AJ Goddard Shipwreck

The AJ Goddard shipwreck has historic, scientific and social history values that are significant to Yukon and Canada.

The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 was a major event in the Yukon, and acted as a catalyst for the creation of the territory. Thousands of people headed for the Klondike in hopes of striking it rich. River transportation was central to the development of both the transportation industry, the development of the mining industry and the settlement of the territory. This industry continued to serve the communities along the rivers until modern roads were constructed in the mid 1950s and sternwheeler traffic ended.

When news of the Klondike Gold Rush broke in 1897, AJ Goddard, an engine designer and owner of the Pacific Iron Works in Seattle, purchased two small prefabricated sternwheeler hulls in San Francisco and had his Seattle firm build their machinery before they were shipped to Skagway, freighted over the pass and re-assembled on the shores of Lake Bennett.

Captain Goddard and his wife, Clara, began their 1898 season by transporting miners, supplies and scows from Lake Bennett to the head of the Whitehorse Rapids. The AJ Goddard became the third vessel to descend Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids and was the first steamer from Whitehorse to arrive in Dawson City on June 21, 1898. Clara Goddard also worked as a pilot and business partner and is perhaps the only woman to have regularly piloted steam boats in Yukon. The AJ Goddard illustrates the lives of adventurous men and women who worked on Yukon¿s rivers at the turn of the 20th century.

The Goddard was sold to the Canadian Development Company in the fall of 1899 and continued to work the waters downstream from Whitehorse. On October 12, 1901, the steamer foundered off Goddard¿s Point on Lake Laberge during a storm. Three of the crew drowned and are buried at the Lower Laberge North West Mounted Police post. The exact location of the wreck remained a mystery until she was discovered in 2008.

When the first dives were made on the wreck in 2009, the vessel was found to be completely undisturbed and intact except for her wheelhouse and smoke stack. The hull, boiler, paddlewheel, engines, hogposts and hog chains are undamaged and in place, and the contents of the ship are located either on deck, or scattered on the lake bottom in the immediate vicinity of the vessel. Evidence of the desperate fight to keep her afloat during the storm can still be seen. Axes lying on the foredeck left by the crew cutting away the tow barge, and unburned wood in a firebox of the boiler speak to the futile attempt to power up the boat as she sank.

This site is the most significant discovery in nautical archaeology in Yukon. The A.J. Goddard is the sole known example of the 'pocket steamers' brought over the passes during the Klondike Gold Rush and contains the most complete collection of components from any vessels existing from this period. The ship is scientifically important for its unique design characteristics and its diminutive size and provides an unprecedented opportunity to study an undisturbed collection of river transportation artefacts from the early 20th century. It provides an important link in the variety of underwater archaeological and historic sites in North America representing a significant type of steam vessel used on inland waters. No similar vessels of this type survive in North America.

Character Defining Elements

Character Defining Elements include:

- Design techniques of mechanical elements such as the steam boiler, horizontal steam engines paddlewheel, hog posts and hog chains rudders, and the steering apparatus that that define the vessel as one of the Bennett Lake-built steamers from the Klondike gold rush era

- scattered artefacts consisting of ship accessories and spares, tools for repair and maintenance of the vessel, cooking and kitchen equipment, personal effects of the crew

- riveted steel prefabricated hull, and other materials related to the boat's construction and use

- contents of the ship scattered on the boat and the surrounding area on the lakebed

- location and siting of the wreck

Historical Sources Location

Unpublished Report: The Wreck of the AJ Goddard Overview Report, 2009 Yukon River Survey.John Pollack and Doug Davidge. The Institute of Nautical Archaeology File Report INA-124-2009/1.

Archival Photos:

Candy Waugaman Collection, Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior

Alaska State Libraries, Image P34-009

Yukon Archives, Vancouver Public Library collection, #2079

Construction Style

Her overall length was recorded as 15.24 m with a beam of 3.23 m, and a hull depth of 0.91m Gross tonnage was 86.7, and registered tonnage was 54.63. She was powered by two horizontal high pressure cylinders built by the Pacific Iron Works in Seattle, with a 5.5" bore and a 20" stroke. All components of the A.J. Goddard are present with the exception of the small pilothouse, stack and ship's wheel, and relatively little damage is visible. The vessel was built with a riveted steel hull displaying a spoon bow, five pairs of tubular steel hog posts, and diagonal hog chains utilized in an "X" pattern. Each set of hog posts is joined at the top with a cross-member running athwartships. The vessel has no "sides" or superstructure to port and starboard - it was open except for canvas curtains that provided passengers with modest protection from the elements. We believe there was a lightly-constructed wooden upper deck supported by the hog posts. The main deck has eight hatches arranged in four sets of two. One set of hatches is located forward of the boiler. Firewood is stored below deck in these hatches. The remaining three sets of hatches lie aft of the boiler and do not contain cargo or firewood except for a single empty crate. There appears to be another set of large hatches immediately forward of the transom, but the collapse of the splash guard for the paddle wheel has obscured this area with debris. None of the eight hatches had covers, suggesting they were not secured.Within the hull we observed longitudinal cross-members (e.g. girders) below the main deck and outboard of the hatches on both sides of the vessel. It was not possible to determine if the hull was constructed with transverse, water-tight bulkheads, but given the number of hatches observed on the A.J. Goddard, this design is likely.

The boiler, engines, pitmans, eccentrics and paddlewheel are intact and complete. An engineer's station with control lever is located aft of a small, horizontal water tube boiler. The vessel has a small, simple paddle wheel and three steel rudders and the tillers enter the hull below the level of the main deck. We note the steam intake and exhaust pipes connecting the cylinders, run athwartships at the top of the hog posts. This is a unique configuration not seen on larger vessels on which these pipes are located below the main deck. Neither feed nor bilge pumps are seen on deck, although there was a hose on the starboard side of the boiler, and running overside.

Cultural History

The small steel-hulled sternwheeler A. J. Goddard was prefabricated in San Francisco in 1897 along with a sister ship, the F.H. Kilbourne, and landed with Captain Goddard at Dyea with sawmill parts. The components of the vessel appear to have been shipped over the Pass in 1897-1898 and assembled at Lake Bennett for the Upper Yukon Company Ltd. The vessel received a Canadian registration number of 107517. Her overall length was recorded as 15.24 m with a beam of 3.23 m, and a hull depth of 0.91m Gross tonnage was 86.7, and registered tonnage was 54.63. She was powered by two horizontal high pressure cylinders built by the Pacific Iron Works in Seattle, with a 5.5" bore and a

20" stroke.

The A.J. Goddard steamed into Dawson City on June 21, 1898, the first common carrier to arrive from the Upper Yukon River. She was sold to Henry Munn of the Canadian Devlopment Company, October 21, 1899, and two years later, foundered at Goddard Point near the foot of Lake Labarge October 12, 1901 when towing a barge. Three crewmen drown in the accident. Their bodies were recovered and buried behind the NWMP station at Lower Laberge. The exact location of the wreck remained a mystery until 2008.

Documentation Location

AJ Goddard Shipwreck File No. 3630 32 10, Historic Sites, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon

Arctic Brotherhood Hall

Arctic Brotherhood Hall

The Arctic Brotherhood hall is designated for its historic, cultural, architectural and social significance.

The historical and cultural value of the site relates to its association with the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and with the Arctic Brotherhood. The Arctic Brotherhood was a fraternal social organization established in February 1899, for men residing in the northwest section of North America. Camp No. 4 of the Arctic Brotherhood was established in Dawson City in November 1899 and rapidly grew in membership to necessitate the construction of a new Arctic Brotherhood Fraternity Hall. Completed in October 1901, the Hall was constructed in three weeks using financial contributions from its members. At its opening, the hall was touted as the largest and grandest building not only in Dawson but in the entire northwest.

Thomas Firth, the founder of a successful Dawson insurance company and the father of the first mayor Dawson, Howard Firth, was a partial owner of the building from 1911-1929. The family insurance company continues to this day. In 1925, after the Arctic Brotherhood ceased to exist, the building served as a community hall. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles moved into the building in 1929 after their building burned and stayed until 1943, when the Dawson aerie was disbanded.

The Arctic Brotherhood Hall is one of few remaining buildings from the early 1900s in the Downtown Transitional Heritage Area. Its vernacular architecture is typical of Dawson for this time period and consists of a two storey frame building with coved siding and a metal gable roof with decorative brackets supporting a wide eave on the front façade and a small vented cupola along the ridgeline. The primary façade’s asymmetrical fenestration of the original building is punctuated with a second storey open balcony with a pedimented gable roof, square pilasters and posts, and geometric railings. By the 1920s two small windows were added on either side of the pediment, more recently they were converted to vents with a third one added above the apex of the gable of the pediment. By the 1920s, a shed roofed addition was added on the south wall. It was enlarged in the 1930s, and again in the early 1980s and in the mid-1990s, providing additional space and housing the main access to the building. Another small addition was added to the north wall by 2010.

The social values of the site are demonstrated through the building’s continued use for community events and celebrations. In 1967, it was renovated and renamed the Centennial Hall. In 1973, it was re-purposed as Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, Canada’s first legal gambling hall. Its present use reflects on the wilder social life in Dawson in the early 1900s and continues to serve as a community gathering space during the winter months.

Additional Information

The building is referred to in 1901 Dawson newspapers as in operation that year. If it was constructed as the "Fraternity Temple" it was completed as early as 1898. This building was used as the Arctic Brotherhood Hall until sometime between 1925 and 1929 when it was taken over by the Fraternal Order of Eagles. Substantial additions were made to the building in 1910 when the building was expanded onto the newly required Lot 1.

Personal Recollection - John Gould - The Arctic Brotherhood who built this building never changed the requirement to become a member - as a result the organization died with the members. The Firth boys in Whitehorse, their grandfather, Tom A Firth were members. The Fraternal Order of Eagles moved into this building circa 1929. Once the Eagles closed down the building, it became the community hall. Charles Burkhard was responsible for saving it. The man who owned it in the 1930's was going to move it to Mayo. Burkhard took up a collection to save the building. In 1967 Canada's centennial money was acquired from the Federal Government and it was upgraded. The wood heaters were removed, a good sewer and water hook up was put in and a kitchen was added, it then became the Centennial Hall. About 1973 it became Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall, Canada's first legal gambling hall.

Character Defining Elements

• Siting of the building on its lot with orientation to Queen Street and Fourth Avenue.

• Setback from the wooden boardwalk along Queen Street and Fourth Avenue

• Materials, scale and form

• Exterior architectural elements such as the coved siding, metal gable roof and decorative brackets, original window and door openings, wood trim and corner boards.

• Open balcony with pedimented roof, raked and horizontal cornices, infill of vertical panelling, square posts and geometric railing on the main façade.

• Shed roof addition on south wall with decorative panels of stickwork on the main façade.

• Vented cupola with gable roof along the ridgeline

Historical Sources Location

Dominion Land Titles

Territorial Land Titles

Dawson Municipal Records. Assessment and Tax Rolls

Dawson City Directories for 1903, 1905-6 and 1915-16

Historic photographs

#17/131, #28/141, Parks Canada, Klondike National Historic Sites

Personal interview, John Gould, 1999

Renovation Information

Permit issued in October 1982 to perform rehabilitation and expansion of existing building. Finalized in July 1983

Permit issued in March 1983 to construct framing. Finalized July 1983.

Permit issued in June 1988 to construct new decks and install wheelchair ramp. No final date.

Permit issued in June 1995 to construct change/dressing room addition to existing building. Finalized in August 1995.

Permit issued in April 1996 to install ventilation systems. No final date.

Building has had addition built on the rear pre-2010.

Bank Of Commerce

Bank Of Commerce

Bank Of Commerce

The Canadian Bank of Commerce was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1988 because:

- important services were performed by the bank, from the Gold Rush of 1898 until 1989;

- this Renaissance Revival building is one of Canada's finest surviving structures clad in decorative pressed metal.

The heritage value of Dawson City's Canadian Bank of Commerce lies in its longstanding role in Yukon history, in the excellence and sophistication of its design and composition, particularly in a northern environment, and in its prominent location in the historic Gold Rush town of Dawson. Originally housed in a tent, the Canadian Bank of Commerce relocated several times before finally settling in the current building designed and built by W.P. Skillings and Robert Moncrief in 1901. Its grand architectural style reflects the important services that were performed by the bank, such as the buying and melting of gold into bricks and the brokering of gold on world markets. This structure, with its sophisticated form, was a prominent and visible symbol of the banks significance within the community. It operated as a bank until 1989.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, November, 1991; Plaque text, 1991.

Additional Information

See file folder for copy of original floor plans .

Character Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

- its location in Dawson's business section, relatively isolated from the predominantly wooden structures;

- its rugged, northern setting within the Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site of Canada, as well as its spatial relationships with other buildings within the complex;

- its cubic two-storey massing under a very low hip roof;

- its Renaissance Revival design with a four-bay symmetrically organized facade, side entry, classically-inspired ornamentation including pilasters, dentilled cornice topped by finials, and alternating pedimented and arched window surrounds on the ground floor with bracketed mouldings above;

- its pressed metal facing worked to resemble stone, particularly in its imitation rustication, fluted pilasters, and decorated entablature topped with anthemion;

- its light-weight platform frame wood construction;

- its original interior plan and remaining original interior furnishings and finishes;

- viewscapes toward the building from Queen and Front streets and from the river.

Historical Sources Location

Dawson Municipal Records. Assessment and Tax Rolls

Dawson City Directories for 1903, 1905-6 and 1915-16

Historical Photographs:

University of Alaska, Bassoc Collection, 64-92-385

University of Alaska, Lulu Fairbanks Collection

Public Archives of Canada C 17027

Public Archives of Canada PA 16339

Public Archives of Canada C 17026

Vancouver City Archives, Canadian Bank of Commerce

Washington State University, Mart Howard Collection, Lantern Slide 127

Geological Survey of Canada, 83149

Banking in the Klondike, Parks Canada, Edward F. Bush #118.

Renovation Information

Permit was issued in October 1986 to construct a fence. No final date

Permit was issued in November 1986 to install a wood burning heater. No final date

Construction Style

Metal siding, decorated cornice with quoins on each corner on first floor pressed decorative capital pillars on second floor. Metal hip roof with small dormer on west wall, has metal hip roof and metal siding. Decorative pressed metal roof ornaments on east wall. Closed stairwell on west wall, addition removed on north wall, stone vault in north east corner of building. Post and beam foundation, metal sheeting removed from north wall, flush planking exposed underneath. Large fixed picture windows east wall, single door east wall, single hung windows rest of building. Decorative trim on windows, decorative pediment alternated with decorative curved pediment with braces on each side of window opening on first floor. On second floor, windows have decorative entablature with braces.

Cultural History

The Government of Canada owned this land, and the Canadian Bank of Commerce held a continuous lease from Her Majesty since 1901. The Canadian Bank of Commerce built the building in 1901; it was used continuously as the Bank of Commerce until 1989. The contemporary bank now resides on Second Avenue. The second floor apartment was originally for bank staff. The bank was purchased by the City of Dawson in 2012 and is currently undergoing conservation work.

Documentation Location

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec.

Captain Martin House

Captain Martin House

The Captain Martin House is significant for its historical and architectural values.

Although modest by southern standards, the Captain Martin House was one of the grander homes in Whitehorse and is one of a few remaining in Whitehorse from the early part of the twentieth century. The house has notable features such as the main facade with its single storey bay window and leaded transom over the centre unit and the glazed porch that projects off the bay window. These features are topped with an open railed balcony and a bell cast skirt roof of sawn wood shingles. The interior features a finely detailed staircase with oak newel and rails as well as oak trim throughout. The exterior clapboard siding with painted corner boards, gable roof and wood frame windows are architectural elements that add to the building's distinctive appearance.

The house was owner-built as a single storey dwelling at 208 Wood Street. Captain Patrick Martin and his family lived here in 1908 until the late 1930s. He added the second storey in 1917.

A Master Mariner from Newfoundland, Patrick Martin was lured north during the Klondike gold rush seeking new opportunities. Martin left the life of a sailor and became a pioneer merchant in the new settlement of Whitehorse, opening the Artctic Trading Company in 1900 and a second store in the short-lived mining centre of Conrad. Martin typified many of the people who came to the Yukon seeking their fortune then settling down to become solid members of the fledgling society. Martin's house reflects his status in the community as a prominent merchant and as a member of the Territorial Council representing Whitehorse from 1912-1915, as well as a colourful personality. Paddy Martin died in 1940.

