Toronto - Vancouver - Whitehorse Day 1

 August 17, 2023

Click here for some more foodie photos.

An early morning start with a three hour time difference, meaning that by the time we get to the hotel it will be around 7 PM for us.

Vancouver Airport

From the AC lounge.

Taking off from Vancouver for Whitehorse.

We got settled into The Sternwheeler Hotel and Conference Centre. 

We are tired and have a nap, awaking at 6 PM, rain has stopped so we walked over to the market.

Fireweed Market, Thursdays only 3-7 PM 10 minute walk to Shipyards Park.

Whitehorse's Shipyards Park features a rollerblading/bicycle track that becomes a skating loop in winter and a toboggan hill that doubles as picnic-style seating for a small amphitheatre. 

The park is connected to Rotary Peace Park, 1.5 km to the south, by a scenic footpath along the Yukon River. 

 "Raven's House", a sculpture by Alyx Jones, stands beside the former Whitehorse Trolley track.

Newest to the park is the "Yukon Worker's Memorial" by Béla Simó.

Pioneer Hotel

The hotel was built in 1899 by John Smart, a saloon keeper and Edward Dixon, an ex-Mountie who turned river pilot during the Klondike gold rush. The hotel was constructed in the first community of White Horse, located across the river from the present city centre. In 1900, a new townsite was laid out on the opposite riverbank to accommodate the terminus of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway. The Pioneer Hotel was moved to a prominent position near the railway depot and sternwheeler terminus where it served as a hotel, bar and restaurant, a rooming house and finally as rental accommodation. It remained on Front Street between Elliot and Lambert Streets through the heyday of the sternwheeler era, witnessing the rise and demise of the Whitehorse waterfront as a transportation hub.

By 1955, the Alaska Highway had supplanted sternwheelers and dismantling of the infrastructure associated with the fleet began. During this period the Pioneer Hotel was split into parts and relocated to the squatter community north of the Shipyards. This community was originally home to transient workers and First Nations people, representing an alternative lifestyle and was occupied by people who by choice or economic circumstance, opted to reside here.

One of these people was John Hatch who lived in the building for twenty years prior to his death and coincidentally, the end of the Shipyards community. Hatch was a well known local photographer and advocate for the preservation of the Shipyards neighbourhood. Many of the remaining interior furnishings of the Pioneer Hotel 2 were constructed by Mr. Hatch. Of particular note is the built-in furniture and cabinet work along with the hand crafted windows. Several artifacts from Mr. Hatch's life remain inside the cabin. His photographs in particular document life in the Shipyards community during his time there.

The Pioneer Hotel is a rarity having survived here over forty years, outliving the Shipyards squatter community, a key element of Whitehorse's social development. 

Pioneer Hotel 2 is the rear portion of the hotel that was originally built in four sections. Shortly after the move to the Shipyards, the middle sections of the hotel were destroyed, one by fire and one for use as firewood. Pioneer Hotel 1 and Pioneer Hotel 2 are all that remain of the oldest known building in Whitehorse associated with the founding of the community and early commercial development.

Walking back to the hotel. Read about the Whitehorse Star here.

WHITEHORSE

It is home to 23,276 people and twice as many moose! The city was established in 1896 during the infamous Klondike Gold Rush which sent over 100,00 people up north to Whitehorse and Dawson City in search of gold. It was made the capital of the Yukon in 1953, replacing Dawson City. Whitehorse is surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges and glaciers.

1897: Two men carried goods around the Whitehorse rapids to Klondike during the Gold Rush.

1900: Construction of White Pass and Yukon Route railways which are the only international narrow gauge railways still operating in North America.

1900 to - : Whitehorse connected the railways to the riverboats to Dawson.

1920: First plane lands in Whitehorse.

1942: The American Army builds the 2469 km long Alaska Highway in a record 8 months and 23 days.

1950: Whitehorse becomes a city.

1953: Whitehorse becomes the capital of the Yukon Territory.
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1958: A hydroelectric dam is built which replaces the White Horse Rapids with the Schwatka reservoir.

The Smith House has been on this site since early 1905 and was one of the first houses located on the edge of the downtown commercial core. The house is named after John (Jack) Smith, who purchased the property in 1904 from the British Yukon Land Company. This subsidiary of White Pass & Yukon Route surveyed the original street grid and managed the land in the city until after World War II. Smith lived here for only a short time as did many of the subsequent owners, most staying less than two years. From 1941 to 1964, the building was a rental property. The Smith House was last used as a residence in 1970 and then became a store and a warehouse. The Smith House typifies the neighbourhood's evolution from residential to commercial use.

The first firehall in Whitehorse was built in 1901. In 1905 the firehall burned in the great Whitehorse fire. Although much of the waterfront was destroyed, the firehall partially survived the fire. Ironically, the volunteer fire department had received its new fire-fighting apparatus the day before but did not have much success operating it. The fire engine broke down after only a few minutes of operation.

The second firehall was built shortly afterwards. The two-storey portion of the building was used to house the volunteer staff, adjacent to the bell tower. The bell tower was destroyed by fire in 1937, after which time the roof was raised and living quarters were installed.