After the Gold Rush
Named for the rapids nearby on the Yukon river, which resemble the flowing mane of a white horse, this town, Whitehorse, was once the epicenter of a great bonanza. Gold was discovered in 1896 and when word reached Seattle and San Francisco an estimated 100,000 prospectors saddled up and headed north. Mass resignations to join the gold rush became famous. In Seattle, this included the mayor, many policemen, and a significant percent of the city's streetcar drivers. Only about 30% of them made it. The rest died or turned back. By 1898, the population of Dawson City, where I’m heading now, had swelled from 500 people to 17,000. Today, it still has wooden boardwalks and dirt roads. Large parts of the highway connecting it to Whitehorse are also as yet unpaved, a fact that I verified today. The current population has also fallen back to 1,500, making it just the second largest municipality in Yukon.
Some prospectors discovered immense wealth, but the majority suffered the hardship in vain. It’s a 46 hour drive from Dawson to San Francisco. Imagine doing that on foot with a donkey. And, one couldn’t just stop at McDonald’s to eat back then either. Cold, disease, starvation, and avalanches killed the majority of those lost on the long trek. A footnote to history: San Francisco’s origins as a gay mecca are rooted in its own boomtown era (1848–1855). With nearly all the “men on the street” being dudes — the ratio of men to women was 40,000 to 700 — masquerade balls, stag dances, and such became the only forms of vice available in the “Sin City” section of town, now known as Barbary Coast. Of course, we all know what happens in men’s prisons too.
When one crosses the boarder into Yukon today, the ever-lasting second Gold Rush — i.e those racing here during summer in search of wilderness adventures — presents itself immediately. Every truck has a camper. Every parking lot is full of RVs. If you’ve ever been to Amagansett during high season, then you’ve been to Whitehorse in June.
Did you know VW makes a Sprinter copycat available only in Europe? Well now you do. It’s called the Crafter and I saw one that somebody shipped here from Sweden. Roughly 80% of the summer influx are well-heeled wanderers in expensive vehicles. One will see custom tractor build-outs that were shipped from France to South America and driven up. Ironic that so many people who probably made their loot speculating in crypto and stocks have today come here to retrace the steps of those who suffered chasing gold, but they do so aboard vehicles packed with all the conveniences of home.
The other 20% are just bums like me in homemade rigs. I must admit, there are some pretty funny truck and camper mismatches on display here, too.
Like flags at the Everest summit, the billboard welcoming visitors at the Yukon boarder has been plastered over with zillions of stickers left behind by tourist to inform others they were once here.
And the first town where one might pull off the road after BC has an entire park dedicated to totem poles upon which thousands of visitors have nailed signs to let others know they were here too. But, I do appreciate the sense of humor of some, who stole the welcome signs from towns with funny names — like Wiener, Arkansas and Blue Ball, Pennsylvania — and hoisted them up here too. First runner up goes to Wankers Corner, Oregon.
Sundown will happen at 12:15am tonight. I pulled over at a gorgeous campground this evening in Pelly Crossing where the owners shut the business and now just let people stay for free. The signs says, quite simply: Pick up after yourself. I love Canada. Next stop, Alaska.