By 1981, the entire block was purchased for redevelopment and the house was moved and stored in the municipal yard. In 1987, the building was donated to the Lions Club. It was moved back to Wood Street, a block west from its original location. The building was placed on a new foundation, the rear addition reconstructed, the roof re-shingled, doors and windows were repaired or reconstructed where necessary and new storm windows were installed. Wiring and plumbing were brought up to modern code.

With its stately mass and distinctive features, this house anchors the small collection of early 20th century residences surrounding LePage Park and helps evoke the residential nature of this neighbourhood as it was until the late 1940s.

Sources:

Dobrowolsky, Helene. "Captain Patrick Martin: Master Mariner, Travelling Exhibit Planning Report". Prepared for MacBride Museum Society, 2002.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 40 02

Additional Information

Biographical Information: Captain Martin: worked as a sea captain in Newfoundland before coming to the Yukon. -skipper of the steamer Canadian, which sailed from Victoria, B.C. around the Aleutian Islands and up the Yukon River

to Whitehorse in 1898. -opened a general merchandise and grocery store, Arctic Trading Co., on Main Street in 1900. -raised foxes and minks and was Gov't fish inspector -occupied house until mid 1930-s, then moved to Chantler house at 204 Hawkins Street, occupying it until his death.

Character Defining Elements

The character-defining elements include:

- one and a half storey profile with architectural elements such as the gable roof, clapboard siding, cornerboards and trims

- glazed porch topped by railed balcony, wood shingles on bell-cast skirt roof

- bay window with leaded glass transom windows

- original window and door openings

- oak staircase and trim

- location on street in context with other houses of same period

Historical Sources Location

YHMA File:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical

Renovation Information

Second storey added in 1917. New foundation and basement added after relocation to new site in 1987.

Construction Style

Two-storey wood frame building with gable roof; glassed porch and second storey balcony; bevelled wood siding; asphalt roof shingles.

Cultural History

This house was originally located at 208 Wood Street. Construction date is estimated circa 1915, although it may date from as early as 1900. Newspapers and early photographs suggest that it was originally a one-storey house, to which a second floor was added in 1917. It was the home of Captain Patrick "Paddy" Martin and his family. Originally, from Newfoundland, Captain Martin had been a sea captain on sailing ships prior to his arrival in Yukon. After leaving the steamboat business, he opened a general merchandise and grocery store on First Avenue called the Arctic Trading Company. The Martin family occupied the house until the mid-1930s when they moved to the Chantler House on Hawkins Street.

Relocated to its current location and rehabilitated in 1987, the Captain Martin House now houses the Lions Club office upstairs and a tenant on the main floor.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 19

Caribou Hotel

Caribou Hotel

The Caribou Hotel was designated for its architectural, historical and social history values.

The Caribou Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in the Southern Lakes Region and is one of the last two historic three-storey frame commercial buildings in Yukon dating from the early 20th century. This landmark structure stands in its original location and is one of the first properties recognized when entering Carcross. Its size, massing and historic character provide an anchor to Dawson Charlie Street, one of the last Yukon streets composed entirely of historic buildings relatively unchanged since 1910. The Caribou Hotel has housed one of Yukon's longest continuously operating food and lodging businesses.

The size of the structure and its simple design provide an excellent representation of larger hotels of its period in Yukon. Its construction materials and building techniques such as double-loaded hall corridors, interior trims and doors and exterior architectural features such as the drop siding, trims and door and window configuration are typical design elements from this period of Yukon history.

The history of the Caribou Hotel reflects the economic and social history of Carcross and the Southern Lakes Region. Soon after the Klondike Gold Rush and a minor regional mining boom, many buildings were re-located from the declining communities of Conrad and Bennett to Carcross. The original building at this location was moved from Bennett and re-named the Anderson Hotel. In 1903, this hotel was sold to Dawson Charlie, one of the discoverers of Klondike gold and a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. Charlie had the hotel extensively remodelled and re-named it the Caribou Hotel. Following Dawson Charlie's death in 1908, Edwin and Bessie Gideon rented and operated the hotel from his heir, Annie (Charlie) Auston. The hotel burned to the ground on Christmas Eve, 1909, along with an adjacent store and the nearby White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) railway depot. A new hotel was constructed at the same location in 1910 and the business continued. The WP&YR railway depot was also rebuilt. The hotel was an important community meeting place and a venue for special occasions and public celebrations such as New Years Eve parties.

The sternwheeler, S.S. Tutshi, was constructed in 1917 to service growing tourism in the Southern Lakes Region. The Caribou Hotel benefited from its central location and proximity to the railway depot and S.S. Tutshi docking facilities. Over time the hotel has provided accommodation and services for tourists, big game hunters, visiting dignitaries, and long term lodgings for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, construction workers, and local residents. Johnnie Johns, a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation and world renowned and respected big game outfitter, had a long working relationship with the hotel. Many of his clients stayed here.

The Caribou Hotel also figured in the construction of the Alaska Highway when the United States Army and private road construction crews used the hotel for housing and a mess hall. With as many as twenty-five trains per day rolling through town, Carcross was a major operational centre for workers, equipment and materials.

The Caribou Hotel remains as a window onto the social, economic and cultural history of the community of Carcross and the Southern Lakes Region of Yukon. Its neighbour, the WP&YR railway depot is designated a National Historic Railway Station of Canada.

Source: Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 32 09

Character Defining Elements

The Character Defining Elements include:

- Location and orientation of the building on its lot

- Exterior appearance and materials

- Exterior elements including wood windows, trims, cladding, decorative cornice and entablature and roof

- Window configuration and recessed entry on ground floor under second floor balcony

- Original interior finishes, including original doors, transom windows, stairwell and woodwork

- Double-loaded hall corridors on upper two floors.

Cultural Period

From reseach for the Carcross Walking Tour study: "The original Caribou Hotel has been identified as either the Yukon Hotel or the Vendome Hotel from Bennett, which was shipped on scows to Carcross. The Whitehorse Star (1901-05-15) says," W.A. Anderson, the well-known hotel man of Bennett, will shortly remove his hotel to that place [Caribou]". In the same issue, "Mr. W.A. Anderson, of the Vendome Hotel has purchased the Yukon Hotel, building and contents. It is his intention to float the whole on scows through the rapids." Several months later The Whitehorse Star (1901-11-29) ran the ad, "For Sale (cheap) Finely furnished hotel with all the latest improvements, bath, etc. Apply to W.A.Anderson, Caribou, YT." The hotel was possibly named the Anderson Hotel for a time.

This building burned to the ground on Christmas Eve 1909, taking with it the railway depot and a store situated beside it and owned by George Fickhard. The present Caribou Hotel was built in 1910, making it one of the oldest operating hotels in the Yukon.

For many years, 1918-1972, Polly the Parrot lived here and entertained the guests with her renditions of "I Love You Truly" and "Springtime in the Rockies".

From Bruce Barrett, The Caribou Hotel: An Historical Assessment and Overview, January 1986.

The Caribou Hotel probably started life as the Yukon Hotel in Bennett and was transported across Lake Bennett to Carcross on a scow by the owner, W. A. Anderson. In 1903 it was purchased by Dawson Charlie, one of the discoverers of gold in the Klondike. The business prospered under several different owners until it burned to the ground in December 1909. The owner at that time, E. W. Gideon, built a new hotel on the spot in 1910 using material from a two-story building torn down in Conrad. The Caribou Hotel has undergone little change structurally or cosmetically since that time and the exterior remains virtually as constructed. During WWII, the hotel was taken over by the U.S. Army who used it for housing. The Caribou has been the longest operating hotel in the Yukon and is one of the oldest Yukon businesses of any kind still in operation.

May 19, 1901, Anderson applies to Hugh McKinnon, on VENDOME HOTEL (Bennett) stationery, for a hotel licence at "Carriboo Crossing." Opened as the ANDERSON HOTEL.

May 1903, managed by Theodore M. Watson; still called the ANDERSON HOTEL in the Star (May 23). Watson went on to join his father Charles at the Windy Arm Hotel, Conrad, in 1906. July 1904, managed by Mrs. E. Ready. October 1906, leased ? by R. J. Brittain. Following Dawson Charlie's death on January 26, 1908, Edwin W. and Bessie Geraldine Gideon rented it from his estate (starting September 1, 1908). Burned on December 24, 1909; Colonel Conrad's house, just around the corner on the Lake Bennett waterfront, was used as temporary hotel until new one built.

Rebuilt by the Gideons in 1910, with financing from Jack Stewart. Gideons owned the hotel until Mr. Gideon died in 1925. Mrs. Gideon continued running the hotel until her death, in the hotel, on October 27, 1933. Bessie's sister, Louise V. Dawson, had been helping her manage the hotel, and was executrix of her estate. The hotel was on a lot which was rented from Annie Austin, for $75 per year. The ghost of Mrs. Bessie Gideon is said to roam the third floor. Rented by Jack McMurphy ca.1939-1940. Operated by Dorothy Hopcott from 1959. N.D. owned by May Florence Ross for 9 years; she died in Chilliwack, BC, February 13, 1991, at 92 years old.

Polly the Parrot moved into the hotel in 1918, when Captain James Alexander, owner of Engineer Mine (BC Minister of Mines, 1913) asked the Gideons to take care of him (Polly was a male) while he and his wife went Outside; they were killed in the wreck of the Princess Sophia.

Description of Boundaries

Lot 2 Block A Plan 67560

Historical Sources Location

Yukon Archives

Whitehorse Star:

--1970-06-10

YTG Heritage Branch

--Documentation of Historic Buildings in Carcross, file 105D/2/42

Interview

Bob Olsen, owner of Caribou Hotel, Barb Hogan 2002.

Renovation Information

Plumbing installed in 1942-44 by military

Kitchen addition constructed approximately 1992.

Washroom off bar constructed recently.

Maple floor installed just after 1944, dated by newspaper found under floor.

Wood furnace in basement removed.

2 casement windows on second floor, west wall installed in 1942-44 by military (bathrooms)

Bar renovated and moved post 1980. Interior partition removed in bar, it used separate the lounge and pub, only columns remain in place.

Floor in the bar replaced in 1999.

Permit issued in march 1985 to repair the floor in the existing hotel on this site. Permit finalized in March 1985.

Permit issued in August 1987 to renovate restaurant/lounge in the existing hotel. Permit finalized in March 1989.

Permit issued in June 1988 to renovated to add 4 rooms on the 3rd floor. Permit finalized in June 1988.

Permit issued in Feb. 2001 to renovated fire escape on hotel. Permit not finalized to this date. (2002)

Permit issued in May 2002 to construct a temporary water tank shelter on site. Permit not finalized (2002)

Fire escapes dismanteled, rear addition removed, new foundation 2007 - 2008

Construction Style

Three storey wood frame building with shed roof clad with corrugated metal. Walls have shiplap siding, and corner boards with entablature over plain band at the second and third floors. Interior cladding is 6" material on the diagonal. Windows are single hung wood frame with plain trim. Open rail balcony on second floor on east wall, providing overhang over entrance on first floor. Wood fire escapes on south and north walls. South wall has open porch with shed roof on third floor of fire escape. False front on south, east and north sides of building with decorative entablature or vertical tongue and groove below a sloped cornice. Addition with a medium pitched gable roof clad with rolled roofing off the west wall, windows are boarded over. There is a connecting addition off the west wall of addition to a shed off the north wall of addition. Storage shed is clad with corrugated metal had has a medium pitched gable roof clad with corrugated metal. Additions and storage shed removed in 2007. The foundation has timbers on the perimeter with 6 cross beams running east/west. The floor joists on the second and third floor were cut away in 1942-44 by the military when plumbing was installed in the building. Plumbing is cast iron and there are no plumbing vents. Original floor heating grates are intact and in place, there is a 5' crawlspace in basement. Basement filled in 2007.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 12

Casey Car House

Casey Car House

The Casey Car House is valued for its association with the White Pass &Yukon Railway Company Ltd. (WP&YR). The WP&YR was instrumental to the growth and development of Whitehorse. It owned most of the original townsite and planned and surveyed the street grid and lots. The Casey Car House is part of a complex of structures and historic buildings on the Whitehorse waterfront related to the company.

Gas-powered vehicles, nicknamed "Casey Cars" are used to inspect rail tracks and transport rail crews to their work sites. This structure is one of the small utility buildings which housed this key piece of equipment that were located along the railway between Skagway and Whitehorse. WP&YR holdings on the waterfront included operational offices, residences, warehouses, workshops, wharves and shipyards.

This small structure is a good example of the casual way in which WP&YR re-used and relocated buildings. The building was a residence in the shipyards until the late 1950s or early 1960s when it was moved south closer to the wharf and locomotive repair shed. Its function changed from residence to storage. After the original Casey Car house was stolen by thieves with a flatbed truck, this building became the new storage house for the car.

In 1969 or 1970, the building was moved to its present site. WP&YR used it until the railway shut down in 1982. It was purchased by the Government of Yukon and is currently used as a workshop and for equipment storage.

This single-storey building is T-shaped after a recent addition off the west wall was added to the original rectangular structure. The clapboard siding with corner boards, plain trim around the windows and doors and the shingled gable roof are typical features of early buildings in Whitehorse. Much of the exterior is original including doors and windows. The freight doors have been replaced.

For close to 80 years, the Whitehorse waterfront was populated with WP&YR buildings that supported either the rail or riverboat operations. This service complex included many small, utilitarian buildings like the Casey Car House. Today, the history of the city as a company town and transportation centre is represented by the Casey Car House and the nearby historic structures including, the White Pass & Yukon Railway Depot, locomotive repair shed, trainsmen's houses and the Casey Car House.

Source:

Midnight Arts The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse: and associated structures. A Structural History. Prepared for Tourism Yukon, Historic Sites, 1998.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 40 02.

Additional Information

"All along the railway, there were dozens of utility buildings for storage equipment and materials used by section crews in the maintenance and operation of the railway. A casey car was housed here. Casey cars were small, gas-powered rail trucks that transported crews to their work sites. The vintage of the structure is unknown though its design and shiplap siding would place it before 1950. It was likely that it was moved onto this site and had previously served a different purpose. According to one source, it may have been the residence of the railway section foreman and was moved here from Whiskey Flats. The building features a set of double doors track-side to allow ease of access for the car."

Excerpt from Edge of the River,Heart of the City by H.Dobrowolsky & R.Ingram, Lost Moose 1994.

Character Defining Elements

The character defining elements include:

- Location and orientation of the building adjacent to the railway tracks

- Original rectangular plan

- Arrangement of original doors and windows

- Exterior elements including wood windows, trims, cladding and roof

Description of Boundaries

Lot 1, Block 310, Plan 73672 Whitehorse, YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA:

--Dobrowolsky, H & R.Ingram. Edge of the River, Heart of the City. Lost Moose: 1994.

Yukon News:

--"Waterfront history should be considered", 1993-02-17

--"City missing boat on waterfront", 1993-02-17

Midnight Arts, "The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse: and associated structures. A Structural History". Prepared for Tourism Yukon, Historic Sites, 1998.

Construction Style

Small wood frame L-shaped structure. Approx 10'X10'; gable roof w/ asphalt shingles; shiplap siding.

Cultural History

The Casey Car House is one of the few buildings remaining on the waterfront that was once associated with the operation and maintenance of the White Pass & Yukon Railway in Whitehorse. The building began as a residence for WP&YR workers and was later moved south closer to the wharf and eventually used to house the casey car, a small gas-powered vehicle used to inspect the rails and transport workers, after the original casey car house was stolen. The building was moved again in 1969 or 1970 to its current location. The WP&YR continued to use the building until the railway shut down in 1982. Today, Yukon Government owns the building and uses it as a workshop and storage shed.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 20

Dawson City Telegraph Office

Dawson City Telegraph Office

Principal values lie in the architect and the architecture. The Klondike Gold Rush was an international event that created the Yukon as a distinct territory of Canada. Tens of thousands of men and women, mostly from the United States, travelled north to strike it rich. Federal bureaucrats joined the North West Mounted Police in the Yukon to maintain order, collect taxes, and to ensure Canadian sovereignty. One of these government officials was Thomas W. Fuller, of the Architects Branch of the Department of Public Works in Ottawa. His father, Thomas Fuller, was Chief Architect for the Dominion of Canada from 1867 to 1896. Prior to this, his company designed the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in 1859. T.W. Fuller continued with the Architects Branch after he left Dawson City and became Chief Architect from 1927 to 1933.

