The Yukon

The territory in the northwest of Canada captivated us. We spent more than half of our time in Canada in the vastness of the Yukon. The longer we were there, the more we learned about this sparsely populated region and grew to appreciate it. The Yukon is the smallest of the three territories in Canada by area—but it’s still nearly 12 times the size of Switzerland. You can hardly say it’s densely populated. While the population of the Yukon has increased tenfold over the past hundred years, it currently stands at just about 46,000 (as of 2024). This means a population density of 0.07 people per square kilometer. For comparison: Switzerland has 220 people per square kilometer. Moreover, over 75% of the population lives in and around Whitehorse, the capital of the territory. This means the rest of the area is even less densely populated. In addition to various other animals, about 10,000 black bears, 7,000 brown bears, just over 65,000 moose, and (seasonally varying) over 200,000 caribou roam the land. Nature still reigns here over people. Countless rivers meander untamed and with incredible power through the pristine wilderness. There are still settlements that can only be reached by air or water. In the past, the rivers were the highways for the indigenous people, the only way to get from point A to point B. In summer by canoe, in winter by sled over the ice. The forests were too dense and wild to be traversed. For a long time, the first settlers and gold prospectors also traveled exclusively by waterways. The Alaska Highway, the first road to connect the Yukon with the rest of Canada and Alaska, was only built in 1942 by the USA due to World War II, in order to reach Alaska by land. What was particularly special for us were the incredible differences in daylight hours between summer and winter. In the south of the Yukon, we enjoyed a sunset around 11:30 PM in July. It never really got dark, and by 3:30 AM, the sun was already rising again. The headlamp we brought was in vain. Further north, above the Arctic Circle, the sun never sets during the summer days. This results in an apparently endless golden hour and a complete loss of any sense of time. Sometimes we had dinner at 11:00 PM—no problem, sunset isn’t until 4 hours later. Surreal. Despite the far north, the temperatures were pleasantly mild, as the sun can warm the land for a long time. Unfortunately, this also leads to a high risk of widespread wildfires due to the low amount of rainfall. Not only do we enjoy long days, but mosquitoes also find the Yukon incredibly attractive. At times, they become such a nuisance that caribou migrate incredible distances to escape them. This usually results in shorter feeding times, which can be devastating for the animals. We were accordingly lucky that the summer we spent in the Yukon was one of the years with fewer mosquitoes. At least that’s what we were told. History The territory’s history is strongly shaped by the Klondike Gold Rush. Between 1896 and 1899, it was one of the largest gold rush episodes in history. Over 100,000 adventurers from all over the world flocked to the region—only about 30,000 of them reached their destination in Dawson City. The gold rush not only changed the environment but also had a lasting impact on the indigenous population of the entire area. Most of the gold seekers began their journey in Skagway, Alaska, and had to overcome the arduous White Pass or Chilkoot Pass to reach the Yukon. To comply with Canadian regulations, each person was required to carry a year’s supply of food to avoid starvation. These supplies weighed around 900 kilograms (!) and included, among other things:

• • 180 kg flour

• • 68 kg bacon

• • 45 kg beans

• • 34 kg sugar

• • 9 kg coffee

• • other foodstuffs like rice, dried fruit and salt.

The journey was physically extremely demanding. Many gold seekers had to carry their supplies in stages multiple times, which made the passage over the passes particularly arduous. The White Pass was also known as the “Dead Horse Trail” because thousands of horses did not survive the hardships. In addition, there were dangers such as avalanches, which claimed many lives, especially in winter and spring. The journey had to be started early to arrive before the onset of winter. Once the pass was crossed, including all the food supplies, travelers built a boat at Lake Bennett and sailed downstream to Dawson City, the center of the gold rush. All of this was usually done without prior experience in dealing with cold conditions, snow, boat building, or navigation. We covered part of this journey in 16 days by canoe, equipped with detailed maps and information about river conditions and camping spots. It is hard for me to imagine how the settlers managed this with self-built boats and incredible loads. On top of the large food supplies, they also had to carry all the equipment needed for gold mining. Dawson City grew within a few months from a small settlement to a bustling town with over 30,000 inhabitants. Many came with hopes of quick wealth, but only a few actually found gold. Instead, daily life was marked by hard work, deprivation, and often disappointment. The mining work was physically exhausting, and the conditions—from long, cold winters to diseases—made life difficult. During a city tour in Dawson City, we were told a striking anecdote. Those gold miners who had overcome the incredible hardships to reach Dawson City in search of gold suddenly realized their own values. Mail arrived only sporadically, and there were long queues to receive news from loved ones. The wealthier people in the city would try to ‘buy’ a place further up in the line. They offered up to $100, an incredibly high amount at the time. Yet, those people who had endured the unimaginable hardships to get to Dawson City to search for gold often rejected the money. It seems that the journey had shown them their own priorities and values. Perhaps gold isn’t everything. The poem “The Spell of the Yukon” by Robert Service captures this situation perfectly for me. A large portion of the wealth from the gold rush did not end up in the pockets of the gold seekers, but in the hands of entrepreneurs who offered goods and services. The saying “Mining the miners” describes this phenomenon: merchants, innkeepers, and outfitters made a fortune by selling shovels, supplies, and provisions to the gold seekers. Some of them became wealthier than most of those working in the goldfields. For the indigenous communities, particularly the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the gold rush had devastating consequences. Their traditional hunting and fishing territories were overrun by the newcomers, and the environmental destruction caused by mining worsened their plight. Many were displaced from their ancestral lands and resettled in more remote areas like Moosehide, where they were cut off from their cultural and economic center. Furthermore, indigenous children were increasingly sent to Residential Schools, government- or church-run boarding schools aimed at violent assimilation. In these schools, children were forbidden from speaking their language or practicing their culture. The conditions were often cruel: abuse, neglect, and forced labor were part of daily life. The Residential Schools left a trail of trauma, the effects of which are still felt in indigenous communities today. The gold rush changed the Yukon in lasting ways. It brought economic prosperity but also ecological destruction and social injustice. While the adventures and stories of the gold rush are often romanticized today, the consequences—especially for the indigenous population—serve as a reminder of the darker side of this historical event. Interesting facts: Canada consists of 10 provinces and 3 territories. The key difference between provinces and territories in Canada lies in the degree of their autonomy. Provinces have the ability to act independently in many areas, while many tasks and decisions for the territories are managed centrally at the federal level. The territories mainly consist of the land area located north of the 60th parallel.