Whitehorse: An Outlook into the Capitol of the Yukon

1826 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essays about klondike gold rush

Introduction

Whitehorse receives its name from the nearby rapids of the Yukon River because of the way the frothy water resembles a mane on a fair horse. Those very rapids also happen to be the reason why the city of Whitehorse was originally established just over a century ago. The downtown and Riverdale subdivisions sit in a valley, which in turn provides an extra level of comfort against the extremes in temperature which occur in the territory (Pinard, Jean-Paul, 2007). Whitehorse is the Capitol of the Yukon. Holding 26,418 people (© Government of Yukon 2011), far more than any other community in the Yukon, the city upholds most of the economy of the territory. One of the most culturally and technologically prominent features of the city is the hydroelectric dam. The dam was built in 1958 and has allowed the city to grow much faster. The dam also happens to be the grave site of the reason the area was settled and eventually founded into a city: The Whitehorse Rapids.

History

In 1897 the Klondike gold rush had just begun and a mass of budding prospectors from the west coast were making their way north to the gold fields near Dawson City. The most popular method of getting to the gold fields was to traverse one of two trails, essentially over the coastal mountains. Once over, the next phase was to use a raft to float down the Yukon River and eventually get to Dawson City. The infamous Whitehorse Rapids and the Miles Canyon made this part of the journey much more difficult. Hundreds of people died along this stretch of the River (Winslow 1952, pg 132), until a tram was built in 1898 to carry prospectors alongside the treacherous waters to the foot of the rapids where the Riverdale subdivision now resides (Berton 2001, p. ...

... middle of paper ...

...2011, November 10). Yukon Bureau of Statistics. Government of Yukon. Retrieved November 11, 2011, from http://www.eco.gov.yk.ca/stats/

Lundberg, M. (2011, November 21). The history of Whitehorse, Yukon territory. ExploreNorth. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from http://www.explorenorth.com/yukon/whitehorse-history.html

Pinard, Jean-Paul (23 January 2007). "Wind Climate of the Whitehorse Area".ARCTIC 60 (3): 227–237.

The United States and Canada: Elements of Wartime Collaboration. (2003, January 2). U.S. Army Center Of Military History. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://www.history.army.mil/books/wwii/Framework/ch15.htm

Webber, B. (2004, September). Land Claim Agreements: A summary. Kwanlin Dün First Nations. Retrieved November 24, 2011, from http://www.kwanlindun.com/

Winslow, Kathryn (1952). Big Pan-Out: The Klondike Story. Phoenix House Ltd. OCLC 465425340

Show More
Related

  • The Impacts of the Sixties Scoop on First Nations People

    1683 Words  | 4 Pages

    Steckley, J., & Cummins, B. D. (2008). Full circle: Canada's First Nations (2nd ed.). Toronto:

    Read More

  • How Peacekeeping in the Canadian Context has Changed Over the Past Decades

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wagner, Eric. "The peaceable kingdom? The national myth of Canadian peacekeeping and the cold war." Forces.gc.ca. http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vo7/no4/wagner-eng.asp (Accessed March 20, 2014).

    Read More

  • Justification of the Canadian Participation in the Boer War

    1146 Words  | 3 Pages

    2004 [9] The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Museum. 27 December2001 [10]Reid. Brian. Canada at war and peace volume 1. Esprit Dr corps Books [11] Canadians and Conflicts.

    Read More

  • Canada’s Military Contributions to World War I, World War II and Korean War

    1057 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canada was one of Great Britain’s empire who fought under British units or in the Canadian Corps, formed by the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. These Canadians who fought aside with Great Britain earned a recognition of becoming an independent strong fighting force. They earned this reputation through one of World War One’s battles called, Vimy Ridge. Canadian soldiers who were in the Canadian Corps had an awful General named, Sam Hughes who preferred to use the Ross rifle. This type of weapon was too heavy and often jammed too many times to be used as a rifle for upcoming horrific battles. Thus, a new general replaced Sam Hughes and that was, Arthur Currie. General Currie had the desire for the Canadian Corps’ four divisions to fight together to take hold of Vimy Ridge. Arthur Currie made precise plans of military tactics that no general had done to their troops. General Currie gave his troops maps and had a duplicate model of Vimy Ridge so that troops are able to have an ideal look of what they should be taking hold of. Als...

    Read More

  • Canada's Involvement in the Second World War

    1430 Words  | 3 Pages

    participated in the war, by the end of the war, Canada was left with a very strong armed forces

    Read More

  • The Battle of Vimy Ridge and Its effect on Canada

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    Canada’s eligibility to participate on the world stage and its move towards independence was proven after the accomplishments at the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Foremost, Canada’s first opportunity to partake on the world stage came soon after the end of World War I, during the Paris Peace Conference. The accomplishments of the Canadian Army in the Battle of Vimy Ridge helped to earn Canada a spot in the Paris Peace Conference, after long arguments made on behalf of Canada by Prime Minister Robert Broden . The Prime Minister argued that Canada’s wartime record had earned Canada a seat separate from Britain. Canada was granted the seat despite the disapproval of the American President, Woodrow Wilson’s as they contributed greatly to the Allied forces especially in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The approval of Canada’s seat is important to both the significance of the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the eligibility to participate on the world stage because it was one of the first steps Canada took towards its independence from Great Britain. Additionally, Canada became more social with other countries separate from Britain after the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Canada involved itself more in trading after the battle and the war, and had a flourishing...