Fuller was given the task of designing and overseeing the construction of six public buildings in Dawson City - the Commissioners Residence, Courthouse, Public School, Post Office, Territorial Administration Building and the Telegraph Office. Fuller apprenticed with the Telegraph Office; the first project in which he had full responsibility for design and construction. It was also his first experience dealing with permafrost, sub-zero temperatures, and the difficulty of obtaining building materials and furnishings. He designed his five most prominent buildings in the Neoclassical Revival style, similar to many other federal buildings of that period in Canada, and this style is also referenced in a smaller scale Telegraph Office. Classical forms such as the central axis of design, the symmetry of the primary facade, a large expanse of walls, and the use of columns near the main entrance are common to these buildings.

The Telegraph Office was the first and only architecturally designed telegraph office in the Yukon. Constructed in 1899, this building illustrates the presence of the Canadian government in the north and its confidence in the continuing prosperity of Dawson City.

The Telegraph Office represents a major communications system connecting Yukon to the south and the extraordinary development of the historic 2700 km Dawson-Ashcroft Telegraph Line; an effort that is recognized as nationally significant.

After its time serving as a public building, the Telegraph Office was moved to a new location in 1908 and continued as an upper-scale family residence for nearly 75 years of continuous occupancy. The lawn and birch plantings along the front elevation lend to its presence on the street while providing some privacy and separation, and add a maturity and permanence to the neighbourhood. The building and landscaping contribute to the quiet and sheltered ambiance of this residential area on Seventh Ave.

Additional Information

Wood framed building has ship lap siding and a metal hip roof, and the central tower has metal pyramidal roof. Molded cornice, plank soffits, corner boards, skirting is flush planking with metal cap. Single hung windows, shaped header trim, molded lug sills. Open porch with single door, platform and railing on west wall. Molded and shaped columns supporting metal shed roof over entrance. Addition off east wall with metal gable roof. Small hinged door on north east corner of north wall just above skirting. Windows and doors are boarded over, fire damage on east wall.

Character Defining Elements

- Orientation of the building to the street

- Form and materials

- Entrances, exterior cladding and trims, roof, and windows including storms

- Tree plantings

- Interior finishes, including the matchboard panelling on ceiling and walls

- Wrought iron heating grates

Description of Boundaries

Lot 2, Block E,

Plan 28743,

Menzies Addition

Dawson City, Yukon

Historical Sources Location

Dominion Land Titles

Territorial Land Titles

Dawson Municipal Records. Assessment and Tax Rolls.

Dawson City Directories for 1903, 1905-6 and 1915-16.

Historical Photographs:

University of Alaska, Bassoc Collection 64 92-792

#1/9, Parks Canada, Klondike National Historic Sites

Renovation Information

Permit issued in August 1997 to repair foundation and stabilize building. No final date

Interior restoration on east wing, first and second floor

Kitchen and storage area on north side rehabilitated, 2005

Roof repaired 2002

Stairs, handrails, planters, installed south side 2005

Documentation Location

Dawson Telegraph Office file No. 3630 32 07 Heritage Resources Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon

Building Style

The Dawson City Telegraph Office is wood framed construction with a one and a half story central bay balloon framed with a hipped metal clad roof. The bay is flanked by two one-story wings platform framed with hipped metal clad roofs. The building has architectural features such as a simple moulded cornice, ship lap siding and corner boards. There are two entrances on the main facade reflecting the earlier public use of the building. Each has an open porch, pilasters and columns.

Donnenworth House

Donnenworth House

Donnenworth House

The Donnenworth House is a municipal historic site designated for its architectural and historical values.

The house, constructed in 1905, was originally a small frame building with a hip roof and a framed canvas tent attached to the rear. The tent portion was later framed over with a gable roof. These features plus the steeply pitched roofs with wood shingles, minimal eaves over short walls, drop siding, wood frame windows and a simple floor plan were common features of early twentieth century builder-style houses in Whitehorse. The Donnenworth House is distinctive because it is one of the last Whitehorse buildings retaining its original canvas and frame materials.

From 1902 to 1945, the Donnenworth House was owned by the British Yukon Land Company, a subsidiary of White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR), the major employer in Whitehorse until World War II. The British Yukon Land Company surveyed the original town site and developed the street grid. The Donnenworth House was one of their oldest Whitehorse staff houses and was rented to various tenants.

Mr. William Donnenworth and his wife lived here from 1902 until 1921 while ?Hobo Bill? Donnenworth was employed by WP&YR and its subsidiary, the British Yukon Navigation Company. Donnenworth was a stage coach driver on the Dawson-Whitehorse Overland Trail throughout the winter and a purser on the Yukon River sternwheelers during the summer. Mrs. Donnenworth operated a millinery shop from the front part of the house for several years. The proximity to the sidewalk and the central doorway, flanked by symmetrical double-hung windows embodies the mixed commercial/residential function of the building.

The Donnenworth House is in its original location and is now part of LePage Park, a landscaped public area containing three rehabilitated and municipally designated heritage buildings. The park and buildings are owned by the city. The City of Whitehorse and the current tenant of the Donnenworth House, the Yukon Historical & Museums Association, created the park to commemorate the LePage family. Mr. and Mrs. LePage were presented with the Transportation Pioneer Award and inducted into the Yukon Transportation Museum?s Transportation Hall of Fame for their role in the development of the territory.

The LePage family was the last to use the Donnenworth House as a residence, living here from 1963 until 1978. Amy "Happy" LePage and his wife Pauline, operated a network of wood cutting camps along the Yukon River that supplied fuel for the steam-driven sternwheelers until the boats stopped running in the early 1950s. Happy then worked on bridge and air strip construction projects for the Yukon's developing transportation system. He also operated a regional trucking company and the first car wash in Whitehorse.

The building was rehabilitated as office space as part of Heritage Canada Foundation's Main Street Program in 1984. At this time an attached shed at the rear of the building was removed and an addition that includes a kitchen and bathroom facilities added. Donnenworth House continues to illustrate the historic commercial and residential use of the Steele Street area.

Sources: City of Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee Minutes, May 1999, City of Whitehorse Bylaw 99-41, Donnenworth House, File No. 3630 50 10 Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government.

Character Defining Elements

The key elements which define the heritage character of the Donnenworth House include:

- Form and materials

- Exterior architectural elements such as the fenestration, roofs and wood shingles, short walls, cladding, historic wood sashes and trim

- The location and siting of the building on its lot

- Minimal setback from the sidewalk and entrance at grade on the primary façade

- Remains of canvas tent sandwiched in the walls

Description of Boundaries

Lot 14, Block 27, Plan 3807 Whitehorse

Historical Sources Location

YHMA File:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--seven rolls of colour negatives and contact sheets of the house under renovation,

--various snapshots of Donnenworth house under construction, no credit, ca. 1983-1985

--photograph, CIHB, Parks Canada 11-101-4-3126

--letter from Ted Wilson, former occupant of Donnenworth house re: physical description, no date

--Renovation of Donnenworth and Smith Houses--report by Ray Olsen , Architect, July 25, 1984

--transcript of "A Report on Bill Donnenworth" from Helen Horbach's history broadcast, CBC, 1984

--Donnen-worth [sic] House New Foundations --Invitation to tender and contract specifications.

Yukon News

--1991-08-14 "If only our old buildings could talk"

Whitehorse Star

--1927-10-14 "Yukoners Have Pleasant gathering" re: Mr.&Mrs. Donnenworth

Renovation Information

Between 1983-1985 the house was renovated extensively including a frame addition to the west and a pressure treated wood foundation/basement.

Construction Style

Wood frame construction with hip and gable roofs. Long H-shaped plan; pressure treated frame foundation and basement; cedar shake shingles; shiplap wood siding.

Cultural History

Built between 1900 and 1904, this house was originally a small frame building with a tent attached to the rear. The land was owned by William "Hobo Bill" Donnenworth who in 1911-12 drove horses for the Royal Mail Service stage between Whitehorse and Dawson City. He was a purser on the steamboats 'Canadian' and 'Nisutlin' from 1913-15. Mrs. Donnenworth operated a small millinery shop on Main Street and later ran her business from this building. In 1963 the house became the residence of A.R. "Happy" Lepage and family. The Lepage family operated wood camps on the Yukon River for the B.Y.N. Co. from 1928-49 and remained in the house until 1978.

In 1983, the YHMA secured permission from Finning Tractor to operate their walking tours from the building. In 1984, it was purchased by the City of Whitehorse, renovated extensively, and converted into the YHMA office.

Documentation Location

Donnenworth House, file No. 3630 50 10 Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

Fort Selkirk

Fort Selkirk

Fort Selkirk

Fort Selkirk

Fort Selkirk

The Selkirk First Nation Final Agreement requires that Fort Selkirk be designated as a Yukon Historic Site to commemorate its heritage significance to all people of the Yukon.

Fort Selkirk is set in a pristine, river valley rich in natural resources and surrounded by a mountainous, boreal landscape with a dynamic geological record. There is an intangible, aesthetic and emotional attraction to the site that exudes a sense of community secured within a rugged and visually striking environment. Fort Selkirk illustrates the unique contribution and combination of different cultures and natural environment that has helped form the social, economic and political fabric of the territory

The site also illustrates the historic trading economy, the transportation development of the Yukon, the sovereignty of Canada, the early expansion of the church and community life in a northern isolated area.

Fort Selkirk is central to the homeland of the Northern Tutchone and their cultural traditions such as game harvesting, trade and travel. This place has been a traditional harvesting and gathering site for thousands of years. Its importance as a place for meeting and trading between First Nations is evidenced by a network of traditional trails and archaeological artifacts. It is the first place where the Northern Tutchone people encountered and hosted colonists from afar. The site was given its English name by Robert Campbell of the Hudson's Bay Company, who established a trading post here in 1852. The aboriginal name for the place has been lost over time. Although short-lived, the post signified the beginning of an era as a Yukon centre of commerce and communication with the outside world. It continued as a hub of land, river and later, air transportation until the middle of the 20th century.

A permanent community evolved in the early1890s with the establishment of Arthur Harper's trading post and an Anglican Church mission. The community grew quickly as thousands of stampeders headed for Dawson City during the Klondike Gold Rush in 1896. The strategic location of Fort Selkirk led to its use as a base for the Yukon Field Force and a North-West Mounted Police post in 1898, and its consideration to be the first Capital of the Yukon Territory. Throughout the first half of the 20th century Fort Selkirk remained a stable, thriving community where two cultures lived, worked, played and prayed together. Abandoned in the 1950s due to the construction of modern roads and the end of sternwheeler traffic, members of the Selkirk First Nation and other Yukoners continue to think of it as their ancestral home.

The partnership between the Selkirk First Nation and Yukon governments as co-owners and co-managers of the site illustrates the continuing spirit of deep and cooperative care for Fort Selkirk.

Source: Heritage Resources Unit File #3630 32 02 04

Additional Information

Fort Selkirk Historic Site withdrawn from mining, prospecting, and exploration and development of oil and gas or coal mining as described in Selkirk First Nation Final Agreement under Chapter 13.4.6.1 - Schedule A, Section 11.0.

Order in Council August 22, 2005.

OIC 2005/144 - Placer Mining and Quartz Mining Act

OIC 2005/139 -Lands Act and Territorial Lands (Yukon) Act

2005/13 - Oil and Gas Act

Character Defining Elements

Character Defining Elements include:

- 37 standing, historic structures, their components and their relationship with each other in a linear arrangement facing the Yukon River.

- Fenestration, roof styles and floor plans of the standing buildings.

- Wood frame windows and doors, interior finishing and exterior finishes such as roof and wall cladding, log wall construction

- Two well maintained cemeteries

- Archaeological evidence of prehistoric and historic use and occupation.

- A collection of prehistoric and historic artifacts

- A combination of natural and culturally modified landscape features including the open, grassy meadow surrounding the historic town site, the vestiges of the historic and pre-historic trails, and the rugged uncultivated riverbank

- Viewscapes of the Yukon River, Tthi ts'achan (Victoria Rock) downstream, Meghliu (the basalt cliffs on the opposite bank) and Nelruna (Volcano Mountain) and mouth of the Pelly River upstream

- Proximity to the Yukon River in a healthy riparian zone supplying natural resources for food, clothing, fuel and shelter

- Location where travel routes converge and where people, migratory salmon and wildfowl pass through

Description of Boundaries

Lot 1021, Plan 2008-0123 LTO YT

Historical Sources Location

Yukon Waterways Survey - Parks Canada 1972

Ft Selkirk Oral History Project - Heritage Branch 1985

Ft Selkirk Brochure - Heritage Branch

Yukon Government Historic Sites Unit: Research Information, Reports, Plans, Maps, Photographs

Documentation Location

File 3630-50-17 Historic Sites, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon

Hulland House

Hulland House

Hulland House is important as an integral part of the Whitehorse Old Town district and for its association with school superintendent Ronald (Jack) Hulland. This dwelling is the first private home in Whitehorse to be designated as a municipal historic site.

This house was built about 1947 in one of the oldest residential areas during the post-war expansion of Whitehorse. Wood Street has a high percentage of homes of similar scale and vintage. The historic Pioneer Cemetery is directly across the street from the Hulland House.

The Hulland House is an excellent example of a modest residential property dating from post World War II. The single-storey building is of frame construction, with low gable roof and regular fenestration of original multi-pane windows on the primary facade with newer windows in the rear. It has clapboard siding with corner trims. There is a gable roofed frame addition on the east side which is compatible in form, scale and materials with the main block. The house underwent renovations in 2003 repairing the roof and foundation and bringing plumbing, electrical and heating up to building code. The yard is surrounded with a low picket fence, is well treed and in a natural state, notable for its mature Alaskan birches.

Jack Hulland lived in this house from 1952 to the mid-1960s. In 1930, Mr. Hulland moved from Alberta to teach in Whitehorse. In 1938, he transferred to Dawson City, working a dual position as principal of the Dawson Public School and as the Yukon Superintendent of Schools. Hulland moved back to Whitehorse when the capital city was transferred from Dawson to Whitehorse in 1953. In 1955, Hulland resigned as Superintendent to serve a three year term as a territorial councilor representing Whitehorse West. In 1958, Mr. Hulland returned to teaching at Whitehorse High School (later renamed F.H. Collins Secondary School). He retired in 1965. In recognition of his dedication and positive influence on the Yukon's education system, a new school in Porter Creek was christened Jack Hulland Elementary School in 1968.

Source:

Almstrom, Marjorie E. "A Century of Schooling: Education in the Yukon, 1861 to 1961". Whitehorse, 1991.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 40 02.

Character Defining Elements

The Character Defining Elements include:

- Architectural elements such as the low pitched gable roof, clapboard siding and corner boards

- Original window and door openings with exterior trims, multi-pane windows and stained glass door

- simple plan shape and low profile

- location and siting on the lot

Description of Boundaries

Lot 2, Block 68, Plan 17459 Whitehorse YT

Historical Sources Location

Yukon Archives:

--Gov. #1012, crg I, City of Whitehorse: Land Tax & Assessments, 1929-1950 .

WHBR:

--Interview with C.Williams, L.Cyr: 1995

Sources: Almstrom, Marjorie E. A Century of Schooling: Education in the Yukon, 1861 ? 1961. Whitehorse, 1991.

Whitehorse Heritage Building Registry Review, October 2000. City of Whitehorse.

Yukon Historic Sites Inventory, 105D/11/111.

Yukon Archives. Biographical Search Files; Government Records: GOV 2398, f.1.

Renovation Information

Gable roof frame addition to east section of house.

Construction Style

One-storey frame residence with gable roof; exterior wood siding; asphalt roof shingles;

Cultural History

Built in 1947, the house is a well-maintained example of a post WWII residence in Whitehorse. The home is named after the individual who owned it the longest, Ronald Hulland, former Yukon school superintendant.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 18

Log Skyscrapers

Log Skyscrapers

Log Skyscraper One, Log Skyscraper Two and lot are municipally designated for their historic and architectural significance.

