Whitehorse Day 2

 August 18, 2023

On our own.

Click here for foodie photos.

We spent our first day in the Yukon getting to know Whitehorse, the capital city, known as The Wilderness City. The downtown area is small, with the main tourist attractions within easy walking distance.

The hotel does not have a breakfast option so we headed to The Burnt Toast Café. 

Unfortunately, this place has just closed down.

Walking up Main St.

Old Log Church Museum is one of the oldest buildings in Whitehorse, dating back to 1900. It was designed and built by Reverend Richard Bowen and took only two months to construct. The church held services until 1960 and in 1962 it was converted into a museum.

Click here to read about the infamous Edith Josie!

This bronze sculpture of a prospector and his dog, created by Yukon artist Chuck Buchanan, is dedicated to the adventurers who followed their dreams all the way to the Far North.

 

Sculpture commemorating Whitehorse as the birthplace of McGee and McGrew (characters in poems by Robert W. Service)
The Cremation of Sam McGee (small excerpt printed here)
BY ROBERT W. SERVICE

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

The last block of Main St. is closed to vehicles for the summer.

The Edgewater got its start during the Great Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1890’s as the Windsor Hotel, servicing the stampeders heading down the Yukon River to the gold fields of the Klondike in Dawson City.

Located across from both the paddle wheeler docks on the Yukon River and the White Pass and Yukon Route Train Station, the Windsor Hotel enjoyed a bustling business in the heart of the transportation district.

In 1905, a devastating fire leveled much of the Downtown core, including the Windsor Hotel and White Pass Depot. Famed poet and Bard of the Yukon, Robert Service, helped in the firefighting efforts, managing to save the CIBC Bank building where he worked.

After a spirited community rebuilding effort, the Windsor was reborn as the White Pass Hotel and served Whitehorse throughout the war years, the building of the Alaska Highway in 1942 and the end of the steamboat era in the mid-fifties.

After another fire on Christmas Day 1961, the White Pass became the Edgewater Hotel, which it has remained until this day.

The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) Depot.

The WP&YR Railroad was constructed in 1898-1900 to service the Klondike Gold Rush, carrying freight and passengers from the ocean port of Skagway, Alaska to the Yukon interior. 

The original WP&YR Depot was constructed in 1900 but burned in the 1905 fire that destroyed downtown Whitehorse. The open, wood paneled lobby area and large ticket office window demonstrate an original function of the building.

We impulsively bought tickets for the bus/train trip ($155 US each) to Skagway Alaska for Saturday.

Peace Park is a leisure park destination located in the community of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. The Rotary Peace Park follows the banks of the Yukon River and is situated across the street from the SS Klondike Historic Site and the Robert Campbell Bridge near the beginning of the Robert Service Highway.

We were here on our first night when we went to the Firewood Market.

Yukon River behind.

MacBride Museum of Yukon History. This small but comprehensive museum offered great insight into the territory’s history. We really enjoyed this museum and spent several hours.

Click here for a whole bunch of photos and history.

Time for some sunshine and beverages, on Main St.

 

Glutenberg for John.

I had White Bark from Victoria BC and Mountain Hero from Winterlong here in Whitehorse.

An American Vet tourist. Whitehorse is really laid back, jeans, backpacks, plaid, and ponytails.

From our hotel room.

On our way to dinner.

The Conversation Created by Alyx Jones
On the steps of the Andrew A. Philipsen Law Centre on Second Avenue. This grouping of figures is based on geographical formations found on the Dempster Highway. It also suggests the way that people might gather on the steps of the courthouse for discussion. From a distance these figures appear larger than life, but they are actually much smaller. In fact, their heads are much too small for their bulky bodies. According to Alyx Jones, this size discrepancy illustrates the gap between the ideal and the actual practice of law. 

Dinner at Giorgio's Cuccina.

Prices are Toronto prices but portions are huge!

Local Artic char for me.

John had the 10 oz sirloin.

On the way back.