    Read More

  • Canadian Sovereignty over the Northwest Passage

    1943 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...pers on the new Welfare ." The Future of the Arctic: A Key to Global Sustainability. no. 5 (2012): 1-5 .

    Read More

  • How Did Ww2 Affect The American Economy

    1078 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the war, Canada provisioned England with food, ammunitions, medical supplies, and other armaments without charge. During the Second World War, the Canadian Navy became the third largest in the world and escorted the convoys of supplies across the North Atlantic. As supported by historian Edward O. Gurrant, Canada greatly financed the Allies, contributing about three billion dollars to Great Britain. Canada and the United States cooperated closely in the Second World War as both nations were determined to defeat the Axis Powers. On August 1940, Canada’s Prime Minister William L. M. King and Franklin D. Roosevelt formed the Permanent Joint on Defense. When the U.S. entered the war, the Canadian aircraft industry supplied some of training aircrafts and flying boats the U.S. needed. Although relationships between Canada and the U.S were bitter prior to the war, it drastically improved post war. As stated by Roosevelt, “Our closest neighbors are good neighbors”. In stating so, he infers that it would only prove to be beneficial to the U.S. if it improves relations with its neighboring countries. As seen through the media, Canadians became deeply familiar with the United States during the Second World War. During the war, many United States citizens wanted to join Canadian air force, while Canadians wanted to join the U.S. army. During the Italian Campaign in 1943, the first Canadian infantry division advanced into the mainland of Italy and played a major role in pushing Germans back to Ortona. Over 76,000 Canadian soldiers fought alongside the Allies in Italy and played a major role in the campaign's success. Therefore, without the cooperation and military contribution of Canada during the war, the Second World War would not have ended as successfully as it

    Read More

  • Canada During the Post-War Period

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Macfarlane, Daniel. "Rapid Changes: Canada and the St. Lawrence Seaway and Power Project." University of Waterloo. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Dec. 2013. .

    Read More

  • History Of The Calder Case

    1097 Words  | 3 Pages

    The journey for the Aboriginals to receive the right to keep and negotiate land claims with the Canadian government was long but prosperous. Before the 1970's the federal government chose not to preform their responsibilities involving Aboriginal issues, this created an extremely inefficient way for the Aboriginals to deal with their land right problems. The land claims created by the Canadian government benefited the aboriginals as shown through the Calder Case, the creation of the Office of Native Claims and the policy of Outstanding Business.

    Read More

  • The Klondike Gold Rush

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martel, Lynn. “History Glitters in Yukon; Lure of the Klondike Gold Rush Continues to Draw Conclusions to the North.” The Vancouver Sun April 28, 2012. ProQuest. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Martha Of The North Analysis

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The unit readings argue that anthropologists insist that global flows also partake in affecting local practices. The beliefs and customs of the Inuit are accounted for their interaction with the environment, but these factors also interrelate with neighbouring societies, global capitalism, and international NGOs, as Martha of the North describes. The Inuit were used by the Canadian government in a form of racism and cruelty. To affirm sovereignty in the vast arctic land, Canada had to have permanent residences residing within these territories. They had created a façade that they were providing the Inuit with the opportunity of a better life when in reality, they did not care about them at all. The government had less than honest intentions. What the people who represented the nation did to the relocation of the Inuit is unacceptable and its effect can be explained through holism but also goes beyond the concept on an international scale. Global practices influenced the local practices of the Inuit in the High Arctic. The government representatives of Canada at that time did not value the lives of these people and only cared about their own

    Read More

  • The Chinese Pioneers of Canada

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bennet, P.; Cornelius J.; and Brune, N. Canada: A North American Nation. Second Edition ed. Canada: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, 1995.

    Read More

  • The Indian Act In Canada

    940 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Indian Act no longer remains an undisputable aspect of the Aboriginal landscape in Canada. For years, this federal legislation (that was both controversial and invasive) governed practically all of the aspects of Aboriginal life, starting with the nature of band governance and land tenure. Most importantly, the Indian act defines qualifications of being a “status Indian,” and has been the source of Aboriginal hatred, due to the government attempting to control Aboriginals’ identities and status. This historical importance of this legislation is now being steadily forgotten. Politically speaking, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal critics of the Indian act often have insufferable opinions of the limits of the Indian Act’s governance, and often argue to have this administrative device completely exterminated. Simultaneously, recent modern land claim settlements bypass the authority of the Indian Act over specific groups.

    Read More

  • Johnstown Flood

    1184 Words  | 3 Pages

    There were about 30,000 people in the area before the flood. The Western Reservoir was built in the 1840s, but became generally known as the South Fork dam. It was designed to supply extra water for the Main Line canal from Johnstown to Pittsburgh. By saving the spring floods, water could be released during the dry summers. When the dam was completed in 1852, the Pennsylvania Railroad completed the track from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, and the canal business began its decline.

    Read More

More about Whitehorse: An Outlook into the Capitol of the Yukon

Open Document