The Log Skyscrapers are associated with events during and immediately after World War Two, when Yukon transportation systems were being redeveloped and the City of Whitehorse was quickly growing to become the capital city. During the war, a large influx of military personnel and construction workers arrived to work on three major construction projects; the Alaska Highway, the North West Staging Route airports and the Canol Pipeline. After WWII, housing continued to be at a premium as Whitehorse expanded as the hub of Yukon's transportation system. Builder Martin Berrigan responded to the need in 1947 by constructing the Log Skyscrapers, the first privately built multiple-dwelling rental accommodation in Whitehorse. The Log Skyscrapers are in their original location, and continue to provide residences in an increasingly commercial neighborhood.

These two buildings are the only buildings of this type in Canada and their architectural significance lies in their unusual appearance. The multi-storied log construction has given them landmark status within the Yukon Territory. The cantilevered balconies with their pole railings combined with the extended eaves of the low pitched roofs create a wrap-around, hanging, open lattice enveloping the upper floors.

Source: Minutes from the City of Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee, July 20, 1999.

City of Whitehorse Bylaw 99-63

Character Defining Elements

- The varied multi-storied height of the buildings

- Exposed log construction

- Log floor joist system, with integral cantilevered wraparound balconies and pole railings

- Each floor level having a separate exterior entrance from tiered balconies interconnected by exterior stairs

- Low pitched gable roof, with eaves extending over balconies

- Roof framing system

- Repetitive fenestration on each floor

- Placement of the two buildings on the lot

- Skyscraper 2 has a street level entrance with minimal setback from the sidewalk

Description of Boundaries

Block 14 Lot 5 Plan 3807

Cultural History

This property was once the location of Roland Ryder's house, stables, and vegetable garden. Mr. Ryder operated a water delivery business and kept his horses here.

The Log Skyscrapers were built by Martin Berrigan in 1947. Mr. Berrigan was born in Ontario on November 11, 1871. He came to the Klondike during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush and prospected in the Dawson area between 1899 and 1935. The majority of his time was spent working on the dredges until he moved to Whitehorse in 1939. He is quoted as having said "Life is too short to allow for getting sick, so I started building cabins for rent." The Log Skyscrapers were the last of many built by Berrigan. He built several one-storey log dwellings at a time when Whitehorse was experiencing a shortage of accomodation due to wartime construction projects such as the Canol Road and the Alaska Highway. Three of these cabins are located in the first block of Lambert Street. The Log Skyscrapers were built of logs which Berrigan cut from the east bank ten miles down the Yukon River and had them skidded by horseteam to this location within the second block of Lambert Street. Just after the Log Skyscrapers were completed, Martin said to a friend, "I think I'm done for." He died on Sunday February 26, 1950. The buildings have changed owners several times over the years and have been rented for residential, office, and retail purposes.

Documentation Location

Heritage Resources, Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Yukon, file #3450-52-01-01

Building Style

The Log Skyscrapers are two multi-storied structures constructed of horizontal logs sawn on three sides, with half-lapped joints at the corners. Skyscraper One is four stories and is behind Skyscraper Two which has two stories and a minimal setback from Lambert Street. Each story has a square footprint with a small floor area and independent access with the upper storys using open railed stairs on the exterior. Some stairs are constructed within the balconies and some stairs are external to the balconies. Both buildings have low-pitched gable roofs clad with ribbed metal. Both roofs have extensive overhangs covering the wrap-around balconies at floor levels above the ground floor. The balconies have open pole railings and upright poles connecting the eaves to the balcony at the second floor level. The second and third floors including the balconies, are framed with round logs sawn top and bottom running in both directions to form a grid pattern. The windows and door frames are wood and trimmed similarily.

Mayo Legion Hall

The heritage values of the Mayo Legion Hall lie in its architecture and social history. The structure demonstrates strong craftsmanship and provides a good example of the Red River Frame type of log construction. The gable roof, log walls and plain trimmed window and door openings are typical of commercial buildings built in the Yukon within the first half of the twentieth century. The Legion Hall is the only Red River Frame style building remaining in the Mayo area and is a prominent landmark on the waterfront.

This one and a half story log structure was built by Alex Nicol in 1936. It is the oldest standing building on First Avenue, facing the Stewart River. Mr. Nicol, known as one of the founding fathers of the community, was the first to build a cabin when the community was established in 1903 and continued to live in the region until his death 62 years later. He constructed this building as a speculative venture during a mining boom. It is in its original location and is a well-known feature of the waterfront, dating from the time when the Mayo Mining District was the economic engine of the Yukon.

The building has been an important part of the social fabric of Mayo, built and used at various times for commercial purposes but most remembered for serving as a learning centre and meeting place. There is a strong connection with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun. Early land claims meetings were held here. The process for settlement of Yukon First Nation land claims strongly affected every Yukon community and shaped one of the most significant eras of Yukon history. The Mayo Legion Hall also has a strong social connection with many Mayo residents that cuts across cultural and economic boundaries through its use as a kindergarten classroom, library, BLADE (Basic Learning Adult Development and Education) school and branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. BLADE is remembered for allowing residents to upgrade their education while remaining in the community.

The building name and strongest social association relates to its ownership and use from 1972 until 2003. This is the only historic structure remaining in the Yukon that served as a Royal Canadian Legion Branch.

There have been a number of alterations to the building over its history due to changes in use such as the openings on the north wall and the installation of the large, commercial windows facing First Avenue.

Source: Historic Sites Unit file #3630 32 08, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

Character Defining Elements

The key elements which define the heritage character of the Mayo Legion Hall include:

- Form and materials

- The building's siting on the lot, and its orientation facing the Stewart River

- The building's simple rectangular plan and log construction in the Red River Frame style

- Architectural elements such as the gable roof, decorative eave returns, pattern and size of door and window openings, historic wood sashes and trim.

Description of Boundaries

Lot 8, Block 9, Plan 21592

Village of Mayo, Yukon Territory

Historical Sources Location

Interview with Jean Gordon, June 13, 2001

"Gold and Galena", Mayo Historical Society, Ed. MacDonald, Linda E. T. and Bleiler, Lynette R. Mayo, Yukon, 1990.

Historic photos - flood 1963 -Harvey Burian

1941 - Schellinger Collection

949 -Lewis G Billard fonds 2000/49

Laurence H Phinney fonds 85/53 no. 22

Renovation Information

Two large picture windows installed post 1963, likely when the building was used for commercial purposes.

Central door on south wall has extra wide trim indicated it was once a wider door.

Roof over door on south wall installed post 1963.

Bracing and tension wire installed 2005 for stabilization purposes

Sawdust boxes removed 2005 for preservation purposes.

Interior finishes removed 2005 preservation purposes

Construction Style

Two storey log structure with drop siding at on north and south gables. Exterior round log construction with vertical log posts at the corners. Building is constructed in the poteaux et piece coulisante or Red River Frame style. Medium pitched gable roof with returned eaves clad with corrugated metal. Boxed soffits and galvanized gutters with down spouts on the northeast and northwest corners. Gutters are wired to corrogated metal cladding on roof. Open porch shed style roof of 2X4" framing clad with corrugated metal on the S facade. Interior has mezzanine floor. Upper ceiling is of 1X6 flush planks, unfinished walls, and 2X8 floor joists, there is no floor. The roof is sheathed with 1X8" and has 2X4 rafters with 1X6 uprights connecting the collar ties to the rafters. Corrogated metal covers the rafters. Floor of attic area is covered with sawdust. A freight opening is in the north and south gables, the bottom of the opening is approximately at the level of the eaves. The opening on the north wall is below the floor area of the attic. Above this freight opening is an oversize door opening in the north wall, the south wall has a rectangular vent opening in the peak of the gable end. A large rectangular infilled opening is on each side of a central door in the north wall. These openings were likely used to transfer freight from the trucks into the warehouse. Floors are wood strip covered with linloeum and tiles. Stairs on the east wall access an unfinished crawl space or basement with a dirt floor. Electric lights are installed along the joists. A small overhung door is in the north wall, east corner at grade.

Documentation Location

Legion Hall file No. 3630 32 08 Historic Sites, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon

Mayo Mining Recorder's Office

The Mabel McIntyre House was the first Mining Recorder's Office constructed in Mayo. Built in 1921, as the production of gold in the Klondike was declining, it heralded the onset of a mining boom that would make the Mayo Mining District the chief economic engine in the Yukon. The Mining Recorder's Office represented the federal government's broad and prominent administrative role in the community. The Mining Recorder's duties ranged from the agent enforcing mining regulations to Marriage Commissioner, Justice of the Peace and Juvenile Court Magistrate.

The building's rustic frontier style was characteristic of early, regional Mining Recorder's Offices in the Yukon. It was an integral part of the rapid development of the commercial district of the community and is the oldest building still located on its original site on Centre Street.

The building was later the residence of Mabel McIntyre, a member of the First Nation of Na Cho Nyak Dun, who lived here from 1946 until 1981. Mabel was a noteworthy and respected community member, serving as postmistress for 30 years.

Source: Heritage Resources Unit file 3630 30 02 02

Character Defining Elements

-The siting on the lot and its orientation towards Centre Street

-The cabin's simple rectangular plan, its modest size and rustic saddle-notched log construction

-Architectural elements such as the roof, shed attachment, door and window openings, historic sashes and trim

-The lack of modern amenities and rough interior finishing

Description of Boundaries

Block 6, South half of Lots 29 & 30, Plan 12544 Mayo Town site.

Historical Sources Location

Yukon Historic Sites Inventory

Gold and Galena: A History of the Mayo District. Mayo Historical Society. Mayo, Yukon, 1990.

Heritage Resources Unit file #3630 30 02 02.

Cultural History

In Mayo, before the inception of the Mining Recorders Office, miners were forced to either work the claim without staking it, or had to make their way to Dawson in order to record it there.

The first Mining Recorder Office was established in Clear Creek in 1901, and the area became known as the Clear Creek Mining District. The next year, with increased prospecting and mining activity in the region, offices were opened at Gordon Landing and at Minto Bridge. It was decided that a town must be established in the area to accommodate this newfound population. In 1903, Raoul Rinfret, Joseph Edward Beliveau and John Dease Bell surveyed the Mayo site. The surveyed area was found to be a suitable town site due to its close proximity to Duncan Creek, but also because of the nature of that area of the Stewart River; the flattened banks were more accessible to riverboats.

The Minto Bridge office was moved to Mayo Landing in 1914, but was not named the Mayo Landing Mining Recorder's Office until 1918. Louis Bouvette made a startling silver discovery on Keno Hill in 1919, however, the office had shutdown and his recorded claim was taken by J.E. Ferrell, who owned a store in Mayo and doubled as Mining Recorder. The subsequent stampede to Keno Hill made it necessary to reinstate the Mining Recorder's Office, and in 1920, the district became known as the Mayo Mining District. Mayo was named Mayo Landing until the name was officially shortened to Mayo in 1958.

Sam Blackmore built this office in 1921. This was the first official Mining Recorder's office in Mayo and was used for this purpose until 1933, when the office moved to another building. Richard L. "Dick" Gillespie was the first Mining Recorder in the Mayo area. (Linda E.T. MacDonald and Lynette R. Bleiler, Gold and Galena: A History of the Mayo District. Mayo Historical Society. Mayo, Yukon. 1990: pp 56, 57, 379)

Mabel McIntyre, the daughter of Grant Huffman, was born in Mayo on December 7, 1912. Mabel and her brother Albert were sent away to school in Chicago, returning to Mayo in the mid 1920's where they lived with Grant on his homestead in Mayo Canyon. Albert stayed to earn enough money to return back to Chicago, and Mabel stayed for a short while, then went to work in Keno City. She worked for the Keno Hotel as a chambermaid and later moved to Mayo to work in Binet's hotel. Sam Blackmore willed the building to Mabel and she lived in the cabin from 1946 until 1981. Mabel retired in 1972 from her postmistress position at the Mayo post-office. She died in 1986. (Ibid. p 420)

Documentation Location

Heritage Resources Unit file #3630 30 02 02

Building Style

This is a single story structure of horizontal log construction with saddle-notched corners and a low pitched gable roof clad with ribbed sheet metal. The frame addition off of the north wall has a shed style roof clad with corrugated metal and flush eaves, the walls are of horizontal planks of random width. The building was built at grade and there is minimal or no foundation. A root cellar is in the main portion of the cabin. The interior has a partition of dimensional lumber and the floor framing is a mixture of log and dimensional lumber. The roofing has changed over the years, however the existing roof still has the original sod roof below.

Minto Park

Minto Park

Minto Park

Minto Park

Minto Park is designated as a municipal historic site for its social, historic and aesthetic values. Designed to complement the neoclassical architecture of the OTAB, the legislative and administrative headquarters of the Yukon Territory from 1902 until 1953, Minto Park is Yukon’s first formal park and a landmark within the community. Established in 1904, Minto Park was named after the first Governor General that visited the Yukon, Governor General Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the 4th Earl of Minto.

The formal landscape and expansive green space contribute to the heritage character of the OTAB, emphasizing its stature and architecture within the community. The designed green space surrounding the OTAB is typical of the federal government properties constructed during the early twentieth century within the Government Reserve.

Minto Park was developed in cooperation with the Dawson Horticultural Society to provide a formal green space and recreation area that showcased a strong federal presence. Beginning in 1903, the drainage, leveling and landscaping of the area around the OTAB along with the construction of a grandstand, ball park and tennis courts helped reinforce the site not only as the administrative centre of the territory, but also as the social and recreational focal point of the community.

Since its inauguration, the park has been the town’s venue for athletic games, military drills, community celebrations and events, and represents an important aspect of the community’s history. One of the few formal green spaces in Dawson, Minto Park contributes to the heritage character of the Government Reserve area and continues to play an important role within the community.

In 1910, a central flower bed was installed in the park north of the OTAB that was replaced by a granite cenotaph in 1924 to honour Yukon soldiers who fought in the First World War. Thereafter this area was known as ‘Victory Garden’. A community initiative reconstructed the Victory Garden and lawn in 1992 using a period landscape plan. The garden was compressed into the western half of its former space and the geometric design with paths, central flower bed and lawn bordered by alternating poplar and spruce trees along Fifth Avenue and Church Street were restored. The cenotaph remains in its original location in what was once the center of Victory Garden and is flanked by two field guns that were installed in 1924 as part of the memorial. The Victory Garden and Cenotaph provide a tangible link to the sacrifices Canadians made in the First and Second World Wars.

Minto Park has been recognized for its heritage and social value by the City of Dawson, Bylaw #13-07.

Additional Information

The formal green landscape with the Old Territorial Administration Building as its centerpiece includes a front lawn with mature trees, and a charming Victorian style garden on the north side. The building is oriented with its long side facing 5th Avenue and set back from the street, in the tradition of capitals elsewhere in Canada. The Victory Garden is rectangular with a geometric design that features a central planting bed of shrubs, perennials and annuals including primarily indigenous species such as delphiniums and poppies. The flower bed is surrounded by a circular white gravel path from which diagonal paths radiate outwards, forming triangular quadrants of manicured, flat lawn. To the east of the flowerbed, adjacent to the alley is an obelisk-shaped Cenotaph war memorial, flanked by mature spruce trees. The garden and front lawn is bordered by indigenous deciduous and coniferous trees, poplar, birch and spruce. The front lawn has a central walkway from the boardwalk which leads to the front entrance of the Old Territorial Administration Building.

The original landscape was drained and leveled. The open area of land to the south includes a baseball diamond with associated bleachers and refreshment building is the central feature on the south side. A children's playground is south of the baseball diamond and there is a cement surface skate park and tennis court south of that. The land slopes down from southeast to northwest. The park features short grass and planted deciduous trees along the 5th Avenue perimeter.

