned into an artist's retreat. Berton died in Toronto on November 30, 2004, at the age of 84.

Bibliography

Berdahl, Scott. "Whitehorse." Canadian Geographic Travel, Summer 2011, p. 20. Print.

Government of Yukon, 2021, yukon.ca/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.

Koroscil, Paul M., and Steven Smyth. "Whitehorse." The Canadian Encyclopedia, 13 Mar. 2019, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/whitehorse/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.

Whitehorse, www.whitehorse.ca/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2021.