Written By John Bradley
The Yukon is vast, but it’s the smallest of Canada’s three territories. The Yukon covers an area of 186,272 sq. mi (482,443 km sq)—that’s larger than California, almost the same size as Spain and a little bit smaller than Thailand.
At 1,980 miles long (3,190 km), the Yukon River is the second longest in the country, after the Mackenzie River. The name of the territory likely comes from the word “yu-kun-ah,” meaning “great river.”
The Yukon is home to the second tallest peak in North America, Mount Logan in Kluane National Park at 19,551 feet (5,959 metres). Alaska’s Mount Denali beats it at 20,310 feet (6,190 metres) tall.
Between the Pacific Ocean and the Yukon River, the St. Elias Mountains have the world’s most-extensive ice fields that aren’t part of the polar ice caps.
In 1896, local miners discovered gold in the Klondike region of the Yukon. Once the news of gold spread, an estimated 100,000 prospectors braved the Chilkoot and White Pass trails to reach the gold fields. Most were unsuccessful.
The White Pass Railway was built in 1898 through treacherous mountain passes to the gold fields. Unfortunately, by the time the railroad was complete, the gold rush was over.
Speaking of gold, the beloved Yukon Gold Potato isn’t from the Yukon. An Ontario-based researcher created the buttery beauty. He originally named it after the Yukon River and then his colleague added “gold” because of the potato’s distinctive yellow hue.
Poet Robert W. Service lived in a two-room cabin in Dawson City in the early 1900s while writing some of his more well-known works.
Indigenous tribes lived in the Yukon, long before Europeans. Eight main First Nation languages are spoken in the territory, each using multiple dialects.
Moose far outnumber humans in the Yukon. There are about 65,000 to 70,000 moose and 43,000 people.
During the Ice Age, Yukon horses were one of the most abundant mammals roaming the grasslands. Much different than the big barn horses of today, the Yukon horse was about the size of a dog.