Character Defining Elements

• Victory Garden with central Victorian style garden planted primarily with indigenous species such as wild rose, delphiniums, poppies, pansies and snapdragons and bordered by a 19-sided picket fence

• Geometric design containing the garden with a circular white gravel path from which diagonal paths radiate outwards to the corners of the lot, forming triangular quadrants of lawn north of the OTAB

• Location and setting of the Obelisk-shaped Cenotaph war memorial flanked by trees and field guns on the east side of Victory Garden

• Formal landscape bordered by wooden boardwalk along 5th Avenue and Church Street with the OTAB prominently centered

• Balsam poplar and white spruce bordering Fifth Avenue and Church Street

• Open, level area south of the OTAB including playing field and expansive lawn

Historical Sources Location

City of Dawson- Municipal Designation Nomination Form- Minto Park

Old Territorial Administration Building National Historic Site of Canada Commemorative Integrity Statement, 2005,

Dawson City Museum- Historical photographs

1994.15.3.89- Victory Garden c1920s

1994.123.43- Cenotaph, August 1929

1995.345.22- Flood in Dawson City, Victory Gardens, c1930

1996.39.13- Baseball game at Minto Park, 1900

1996.39.58- Flood of May 1925, people canoing through Minto Park between 5th and 6th Avenues

1997.213.1.6- OTAB c1918 showing Minto Park

1997.213.1.47- Discovery Day celebrations, Minto Park, 1920

1997.213.1.49- Discovery Day Celebrations, Minto Park, 1920

1997.299.5- Baseball Game Minto Park, c1904

1979.3.1.5- Baseball Game Minto Park, c1905

1979.3.2.11- Baseball Game in Minto Park, c1910

1979.3.3.20- Slow bicycle race, c1910

1983.182.2.3- A gathering in Minto Park, c1925

1983.186.5- Minto Park during flood of May 7, 1944

1984.138.2- Tennis Club at Minto Park, July 1901

1990.43.200- Hammering Contest at Minto Park, c1910

1995.155.2- Canadian Rangers, c1920

1994.259.1- South Dawson City, c1910 (showing victory garden and Minto Park)

Cultural History

The site is located in the original Government Reserve of Dawson City and the green space around the Old Territorial Administration Building (OTAB) was demarcated three years after the building was completed. The setting was designed to complement the classical detailing of the Old Territorial Administration Building and showcase federal power. Established in 1904, it was comprised of a formal park on the north, formal landscaping on the west, and informal landscaping on the south and east of the Old Territorial Administration Building. The central flower bed was installed around in the centre of the formal park in 1910 and replaced by the Cenotaph in 1924, and thereafter the formal park was known as Victory Garden. Minto Park is currently and has been since its inception, an important public space for public gatherings, including sports events, military drills, and parades. Victory Garden was reconstructed in 1992 and is a site of commemoration and community use.

The Royal Canadian Legion and Dawson Rangers hold a portion of the Remembrance Day ceremonies every year at the Cenotaph on the east side of Victory Gardens. This tradition acknowledges Yukoners' courage and contributions to Canadian military efforts, and has deep meaning to many Yukon families who made great sacrifices during the two World Wars, Korean War and subsequent wars. For these reasons it also a site of pilgrimage.

In summer, Dawson City Museum interpretive programs spill out to the exterior of the OTAB. The museum plays host to the annual and highly attended Canada Day celebrations on July 1st and other community events which are held on the surrounding landscaped green spaces.

Minto Park was named after Governor General, Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, the 4th Earl of Minto (1898 - 1904), the first Governor General to visit the Yukon.

J.H. Sutton was awarded the contract for grading and leveling the area south of the Old Territorial Administration Building in 1904. William Horkan, an Irishman and naturalized American came to the Klondike in 1897 and was awarded the initial landscaping contract. In 1903, the federal government began to make plans to improve the grounds of the OTAB in a manner creditable to the City of Dawson and to the whole territory and the Horticultural Society passed a resolution to form a small park as a desirable place of recreation in the summer.

The Royal Canadian Legion has been associated with Victory Garden since the 1920's. Frank Berton father of well-known author Pierre Berton was instrumental in raising funds to install a memorial at the site. The Great War Veterans Association dedicated the Cenotaph on September 24, 1924. This organization later became the British Empire League and then the Royal Canadian Legion, and remains active in the Dawson community.

Documentation Location

File 3630-40-03, Historic Sites, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon.

Moosehide Slide

Moosehide Slide

Moosehide Slide

Moosehide Slide

The Moosehide Slide was designated for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic values.

Moosehide Slide is one of the most iconic natural features of the Yukon. For the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in it signified the arrival to their fishing grounds and a coming together of families following winter travels; for gold seekers it signified their arrival into the Klondike; and today it signifies a connection to place for all residents of the region.

The story of the creation of the Moosehide slide is a “long-ago” story demonstrating Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s enduring relationship with their landscape. This story relates to other important stories which describe the creation of Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in’s physical world in the Yukon, and further relates to other Athabascan stories both in the Yukon and Alaska. The Moosehide Trail, which crosses the slide and provides an overland route between Moosehide and Tr’ochëk, is one of the few Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in traditional routes still used today.

Historic photographs of Dawson City feature Moosehide Slide prominently, establishing this landmark in the imaginations of gold-rush aficionados world-wide. The site contains artifacts from Dawson City’s gold rush era: The Acklen Ditch, built in the early 1900s to transport water for hydraulic mining operations, is still visible across the Moosehide Slide. As well, at the base of the slide there are remains of historic residences, including stone foundations, a tin midden, and a number of in situ artifacts.

Presently, Moosehide Slide provides a backdrop to the City of Dawson’s North End green space. It includes a trail loop which connects to the ninth avenue trail and community park space with some of the most varied vegetation within the city limit. Viewpoints from the Moosehide trail provide vistas overlooking the City of Dawson, Tr’ochëk and the Yukon River.

Character Defining Elements

• size, shape, location, and composition of the slide and its immediate surroundings, including the scar, talus apron discharge and plateau at the base of the slide

• Location and remnants of the Acklen Ditch across the slide

• Moosehide Trail across the slide

• Remains of hillside residences at the base of the slide, including stone foundations, tin midden and in situ artifacts

• Views to and from Moosehide Slide including vistas overlooking the City of Dawson, Tr’ochëk, and the Yukon River.

Historical Sources Location

• City of Dawson Bylaw #2018-06 “Moosehide Slide Municipal Historic Site Bylaw”

• Moosehide Slide Municipal Heritage Site Nomination Package, submitted by Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in

• City of Dawson Heritage Advisory Committee Resolution #17-19-05

Old Firehall

Old Firehall

Old Firehall

The Old Fire Hall was designated for its historical and architectural values.

The Old Fire Hall contains remnants of the original 1901 fire hall which are integrated into a two-storey cube with a low pitched shed roof and parapet. A one-storey addition with a gable roof was added by the Yukon Electric Company (YEC) in 1906. The original fire hall, with pyramidal roof, stood on land donated by White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR). In 1905, it was damaged by fire and a number of nearby buildings were destroyed. The next year the YEC built the addition onto the south wall to house their steam boilers and power generating engines. The boiler room addition allowed a symbiotic relationship where the YEC boilers pressurized the fire pumps next door and provided heat to the building, keeping hoses and pumps thawed while the fire hall provided fire security.

This building has undergone many alterations over the years due to damage from fire and changes in use. The hose tower was removed in 1935 after a second fire and the building began a transformation from the original, rather ornate Tudor Revival style to a functional, modern style with minimal detailing. To allow for a living space, the second floor walls of the fire hall were raised four feet and a new gable roof constructed. By the late 1940s, an extension was added to the YEC boiler room and the fire hall roof was changed to a shed roof with parapet.

The Old Fire Hall represents the evolution of Whitehorse's infrastructure. The establishment of fire protection and electricity supported the growth of the community. The location of the fire hall, close to the corner of First Avenue and Main Street, indicates the importance of these services to the commercial core and the importance of WP&YR to Whitehorse. The large garage doors, open interior space, concrete floor slab and visible trusses illustrate the industrial nature of the structure. The two-storey cube with its second storey apartment illustrates the building's combined residential and industrial functions. The simple design and building materials found in the Old Fire Hall are typical of the vernacular structures historically located along the Whitehorse waterfront.

Sources: "The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse, and Associated Structures: A Structural History". Midnight Arts, Heritage Branch, Yukon Government, 1998.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 40 02

Additional Information

Until a fire truck was obtained in 1942, the fire department operated a two-wheeled hose cart. The cart consisted of a long hose which drew water from the Yukon River by an electric pump. The department also used a chemical engine, which consisted of a hose attached to a 40-gallon tank containing two separate chemicals. When the tank was tipped, the chemicals mixed and created a gas, which forced water through the hose. Whitehorse got its first paid firemen in 1943--a chief and two staff. The same year a firehall was built at 4th and Wheeler (Whitehorse Elem. and mall sites). Although it was built to service the Dowell construction Camp, it served the downtown area when needed. The Canadian Army took over this firehall in 1945, and worked in conjunction with the civilian fire dept., providing two additional trucks, 20 paid staff, and an ambulance service. In 1962, however, the Army moved its firehall to Camp Takhini, at which time the city was required to increase its own staff and upgrade facilities with a second fire truck. The Takhini firehall was turned over to Dept. of Public Works in the late 1960's, and eventually to the Whitehorse fire dept. The American Army also had a firehall in 1943, located on Steele St. behind the log telegraph bldg. It was later used as a liquor warehouse, then in 1949 as the new Whitehorse firehall. The present firehall on 2nd Ave was built in 1967 .

Character Defining Elements

The character-defining elements include:

- form and massing

- the siting on the waterfront and its orientation parallel to First Avenue and the WP&YR railway tracks

- the simple plan, two-storey cube and one-storey addition with gable roof

- pattern of window and door openings

- wood-frame construction and wood siding

Description of Boundaries

A 10m buffer of land on the north and east sides, a 5.5m buffer on the south side and a 1.5m buffer of land on the west side of the footprint of the building on Lot 4, Block 310, Plan 91-55

Historical Sources Location

YHMA file:

--interviews with: Bud Harbottle, Jack MacDonald, John Scott, Fred Blaker, Laurent Cyr, Lloyd Ryder, Ken Steele.

--Acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--text from 1979 photo display

--report by B.C. Underwriters' Association 1948 re: pump house

--18 frames of b&w negatives, 1979, credit D. Peacock

Daily Alaskan, Skagway:

--1905-05-23 "fire broke out this morning in the barber shop in the rear of the Windsor Hotel"

Yukon Archives:

--photo #5650 Scharschmidt collection--shows firehall still standing after 1905 fire

--photo #5710--rebuilt firehall and new train station

--photo #3180--first firehall from south

--photo #4103 (1909) --'Reception of Earl Grey, Governor General of Canada'

--photo #605 Public Archives of Canada collection--firehall and train station

Renovation Information

Roof raised 4 ft. to accommodate living quarters on the second floor: c.1940; sometime after 1949, further renovations were made.

Construction Style

Two-storey frame structure with flat roof, two o/h doors; concrete block foundation

Cultural History

The first firehall in Whitehorse was built in 1901 after a long campaign promoting its merits to the public. In 1905, after 4 years of convincing residents to financially support the fire department, 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 on the same site and was part of the Yukon Electric power plant. 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 ca. 1937, after which time the roof was raised and living quarters were installed. The building assumed its square elevation sometime after 1949, when further renovations were made. The tower bell is now in the MacBride Museum. The old firehall is currently used by the Yukon Government to store machinery and materials.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 40 02

Old Log Church And Rectory

Old Log Church And Rectory

Old Log Church And Rectory

The Old Log Church and Rectory were built in 1900 and 1901 respectively and are among the oldest structures still standing in Whitehorse. Landmarks in the community, they are designated for their historical, architectural, cultural and social values.

Bishop William Carpenter Bompas called on Rev. R.J. Bowen to travel to Whitehorse, an emerging community, to provide a place of worship to the people there. Having already constructed small log churches at Forty Mile and Dawson City, Bowen designed and had the Church built in just two months. The first service was held on October 7, 1900. The Rectory was completed by spring of 1901.

The Church uses simple half lap log construction. Subsequent additions show the growth and development of the Old Log Church through improved craftsmanship and the incorporation of traditional church design features such as the sanctuary, vestry and baptistery.

The construction of the Rectory exhibits a higher level of craftsmanship and design in the one and a half storey, dovetail log building with a piece- en-piece addition. The Rectory has been used almost continuously as a residence for clergy since its construction. The addition of a small school on the west end in 1904 and the addition of meeting space shows the evolution of use of the Rectory over the years.

The Church served as a centre of worship and as a social gathering place for locals, visiting dignitaries and royalty. During the construction of the Alaska Highway the church was a haven for army personnel stationed in Whitehorse who soon made up half the congregation. It served as the Cathedral for Yukon for seven years under Bishop Greenwood before the new Cathedral was built on the adjacent lot in 1960. By 1962, the Old Log Church was reopened as a museum. In the 1980s, as well as being a museum it was also known as St Simon’s Church, with a primarily First Nation congregation. Today, historical services are still held during the summer months.

In 1978, the Old Log Church was commemorated as a historic site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Yukon.

Character Defining Elements

• Orientation and setback of the buildings from Fourth Avenue and Elliott Street.

• varieties of log construction techniques used in original buildings and additions

• The sanctuary, vestry, belfry and baptistry in the church

• Original door and window openings, sash and trim

• Interior plan and finishes including the exposed truss system, wood flooring and ceiling of the church.

• Landscaped lot with trees and grass

• Plaque and monument indicating the 1979 recognition of the site by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Yukon

Documentation Location

Source: Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 32 13

P. Denhardt Cabin

P. Denhardt Cabin

P. Denhardt Cabin

The Denhardt Cabin, outbuildings and lots was designated as a municipal historic site for its architectural value and association with the early development of Dawson City.

The site is representative of the many residences that dotted the landscape during the Klondike Gold Rush, an international event which was pivotal in the development of Dawson City and the creation of the Yukon as a distinct territory of Canada. The Denhardt Cabin is one of six remaining properties of a similar age and style in Dawson City. Built prior to 1899, the Denhardt site is the only property from this time period in the North End Heritage Character Area that has remained unchanged with its undeveloped landscape, one room cabin and associated outbuildings in their original location.

The site's rustic frontier style, functional design and vernacular construction are typical of the residences that once filled the North End. Set within one of Dawson's oldest neighbourhoods (1897), the buildings were part of a crowded city block of small gable-fronted cabins that lined the alley between Second and Third Avenues. Today, the area around the buildings is cleared with the remainder of the site overgrown with trees, willows and shrubs providing a natural barrier from the surrounding streets and residences. The setting is unique in that it remains undeveloped and protected from modern intrusion.

The cabin exhibits good craftsmanship with horizontal round log construction with square-notched corners and a gable roof clad with corrugated sheet metal that overhangs the entranceway. The site's shed and outhouse illustrate the practice of re-using materials that was common in this remote town. The single storey frame shed has walls of multi-dimensional lumber, irregularly clad with a patchwork of flattened fuel cans, sheet metal and corrugated metal pieces. Its corrugated metal shed roof is overlaid with flattened fuel cans. The outhouse is a frame structure with a corrugated sheet metal shed roof, and walls clad with decorative pressed metal.

Sources:

Minutes from the City of Dawson Heritage Advisory Committee meeting September 6, 2011

Town of the City of Dawson Bylaw #12-12

Yukon Historic Sites Inventory file # 116/B/03/468

Character Defining Elements

Character defining elements include:

- Location and siting of buildings in a small clearing within an undeveloped landscape overgrown with native plant species

- Architectural elements of the buildings such as original window and door openings, historic wood sash and trims, roof profiles, outbuildings' flattened metal and pressed metal cladding, and re-purposed lumber

-The cabin's simple, rectangular plan, modest size, exposed log construction, gable roof with 2m overhang over the entrance.

Historical Sources Location

Dominion Land Titles

Territorial Land Titles

Dawson Municipal Records. Assessment and Tax Rolls

Dawson City Directories for 1903, 1905-6 and 1915-16

Historical Photographs:

University of Alaska, Basoc Collection 64-92-403

Provincial Archives of British Columbia, 41490

Renovation Information

No information on file

Construction Style

Squared logs, square notched with metal gable roof. Two purlins, ridgpole extending over west wall for roof overhang over entry way and platform. Logs chinked with cotton ticking and blankets. Windows boarded over.

Cultural History

This building may have been constructed by Paul Dennhardt, miner. The land title patent was registered in 1900. This area is the oldest residential section in the town. By 1901, Dennhardt had sold the property to B S Downing, the Dawson contractor for the U S mail. He lived here until 1905 when the building was sold to Nils Peterson. In 1907 it was purchased by Charles Redmond. He sold it to William Kay in 1910, and Kay sold it to Murdock McCuish in 1914. In 1918 it was purchased by George Thompson, a laborer for the Yukon Gold Co. Thompson owned it until 1937 when he sold it to George Berg. Joseph Wachowski purchased the property in 1962, the City of Dawson assumed the property in 1989 due to unpaid property taxes.

Documentation Location

File 3630-40-03, Historic Sites, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon.

Pioneer Hotel Two

Pioneer Hotel Two

Pioneer Hotel Two

Pioneer Hotel Two

The Pioneer Hotel is significant for its historical and architectural values. 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. It is one of three remaining buildings of the community that was vacated in 2001.

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.

Architectural features such as the medium pitched gable roof, the round log walls V-notched at the rear corners and hewn flat on the interior, are typical of the vernacular construction style in Whitehorse dating from the turn of the century. A unique element of the Pioneer Hotel cabins is the use of hawsers as chinking. Although partially obscured by a frame addition extending from the west end of the building, the original portion of the hotel can be discerned as a distinct entity. An addition off the east wall was demolished when the Yukon River eroded the foundation, all that remains of this addition is a small plywood structure attached to the southeast corner. A fire erased the original interior, however the remaining elements from its last occupant provide an authentic glimpse of the lifestyle in this former squatter community just before its demise.

Sources: Keay & Associate, Architecture Ltd. Restoration Plans: Pioneer Hotel 1, Pioneer Hotel 2, US Army Building, Shipyards Park Whitehorse, Yukon. Whitehorse Riverfront Planning, March, 2004.

Helene Dobrowolsky & Rob Ingram. Edge of the River, Heart of the City. Whitehorse, Lost Moose Publishing, 1994.

Midnight Arts. Whitehorse Heritage Building Report. City of Whitehorse, 1999.

Kobayashi & Zedda, Midnight Arts and N.A. Jacobsen. Shipyards Park Heritage Conservation Plan. City of Whitehorse, 2002.

Additional Information

The Moccasin Flats began as an area occupied by tents and small structures belonging to shipyard carpenters and employees, and newcomers to Whitehorse. Among them were John Sewell and James Richards, better known as "Buzzsaw Jimmy", who leased a portion of this area in 1910 to operate a sawmill--a venture which lasted for a five years before running into financial difficulty. First Nations people also resided in the area while employed by White Pass in the summer, or while in town to load up on supplies and visit friends. Today the Moccasin Flats and adjacent areas remain the last vestiges of a once large and colourful community within Whitehorse. The nature of employment with BYN Co. in the shipyards and on the boats dictated a seasonal lifestyle. Living near their sources of employment, on land they weren't required to purchase, was ideal for many shipyard residents. Many occupied the area in the summer months when work was available, and departed in the autumn to find work elsewhere. Living on BYN Co. land was tolerated because these individuals were essential to the operation and well being of the company. After incorporation as a city in 1950, Whitehorse administrators began to look disfavourably on the waterfront area and its over 700 residents. This was a time when Whitehorse was experiencing a severe housing shortage, and the waterfront did provide some alternative to the privately owned, and unavailable, housing in town. Click mouse here for more. In 1957, the government amended the Territorial Lands Act, thus allowing for squatter removal from all waterfront and escarpment areas. This proved a difficult and inappropriate undertaking. In the 1960's alternative sites were offered to the squatters, along with the costs of relocating their dwellings to these leased or private lots. The sites were located in Porter Creek, Crestview, Lot 19 (near the claybanks at the south end of town) and along the Alaska Highway. Most often, they were not viable locations for those squatters who could not afford to lease or purchase a lot. The option of Lot 19 failed to materialize altogether when Whitehorse voters defeated its proposal in 1961/62 plebiscites. Many squatters opted for these sites, or were removed from the area. The city created a "Transient Area" in the Marwell Industrial area as a "temporary" location for squatters' buildings which were below standards for relocation in the proposed subdivisions, but many houses remained here well into the 1970's. In 1987, a squatter policy was enacted, which outlined the rights of waterfront residents to pursue ownership of the land on which their dwellings were located. Squatters were offered life-long leases, pending the settlement of land claims negotiations.

Character Defining Elements

The character defining elements of the hotel include:

- the exposed round log construction with interior side hewn flat and V-notched rear corners

- hawsers used as chinking between the logs

- architectural elements such as the medium pitched gable roof, roof purlins, ridge pole, plank sheathing, hexagonal asphalt shingles

- gable roofed frame addition extending from one end with board and batten gable end

- original window and door openings with exterior trim, hand crafted windows

- early interior finishes including built in cabinets and hand crafted furniture

- collection of archival materials and artefacts that belonged to John Hatch

- location and siting within the small cluster of buildings remaining from the squatter community, including the proximity to the river and Pioneer Hotel 1

Description of Boundaries

Portion 1, Lot 8 (Rem) Group 5 (804) Plan 99-0056 Land Titles Office YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA:

--biographical information on E.A. Dixon.

--11 frames of B&W negatives, 1979, credit D. Peacock

--Dobrowolsky, H. and R. Ingram. Edge of the River Heart of the City. Lost Moose: Whitehorse, 1994

Yukon Archives:

--photo 262, Arthur Vogee collection, view of Pioneer Rooms on Front Street

--photo 4093, MacBride Museum collection

--photo 4636, Atlin Historical Society collection

Yukon News:

--Squatter eviction key to Waterfront land deal, 1994-09-07

Whitehorse Star:

--"These buildings should be preserved", 1992-01-29

--"Squatters hope area can be saved", 1988-05-14

Construction Style

One-storey log structure (east portion) and frame structure (west portion) with gable roof. Log/wood sill foundation; asphalt roof shingles.

Cultural History

The Pioneer Hotel was originally located on the east bank of the Yukon River under the name of the Savoy Hotel. It was built and run by Edward Algernon Dixon, an ex-NWMP officer who had piloted boats through the Whitehorse Rapids in 1898 and 1899. In 1900, the building was moved to Front Street and renamed the Pioneer Hotel. It was possibly the first building in the new townsite of Whitehorse. Dixon sold the hotel to ex-NWMP Sergeant Pringle. He ran it for six months before selling it to James Smart, who had assisted Dixon in its construction. Pringle went on to open Pringle's Stables on Main Street. The hotel had various subsequent owners under the name The Pioneer Rooms.

By the 1950's the hotel was purchased by Max Kushner, dismantled, moved to Moccasin Flats, and divided into three pieces. One of the cabins was destroyed by fire. This portion of the original hotel building was occupied by John Hatch.

Documentation Location

file 3630 50 13 Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

Smith House

Smith House

The Smith House was designated for its historical and architectural values.

This small, unpretentious house was built with a simple rectangular plan that, combined with an economic use of materials, presented a modest but elegant appearance to the street. The symmetry of the primary façade on Third Avenue is conveyed by tall wood frame windows on each side of the central doorway. Painted wood siding and contrasting corner-boards, fascia, casings and sashes along with the metal clad gable roof contribute to the finished exterior. Two additions constructed by 1914 created a rambling appearance typical of smaller vernacular homes from this time period and changed the floor plan to a T-shape. These additions, with mixed types and sizes of wood siding, reflect an approach typical of the time and place.

Interior elements illustrate the building's earlier charm with an ornate wooden sun-ray design ceiling in the historic parlour area and fir strip flooring throughout the house.

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 Smith House is now part of LePage Park, a landscaped public area containing three rehabilitated, municipally designated heritage buildings owned by the City of Whitehorse and administered by a local heritage organization, the Yukon Museums and Historical Association. In 1984 the roof, basement, and windows of the Smith House were upgraded and washroom facilities installed in a rehabilitation project undertaken by the Yukon Historical and Museums Association, with support from Heritage Canada Foundation's Main Street program. The property provides an excellent example of the successful partnership of local government and a non-profit society preserving the city's heritage.

Source: City of Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee minutes May 6, 1999. Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3450 52 01 01.

Character Defining Elements

The character defining elements include:

- T shaped plan

- The location and siting of the building on the corner lot of Wood Street and Third Avenue

- Exterior architectural elements reflective of the vernacular style such as the fenestration, roofs, cladding, historic wood sashes and trim

- Interior details such as the patterned wood ceiling and quarter sawn wood strip flooring

Description of Boundaries

Lot 14, Block 27, Plan 77127 LTO YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA File:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--Smith House, by Len Tarka--report on physical characteristics, condition, and renovation recommendations

--The Smith House: Owners and Occupants 1904-1987, by Ben Moise, 1987--report

--research material for above report

--20 4"X4" photos, 1983, no credit

--20 frames of colour negatives and prints, 1984, no credit

--4 frames of colour negatives and prints, June 19985, no credit

--crawl space plan of Smith house, Nov. 1984

--15 frames of b&w negatives, 1979, credit D. Peacock

Yukon News

--1988-03-23 "Pat 'Shaky' Stevens puts the finishing touches on a bench..." with photo of Stevens

Renovation Information

Extensive interior/exterior renovation in 1983/84: new pressure treated wood foundation/basement, removal of shed roof structure attached to west side, repair of exterior siding, windows, trims.

There has been a wooden porch added to the east side of the building since 2006

Construction Style

Wood frame structure with gable roofs constructed in several over a period of time; galv. steel roof decking; shiplap siding; new pressure treated wood basement/foundation.

Cultural History

The Smith house was named after Jack Smith, the original purchaser of the lot. It is presumed that he built the house but there is photographic evidence suggesting the house may have been moved from White Pass land outside the townsite. In 1905, the year of its appearance on this lot, the house consisted of two sections which were joined at a later date. Smith stayed only two years in the Yukon.

Billy Shaw purchased the house in 1906. Shaw worked for BYN Co. as a port steward, a position he held for roughly twenty years. In 1907 Shaw divided the half lot in two, selling the house and 1/4 lot to William L. Lawton and his family. Lawton worked as a stableman for White Pass, eventually becoming stable foreman.

In 1909, the house was sold to A.P. Hawes, a veterinarian for White Pass and inspector for the Department of Agriculture. In 1923, White Pass stopped using horses on the stage route to Dawson: Hawes left the Yukon shortly thereafter. John E. French, a carpenter and undertaker, owned the house until 1941. The house changed hands numerous times after 1941 until it was purchased and refurbished by the City of Whitehorse in 1984.

Documentation Location

Smith House file 3630 50 11 Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

T.C. Richards Building

T.C. Richards Building

T.C. Richards Building

The TC Richards Building and lot is a municipal historic site designated for its historical and architectural values.

This building was constructed in 1944 as a residence for Mr. Thomas Cecil (TC) Richards and his wife, Bernadette. Mr. Richards helped to develop and sustain the Whitehorse economy through his endeavours as a successful Whitehorse hotelier, merchant, freighter, and entrepreneur. The Richards played an important role in Whitehorse society as they regularly provided their lavishly furnished home for social events. The TC Richards Building provides a glimpse into the local high society in the 1940s and 1950s and illustrates the prosperity enjoyed during this period.

The TC Richards Building is the most central and prominent of the residences in Whitehorse that were influenced by the American Arts& Crafts Movement combined with an (American) Colonial Revival style. Using locally drawn plans and materials, builders constructed the house to Mrs. Richards specifications, who then personally decorated and furnished the family home. The log construction and distinctive gambrel roof with its shed dormers are features that combined with its location give the property landmark status within the downtown area.

The building continues to be significant to the community. Purchased by the Yukon Government in 1951, the property has evolved through the years from a teacher's residence to office space. Extensive renovations in 1981 increased its functionality by providing leased office space for several territory-wide non-profit organizations.

Sources: Minutes from the City of Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee, October 25, 2001 and City of Whitehorse Bylaw 2001-61.

Character Defining Elements

- Location and setting

- Horizontal sawn log construction exposed on the exterior, gambrel shingled roof, shed roofed dormers, exterior brick chimneys, log addition

- Log cabin siding with saplings between logs on dormer walls and gables, oversize molding on the bargeboard of the gables and dormers

- Interior finishing on the main floor such as the pine paneling, brick fireplaces, built-in pine and leaded-pane bookcase, and multi-lite French doors

- Full basement, with wood strip flooring and stone fireplace

- Wood staircase from main floor to second floor

Description of Boundaries

Lot 1 Block 27 Plan 3807A CLSR YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA File:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--biographical information on T.C. Richards.

--interview with Bert Law, Jean Horbottle, Dermot Flynn, Howard Ryder re: T.C. Richards

--information on Pat Burns, owner of Burns Meats, for whom Richards worked

Yukon Archives:

--photograph #4087 (1945)

Renovation Information

Extensive interior and exterior renovations undertaken in 1981 including addition of shed roofed log entry to south side.

Cultural History

This house was constructed by Bob Campbell and Martin Marx in July 1944 for T.C. Richards and family, following Mrs. Bernadine Richards specifications. Whitehorse resident, Joe Krautschneider constructed the brick chimneys. It was furnished and decorated expensively by Mrs. Richards. T.C. Richards was a generous and 'colourful' character, and his home, with its stone fireplaces in the study, living room, and rumpus room, became a social centre in Whitehorse.

T.C. Richards came from Leicester, England to manage Burns Meats. In 1921, he began the first cattle drive to the Mayo area mines to provide the camps with fresh meat. Cattle were transported by steamer to Pelly, then driven overland the remainder of the route. Also in 1921, he and partner W.L. 'Deacon' Phelps inaugurated a winter tractor-train and passenger service from Whitehorse to Dawson. In 1928, they acquired the mail contract, and improved their service with triple assembly snowmobiles and caterpillars. The enterprise was called "Klondike Airways" although they never owned a plane. In 1937, T.C. won $20,000 as a down payment on the Whitehorse Inn in a poker game. The family operated and lived at the Whitehorse Inn until 1944 when their log home was constructed.

After the family left their home in 1951, it was purchased by Yukon Government and used as a teacherage, then later occupied by the Whitehorse Game Branch, the Labour Standards Department, and the Tourism Department.

The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce took over the management of the building in April 1976 for the Yukon Government and a major rehabilitation occurred in 1981 to create office space. The Chamber of Commerce hired the architectural firm Kilrich, Metz, Bowen, and Rose to design and oversee major interior and exterior renovations. The contractors were Kewes and Sons. These renovations were completed to meet current building codes, increase insulation values, create more useable office space and provide an area for a Visitor Reception Centre on the main floor. Currently (2006) non-profit organizations lease office space in the building.

Documentation Location

File 3630 50 05 TC RIchards Building Heritage Resources, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon

Building Style

The building is of squared horizontal log construction with a gambrel roof and shed dormers. The painted log walls have lap joints at the corners and the gambrel roof is covered with wood shakes, as are the shed roof dormers. The dormers and gable ends have log cabin siding nailed in place with saplings between the logs. The foundation is concrete, and can be seen above grade. There is a brick chimney on each end of the building, the chimney on the west end has a double flue. Interior is framed with dimensional lumber. A log solarium is on the east wall and is part of the original construction. The existing log vestibule on the north wall with a shed roof clad with shakes was enlarged in the 1981 renovations.

In 1981 a frame addition with a gable roof was added above the log solarium on the east wall. The new skirt roof continues on the same slope on the north side as the original gambrel roof. An enclosed sun porch with shed roof was constructed on the south wall and has log siding for its exterior sheathing and wood shakes on the roof.

Telegraph Office

Telegraph Office

Telegraph Office

The Telegraph Office is a municipal historic site recognized for its historical, architectural and social values.

Built in 1900, it is one of two surviving buildings in Whitehorse that pre-date 1905. The Telegraph Office is typical of the buildings that were constructed along the Yukon portion of the nationally commemorated Dawson-Ashcroft Telegraph Line. Department of Public Works work crews developed a common vernacular style and design for the Yukon stations.

These buildings were constructed of logs hewn on 3 sides spiked to log uprights at the corners and shared architectural features such as the symmetrical placement of twin entryways flanked by single hung 6/6 windows, simple wood trims, gable roof and a rectangular plan. Twin entryways reflect the interior of the building divided by a log partition into the public telegraph office and private living quarters.

The 1898 Klondike Gold Rush attracted thousands of stampeders; it was soon apparent that a rapid and reliable communication system was required and by 1899, Dawson City was connected to the outside world. Initially the telegraph office was constructed in White Horse on the east bank of the Yukon River. After the terminus of the White Pass & Yukon Route railway was built on the west side of the river, the town site relocated and a new building was erected re-using some of the materials from the original office. This building was used as a telegraph office and operator residence for 27 years.

The social values of the building are reflected in its later functions. From the late 1920s until the early 1930s, the Telegraph Office was the headquarters for the Boy Scouts. In 1952, the newly-formed Yukon Historical Society opened a museum in the building. Its successor, MacBride Museum, continued to use the building for over 60 years making it a significant part of Yukon's history of cultural preservation and interpretation.

The building has undergone few changes over the years, with new flooring on the first floor, a new porch, and a new foundation.

Source: Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 21.

Character Defining Elements

- Siting of the building on its lot and orientation to First Avenue and Steele Street.

- Exterior architectural elements such as the roof its cladding, decorative pole starburst in the gable ends, full length open porch and roof, posts and railings.

- The original fenestration and original windows.

- Exposed log construction and extension of central partition wall through to the exterior.

- Lapped timber construction of northern addition.

- Interior and exterior trims.

- Interior plan, including the log partition, original openings, stairs and closets.

- Exposed, as seen from the ground floor, second floor joists and upper level floor boards.

Historical Sources Location

YHMA Collection:

--acc. Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 21.

Eight architectrual drawing, Brent Riley, Historic Sites Unit, 1994.

Renovation Information

The architectural integrity of the building remains strong with very few changes to the original building. Two rear additions were added within years of the building construction and were modernized by 2004 with only the exterior timber construction remaining of the original northern addition. An open frame porch with 6 upright posts, brackets and a shed roof originally ran the length of the building on the main facade. The porch was altered between the 1920s and the 1940s. A new porch was constructed in 2002, and is similar in appearance to the original. Larger wood windows were installed in the gable ends between 1927 and 1938. The foundation and first floor floors were replaced in the early 1970s. Additional foundation work was completed by 2004 and the floors replaced with tongue and groove wood strip flooring. A sprinkler system was added in 1996.

Construction Style

Log building with steep gable roof and small covered entry. Corrugated sheet metal roofing; wood sill foundation.

Cultural History

This building, constructed on its present site in 1900, was the second telegraph office in Whitehorse. The first telegraph office was built in 1899. It was located on the east bank of the Yukon River, where the original townsite of Whitehorse, then called Closeleigh, was situated. When the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was completed on the West bank of the river, the telegraph office was stripped of doors, windows, and anything removable for use in the new office.The Whitehorse telegraph office served both as the office and as the residence for its operators. The head operator, George Fleming, lived there until his retirement in 1923, and was succeeded by Bruce Watson until 1927. After that, use of the station ceased and two houses next door were used as the telegraph office instead.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3630 50 21.

The Taylor House

The Taylor House

The Taylor House

The Taylor House and lots is a municipally designated site designated for its architecture and association with the Taylor family.

It was constructed in 1937 as a residence for Bill and Aline Taylor. The Taylor family contributed to the early growth and economic development of the Yukon through the mercantile chain, the Taylor and Drury Company. The company operated up to nineteen stores in Yukon communities from the turn of the century until the 1960s. This relatively large log home and spacious landscaped lots, by Whitehorse standards, reflects the success of the family-owned business and the upper class of Whitehorse of the period.

The design of the Taylor House is eclectic, showing the influence of the American Arts and Crafts Movement as well as the (American) Colonial Revival. It represents a type of housing design commonly self-built during its time period that could be found in national publications and catalogues. The Taylor House was built of mainly local construction materials combined with the most modern amenities that were available in Whitehorse.

The setting and location of the Taylor House is important as it portrays the residential ambiance that was once an integral part of Main Street. It is a landmark in the historic downtown area of Whitehorse.

Source: Minutes from the City of Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee, Oct 25, 2001

City of Whitehorse Bylaw 2001-62

Additional Information

Biographical Information: Isaac Taylor: born in Thirsk, Yorkshire. Came to the Yukon in 1898. "Ike" Taylor and W.S. Drury opened eighteen Taylor and Drury stores throughout the Yukon. They began their 75 year partnership in Atlin, B.C. in 1899. When the railroad was completed to Bennett, Taylor and Drury moved their shop from Atlin to Bennett. They were both familiar with the clothing trade, and Drury was a shoemaker with a sturdy sewing machine. He kept himself busy making sails for boats and scows travelling to Dawson. When the railway was completed a year later, Taylor and Drury moved to Whitehorse on the first train. Almost overnight, Whitehorse had became a rail and river transport centre. Taylor and Drury set their tent up on the river bank, at what is now First Avenue and Elliott Street, and in less than a year had expanded their business to include the Bon Marche Men's Wear Store on First Avenue at Steele Street. Taylor died in 1959.

Character Defining Elements

- location and setting

- exposed log construction, exterior metal chimneys, gambrel wood shingled roof with dormers and bell cast eaves

- the wood windows and doors, and leaded glass

- the brick fireplace in the full basement

- the original gates and the wooden picket fence that encloses the spacious landscaped yard with its mix of indigenous and introduced mature trees and shrubs

Description of Boundaries

Lots 5 and 6, Block 36, Plan 3807

Historical Sources Location

YHMA File:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--brief interviews with Dorothy Howett, Bert Law and Bill Taylor, 1983.

--text from 1979 photo display

--biographical information on Isaac Taylor

--letter from YHMA to Yukon Chamber of Mines regarding preservation of Taylor house

--Yukon Chamber of Mines information sheet

--5 frames of B&W negatives, 1979, credit Daryl Peacock

Yukon Archives:

--photo # 4078 (1945)

Cultural History

The Taylor & Drury Company, co-founded by Isaac Taylor and WS Drury in 1897, grew quickly into a Yukon-wide mercantile chain. Bill, the son of Isaac and Sarah Drury Taylor, worked for the Taylor & Drury Company during his teen years, and advanced to full time after high school. Bill met Aline Arbour Cyr at the Lambert Street school in Whitehorse. Aline, her brother, and her mother were among the early Francophones to settle in Whitehorse. Bill and Aline were married in 1935 at the Old Log Church; they rented a house for two years until they purchased the 412 Main St. property. Aline Taylor obtained the plans for this residence from magazines and hired local resident Thomas McKay to build it. In May 1937, Bill and Aline Taylor harvested their house logs approximately 10 miles from Whitehorse and then stacked them for drying at 412 Main Street. By December of the same year, the house was ready for occupancy.

By 1928 the company operated twelve stores in the Yukon and a Whitehorse dealership for General Motors. By 1930 he was the chief accounting official for all of the stores, fur buyer, and worked in the company's management sector. As the population in the Yukon dropped and the mercantile business declined, the Taylor and Drury Stores closed, leaving only the Whitehorse operations functioning until 1974.

The Taylor House was sold in 1969 to the Chamber of Mines when the mining industry was the major economic activity in the Yukon. The Chamber of Mines began having difficulties in the early 1990s when the price of gold declined and the cost of fuel increased. Unable to afford the necessary renovations and maintenance on the building, the Chamber sold the property to the Yukon Government in 1997. The government completed extensive interior renovations to adapt the house for office space. It is currently (2006) leased.

Documentation Location

Heritage Resources, Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Yukon, file #3792-01

Building Style

The Taylor House is of horizontal log construction with a bell-cast gambrel roof and shed roofed dormers. Both the roof and dormer roofs have wood shingles. The peeled and painted logs are likely connected by mortise and tenon to the vertical quarter posts at the corners of the building, however it is not possible to confirm this through a visual investigation. The interior is framed with dimensional lumber and there is a full concrete basement. There is an exterior metal chimney on both the east and west walls.

YRHP Additional Information

Personal Account by Marilyn Taylor

Taylor House, Whitehorse, Yukon

‘The Old House’ at 412 Main Street brings back happy memories and stories to me, my children, and grandchildren each time we drive by or reminisce.

My father, William (Bill) Taylor, born in 1909, was the eldest son of Isaac and Sarah Drury Taylor. He was active in the family mercantile company founded by his father and uncle in 1898 which expanded to 13 branches throughout the territory and a General Motors dealership. My mother, Aline Arbour Cyr came to the Yukon at the age of six with her brother and recently-widowed mother and were among the early francophones in Whitehorse. Bill and Aline were married in the Old Log Church in 1935.

In 1937, they bought two lots (100 x 100) from White Pass & Yukon Route situated at the corner of 5th Avenue and Main Street on “the edge of town.” Now the house sits in the heart of downtown Whitehorse. Main Street had a horse wagon trail beyond 4th Avenue, and Bill cut out the lane in the block and built a sidewalk, those tasks being the responsibility of the owner.

In May of 1937 Bill and Aline cut down trees about 10 miles from downtown Whitehorse. Late one evening, they were notified of a bush fire where the logs were situated. With the help of Aline’s brother, they loaded logs on a one-ton truck, making many trips from the bush to town. The logs were stacked for drying on their two lots, and in August they were ready for building. The basement was dug with horses and scrapers. All lumber was purchased through White Pass, and other materials, fixtures and furniture were purchased through the family business, Taylor & Drury Ltd.

After electricity, a well, septic system, and a wood furnace were installed, Bill and Aline moved in and did much of the work on the house themselves. With Bill working at Taylor & Drury, they had only Sundays and weekday evenings available to work on the house. In 1946, the house was raised, and a full-size concrete basement was added. This included a large rumpus room where family and friends could gather. The Taylors also provided this room to the United Church of Canada for Sunday School for a few years until the church was built. In 1950, the second floor was completed, housing 2 bedrooms, bathroom, and study for their son and daughter.

The yard originally was kept natural with granite spread from the Pueblo Mine area. Poppies grew wildly throughout the pines and spruces. The lots were fully fenced and were a popular pastime for the children in the neighborhood to see how many times they could crawl around the horizontal railing on their knees and no hands without falling off. Bill planted a blue spruce in the front yard and was always decorated with blue and green lights for the Christmas season.

In 1969, due to the expansion of business and traffic, they sold the house to the Yukon Chamber of Mines who occupied it until they sold it to the Yukon Government in 1997. The interior of the house has been renovated to house the Yukon Heritage Resources Board, but the exterior has changed very little since its construction. It continues to provide a view of historic Whitehorse to visitors.

Train Crew's House 1

Train Crew's House 1

Train Crew's House 1

The Train Crew's House 1 was designated for its historical and architectural values.

This small frame building is typical of historic White Pass&Yukon Route (WP&YR) staff housing. The building's simple rectangular plan with a small addition with a shed roof off the north wall, high pitched gable roof over the main building, exterior wood cladding, and trim are characteristic elements of vernacular residential buildings constructed in the first half of the twentieth century in Whitehorse. Its wood windows and front door are original. The small yard enclosed with a low wooden fence reflects the domestic qualities of the property, in contrast to the commercial and industrial places along the waterfront.

WP&YR was instrumental in the birth and growth of Whitehorse. It owned the original townsite, and planned and surveyed the street grid and properties. In 1900, the WP&YR railway connected the port at Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse at the head of navigation for the Yukon River. By 1901 Whitehorse had become an important staging point for passengers and freight entering Yukon. In addition to operational facilities, WP&YR provided accommodations for key personnel. The company's holdings on the waterfront at one time included offices, residences, warehouses, workshops, wharves, shipyards and the railway operations. The nature of the city as a company town and vital transportation centre is represented by Train Crew's House 1 and nearby historic structures. The proximity of the house to the operational facilities initially provided convenient seasonal accommodation for employees. From the late 1950s until 1993, the house was occupied. As part of a cluster of historic structures along First Avenue it is a reminder of the vitality and historic importance of the Whitehorse waterfront.

Sources

"The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse, and Associated Structures: A Structural History". Midnight Arts, Heritage Branch, Yukon Government, 1998.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3736 50 18

Character Defining Elements

The character-defining elements include:

- the siting on the waterfront and its orientation parallel to First Avenue and the WP&YR railway tracks

- the simple plan, modest size, wood frame construction and exterior cladding

- architectural elements such as the gable roof, attached shed, door and window pattern, historic wood windows and trim

- lawn enclosed by a low wooden fence

Description of Boundaries

Building plus 6 meter buffer past footprint. Lot 1, Block 310, plan 73672

Historical Sources Location

Dobrowolsky, H. and R. Ingram. "Edge of the River, Heart of the City". Lost Moose. Whitehorse: 1994. pp. 25,61.

YHMA:

--Photo. by R. Moyen. 1985-07-19.

--Photo. by J. Hatch. 1992.

Renovation Information

Appears as if shed portion (north facade) was added at a later date.

Construction Style

Small frame dwelling with gable roof; shed roof addition to north facade. Corrugated galvanized steel sheet roof; wood shiplap siding.

Cultural History

Over the years the building housed the White Pass watchman and his family, among others. The house was used as construction office during the building of a Visitors' Centre nearby in the 1990s and most recently ca. 2000, it housed air quality equipment.

This building and its adjacent neighbour, represent housing of which there are few remaining examples.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Government of Yukon file 3736 50 18

Train Crew's House 2

Train Crew's House 2

Train Crew's House 2

Train Crew's House 2

Train Crew's House 2 is designated for its historic and architectural values.

This small one-storey frame building is typical of historic, 1940s period, WP&YR staff housing in size and materials. The building represents the common use of prefabricated housing by corporations in post World War II Whitehorse. The stave-lock construction with exterior interlocking corners, was patented in 1943 and the Train Crew's House 2 provides a good example of this innovative construction method. The building's simple plan, modest size, steeply pitched gable roof and wooden windows and doors are characteristic elements of Whitehorse vernacular residential buildings constructed in the mid-twentieth century. The minimal eaves with cornice returns, the brackets supporting the closed porch roof, the ornamental window shutters and the scalloped trim under the gable eave on the street facade provide decoration to this corporate staff house.

WP&YR was instrumental in the birth and growth of Whitehorse. It owned the original townsite, and planned and surveyed the street grid and properties. In 1900, the WP&YR railway connected the port at Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse at the head of navigation for the Yukon River. By 1901 Whitehorse had become an important staging point for passengers and freight entering Yukon. In addition to operational facilities, WP&YR provided accommodations for key personnel. The company's holdings on the waterfront at one time included offices, residences, warehouses, workshops, wharves, shipyards and the railway operations. The nature of the city as a company town and vital transportation centre is represented by Train Crew's House 2 and nearby historic structures.

Train Crew's House 2 was originally one of four WP&YR houses built on Jarvis Street. It was moved to its present location in the 1960s. It provided accommodation for railway staff including traffic manager, section foremen, and general agent. The last WP&YR employee to live in the house moved out in 1993. The building was rehabilitated as office space by the Government of Yukon in 1998 and continues to contribute the historic character and vitality of the Whitehorse waterfront.

Sources

"The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse, and Associated Structures: A Structural History". Midnight Arts, Heritage Branch, Yukon Government, 1998.

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3736 50 18

Character Defining Elements

The character-defining elements include:

- the siting on the waterfront and its orientation towards First Avenue with railway tracks immediately behind

- the simple plan and modest size

- architectural elements such as the interlocking plank walls, wood-shingled gable roof, returned eave cornices, door and window pattern, wooden windows, and trims

Description of Boundaries

Six meter buffer of land surrounding the footprint of the house on Lot 1 Block 310, plan 73672 LTO

Historical Sources Location

Dobrowolsky, H. and R. Ingram. "Edge of the River, Heart of the City". Lost Moose. Whitehorse:1994. pp 25, 61.

Yukon Archives 98/135 Box 39 f.5 Plan of original location of Ernie Theed house

YHMA:

--Photo. by R. Moyen 1985-07-19

--Photo. by J. Hatch 1992

Renovation Information

Scalloped verge boards.

1998 -1999

New roof, new foundation, exterior painted, new windows, doors (originals repaired where possible) and trim, wheelchair ramp. Landscaping in front yard.

Plumbing, heating and ventilation systems replaced.

Construction Style

Similar style/layout to other pan abode style structures constructed in Whitehorse near the end of WW II by CP Air and Taylor

Cultural History

House was moved from the corner of Second Ave. and Jarvis St, to its current location at 1093 First Ave., sometime between 1963 and 1968. It was used by White Pass and Yukon Route for staff housing for railway employees. It was occupied by long time railway worker, Wayne Alleman. Last White Pass employee to live here was Willie Scheffler and his family, who moved out in 1993. The house was purchased by the Yukon Government in 1991 and has been rehabilitated as office space.

Documentation Location

Historic Sites Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government file 3736 50 18

Watson Lake Sign Post Forest

Watson Lake Sign Post Forest

Watson Lake Sign Post Forest

Watson Lake Sign Post Forest

The site is important for its historic and social values related to the Forest’s humble beginnings and to its eventual growth as a territorial icon. The Sign Post Forest is a tangible link to the construction of the Alaska Highway and the development of Watson Lake and Yukon. Carl Lindley started the Sign Post Forest in 1942 when he was a homesick soldier from Danville, Illinois. He was working on the construction of the Alaska Highway and added his hometown sign to an army mileage post. A tradition of adding signs slowly gained momentum over the years as the single signpost grew to a forest. People from all over the world continue to add signs connecting their faraway homes to the town of Watson Lake. The Sign Post Forest illustrates the historic and universal relationship between a traveler and their journey and reinforces the connections between visitors and their origins.

Now designated as an event of national significance, the Alaska Highway was constructed during the Second World War to provide a land based route to Alaska and ground support for the construction of runways and airstrips of the Northwest Staging Route. The Alaska Highway changed the landscape of the Yukon by providing year round access to the rest of Canada, increasing transportation routes, improving communication systems, altering settlement patterns and bringing new services and expanding economic opportunities throughout the territory. These events had significant and ongoing economic, social and cultural impacts on the Yukon. The growth of the Sign Post Forest mirrors the post-war development of the territory and its tourism industry, which escalated in the 1980’s to become one of the leading economic drivers.

The oldest and most extensive site of its type, the Sign Post Forest evokes a sense of awe that captivates visitors. People are inspired to be part of the evolution of the site by adding signs that represent a piece of their life and joining the longstanding tradition of ‘leaving your mark’. While the tangible aspects of the Forest will continue to evolve, it is the intangible associative values, such as the emotional connection people make with the site and the stories and memories they conjure, that give the Sign Post Forest its enduring qualities.

Source: Historic Sites Unit File # 3630 32 11

Additional Information

This landscape is composed of multiple rows of posts covered by various signs, integrated within a natural setting of trees and hills. The majority of the signs relate to places such as cities, towns and street names. The Sign Post Forest site covers 14,390 square metres and is located at the junction of the Alaska Highway and the Robert Campbell Highway. Currently the site has approximately 75,800 signs and 1,600 posts and surrounds a small amphitheatre near an outdoor exhibit of heavy equipment.

Character Defining Elements

- Location at the Wye, the corner of the Alaska Highway and the Robert Campbell Highway, and proximity to the road

- The site’s prominence in views from the highways and the surrounding area

- Formal rows of sign posts covered with a variety of signs arranged in meandering, evenly spaced rows divided by gravel walkways.

- The setting of the sign posts within trees and rolling hills

- The growth and evolution of the Sign Post Forest as a living landscape that pays homage to the original spirit of the site

Cultural History

The story of Carl K. Lindley is well-known. As a 21-year-old soldier with Company D of 341st Engineers, Lindley was involved in the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942. At their camps along the highway, the Army Corps of Engineers followed a practice of installing mileage posts listing places and distances to other places in the Yukon, and other parts of North America and the world. One such army sign post was installed at the Wye, the corner of the Alaska Highway and road to the military airport of Watson Lake. Lindley worked at a sawmill that provided logs for the bridges until he was injured and was sent to Watson Lake. As he related the story:

I had received an injury near the border of B.C. and Yukon, just North of Lower Post. My foot was smashed while building a platform to fill dump trucks. I was taken to the Company aid station at nearby Watson Lake where I spent the next three weeks recuperating. Not able to do much work the C.O. asked if I could repair and repaint the sign that had been run over by bulldozers. I asked if I could add my hometown sign of Danville, Illinois as I was homesick for my hometown and my girlfriend Eleanor.

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Depot

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Depot

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Depot

White Pass & Yukon Route Railway Depot

The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) Depot in Whitehorse was designated for its historic and architectural values. The railway depot is representative of the fundamental role that the WP&YR had in Whitehorse and Yukon's economic history and the development of a territory wide transportation system from the early twentieth century. Its location illustrates the historic link between the WP&YR rail and water transportation divisions.

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. WP&YR bought and surveyed the Whitehorse townsite as a typical railway town with the railway depot as the focal point at the two main intersecting streets. The transportation industry was essential to the economic growth and stability of the isolated territory with long distances between communities.

The original WP&YR Depot was constructed in 1900 but burned in the 1905 fire that destroyed downtown Whitehorse. The replacement structure constructed in 1905 was less adorned and smaller than its predecessor. It underwent several additions and alterations to respond to the changing requirements of its occupants. The roof line changed from a traditional style with a two story hipped gable central block with one story hipped gable wings to a 2 story low pitched gable extending the length of the building. The simple plan, stick sign, simulated log cabin siding and wood-shingled roof contribute to the building's northern rustic appearance. The deep canopy skirting the building at the second floor level and large neon sign on the roof add to the visual impact of the property. The open, wood paneled lobby area and large ticket office window demonstrate an original function of the building.

The freighting industry changed after 1942 with the war time construction of the Alaska Highway and the end of large scale river transport with the completion of roads into the interior in the mid 1950s. The freight yards in Whitehorse gradually moved from the downtown waterfront up to the Alaska Highway. The WP&YR Depot remained as the main office and head of operations until 1982 when the rail division shut down. Purchased by the Yukon Government in 1987, the building has undergone extensive rehabilitation and is now leased as office space.

Source: Minutes from Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting 2001-07, Thursday Sept. 20, 2001

City of Whitehorse By-law 2001-66

Character Defining Elements

- Location and setting

- Rectangular footprint except for the dispatch bay on the trackside

- Exterior architectural elements that illustrate its function and contribute to its northern rustic appearance such as the log cabin siding, wood shingled roofs, deep canopy encircling the building, platforms, and the spacing and sizing of wood door and window openings

- Spatial configuration and interior finishes of the main entrance and lobby area, and the central stairway to the second floor

- Fixed vault on the second floor; mobile vault on the first floor

- Neon "White Pass & Yukon Route" sign on the roof

- Rustic stick "Whitehorse Yukon" sign on the street facade

Description of Boundaries

Footprint of building plus 10 meters on north, east, and south sides, 0.5 meters on west side Part of Lot 4, Block 310 Plan 91-55, Whitehorse, YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA Collection:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of south-east corner of depot.

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of depot from Main Street.

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of depot from Yukon River.

--"The Story of the White Pass & Yukon Route" by W.D. MacBride.

--W.P. & Y.R. Copy from photo display text.

Archives:

--Photo. #3180, Pedersen Photo, Dennett Collection - view north on front Street. c.1920.

--Photo. #5556, H.C. Barley Collection. View of W.P. & Y.R. depot. June 1901

--Photo. #50 (temp.) Acc. # 82/344. William Puckett Collection. View of W.P. & Y.R. depot. c.1903

--Photo. #103, Arthur Vogee Collection. Exterior of terminal under construction; viewed across river. 1900.

--Photo. #263, 264D, White Pass Depot. 1900.

Renovation Information

Extension to the second storey and placement of log siding to the exterior:1950's.

1998 new roof, new windows, interior renovations

exterior painted

Demolition Information

Original depot destroyed by fire in 1905. Depot reconstructed within two months.

Cultural History

The depot is located at the foot of Main Street, and is the second depot to occupy the site. The first depot, constructed in October 1900, was formally and aesthetically consistent with the architecture of small town depots scattered across Canada in the early part of the century. It accommodated the WP&YR offices, a customs house, and the North-West Mounted Police station.

Construction of the White Pass&Yukon Route railroad commenced in 1898 in Skagway, Alaska. It reached Lake Bennett in 1899 where goods were shipped down lakes and rivers to Whitehorse. A link to Whitehorse was completed in 1900. In 1901, the British Yukon Navigation Company, a subsidiary of WP&YR, established a river route between Whitehorse and Dawson City. The company created the supply line for the entire Yukon Territory. Whitehorse became the major operational base for the company's rail and water transportation system. WP&YR supplied many jobs and attracted other commercial ventures to the community. Through another subsidiary created in 1900, the British Yukon Land Company, the company controlled the sale or lease of property in Whitehorse.

The WP&YR station was destroyed in 1905 by a fire that ravaged most of Whitehorse's business community, and a new building was constructed on the same site within two months. The new depot lacks the characteristic architecture of its earlier version, perhaps because of the haste and necessity of its construction. The building was expanded between 1935 and 1938 with small extensions made to the upper floor on the north and south sides. In 1943, a new addition on the north end was constructed for the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Army had leased the railway and depot to support war time construction projects such as the Alaska Highway and the Canol Road. In 1953 an addition was added to the south end and major repairs were done to the foundation, windows, flooring, exterior doors, roofing and log cabin siding was put up as exterior cladding over the existing 1X6" bevelled siding. During the early 1970s, aluminum storm windows were installed and the foundation was repaired. The building remained in use as a depot until the railway ceased operations in 1982. In 1987 the property was purchased by Yukon Government and in 1998, the building underwent major interior renovations. Office space is currently (2006) leased from Property Management Agency, Yukon Government.

Documentation Location

Heritage Resources, Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Yukon, file #3450-52-01-01

Building Style

The White Pass&Yukon Route Depot is a two story platform framed wooden structure with a wood shingled medium-gable roof. The floor plan is rectangular with a small bay at ground floor level of the east wall near the south end. The exterior walls are clad with log cabin siding and trimmed with corner boards. A wide low sloped canopy roof skirts the building at the second floor level to provide protection from the weather for freight and passengers on the open platform. Window and door openings have narrow wood trim. The platform and foundation are poured concrete.

Yukon Sawmill Company Office

Yukon Sawmill Company Office

Yukon Sawmill Company Office

Yukon Sawmill Company Office

The Yukon Sawmill Company was one of the first sawmills to cut timber in the Klondike, registering its first timber lease in March 1898. It was the most extensive and longest operating sawmill in the Yukon during the early twentieth century. During its peak in production, the Yukon Sawmill Co. had the largest machine shop north of Vancouver, a foundry, and a lumberyard that stretched over three city blocks. The isolation of Dawson City created a demand for local building materials and helped establish seven sawmills that operated during the Klondike Gold Rush.

The economic impact from these operations was far reaching, not only for residents, but also for the First Nations and non-First Nations contractors who cut the timber and rafted huge log booms down the Yukon River to the Dawson sawmills. The proximity to the Yukon River was integral to the Yukon Sawmill Company's operation; first to transport the logs from the timber berths to Dawson millponds and then to transport the logs under Front St. via a log chute.

The existing Yukon Sawmill Co. building housed the machine shop, sales area, and offices with some materials storage. The expansion of the machine shop business in 1902 reflects the change in the economy from supplying the building construction industry to providing a much needed supply and repair service to the mining companies operating in the Dawson region. This building is representative of the role that the lumber and mining industry played in the growth and development of Dawson City from a mining camp to a well-established supply centre and capital city of the Yukon.

The large interior volume was fundamental to the functionality of the building. Its Front and Duke Street facades and corner entrance were typical of the commercial properties in Dawson in the early 1900s. The freight doors and access hatch doors allowed easier movement of materials in and out of the first and second floors, and provided access to a mezzanine between floors. The first floor was divided into office and sales areas below the mezzanine with the remaining large open space devoted to the machine shop with its belt driven machinery. The structural system was adapted to allow a larger space on the first floor, with support columns removed, and trusses constructed with wrought iron rods hanging part of the second floor.

The two story structure with plain trims, oversize multi-light windows and hipped metal clad roof is an imposing structure on its corner lot. This combination of functional design and superior craftsmanship make the Yukon Sawmill Co. building an excellent example of vernacular architecture designed for a commercial/industrial purpose dating from the turn of the century.

Source: Yukon Sawmill Co. Office, file No. 3630 32 06 Heritage Resources Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

Character Defining Elements

- The form and siting of the building on its lot, and proximity to the Yukon River

- Exterior architectural elements that illustrate its commercial/industrial use such as the fenestration, 12/6 window sashes and doors, other existing openings through exterior walls, hip roof, exterior cladding, plain exterior trims and painted signage

- Structural systems such as roof framing, trusses, wrought iron rods, columns and beams and wall framing

- Interior has expansive open space with high ceilings

- Remnants of ceiling mounts for the ground floor belt driven equipment

Description of Boundaries

Lot 1, Block E Ladue Estate Plan 8338A

Historical Sources Location

Dominion Land Titles

Territorial Land Titles

Dawson Municipal Records. Assessment and Tax Rolls

Dawson City Directories for 1903, 1905-6 and 1915-16

Historical Photographs:

University of Washington, Cantwell 12

Public Archives of Canada, C6267

Information Canada 64-943

#6/120, 6/121, Parks Canada, Klondike National Historic Sites

"The Yukon Sawmill Company: Last of the Gold Rush Sawmills". Net Word Business Services, Florian Mauer Architect Ltd., Heritage Branch Gov of Yukon, 1997.

Renovation Information

Permit issued in September 1983 to construct new foundation for the building, finalized in November 1983.

Permit issued in September 1984 to complete minor exterior renovations. No final date.

Permit issued in October 1985 to complete minor exterior renovations to the workshop. No final date.

Permit issued in September 1987 to construct a warehouse. Permit finalized in October 1987.

Permit issued in March 1997 to move building and construct new foundation. Permit finalized in August 1997.

Two story addition added to east side of building in approx 2005.

Construction Style

Two story building with ship lap siding and a metal hip roof, tongue and groove soffits, single hung windows with molded shaped trim and lug sills. Plain continuous frieze under the eaves acts as header trim for the second floor windows. Flush planking on sawdust boxes, metal cap. Inset corner entrance on south west corner, single door with three light transom, open platform and stairs, shaped and molded trim and overhang on door. Molded pilasters on each side of corner entrance, decorative panels above corner entrance. Double doors with multi pane transom on south wall, no access. Single door, three light transom, shaped and molded trim on west wall. Double doors on west wall, no access. Continuous molded frieze at second floor level, continuous plain frieze at first floor level.

Cultural History

The Yukon Sawmill, established by 1898 by JF Burke in association with the Alaska Commercial Company, was one of the earliest sawmills to operate in the Dawson area. By 1901 a new two-story building, the Yukon Sawmill Company Office, was constructed at the corner of Duke and Front streets. Ownership changed in 1904 but the company continued to carry on its business on a large scale after its sale to Louis Sloss. In 1910 Benjamin Volkman became the Yukon Sawmill Company's manager, however, by 1912 both Joseph Burke and Frank Johnston are listed as managers for the company. By 1912 the business owned Lots 1,2,6 and 7 on Block E of the Ladue Estate where the milling operations, a warehouse on the river front, a machine shop foundry and offices were situated. The company suspended its operations in this building some time between 1919 and 1923. In 1926, Charles Redmond bought the building for an unknown use and sold it in 1931 to John Spence, a grocer, who used it as a cold storage warehouse. In 1938, Spence sold it to the Northern Commercial Company, who owned it until 1963 when the Cassiar Asbestos Company purchased the property. By 1967 the property was owned by the Government of Yukon. Currently (2006) Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government has restored the exterior and plans to rehabilitate the interior are underway.

Documentation Location

Yukon Sawmill Co. Office, file No. 3630 32 06 Heritage Resources Unit, Cultural Services Branch, Yukon Government

Building Style

This two-story building is wood platform framed construction with clapboard siding and a metal clad hip roof. The single hung windows have shaped trim and a plain continuous frieze under the eaves acts as header trim for the second floor windows. There is also a belt course at the second floor level and a water table board at the first floor level. The inset entrance on south west corner has a single door and a fixed transom sash. All other doors are similar in appearance and trim. There are pilasters on each side and decorative panels above the corner entrance. The interior has heavy timber framing and the roof framing is rafters. Two custom-designed trusses that hang the second floor were installed after support columns were removed from the first floor.