Keywords Rivers

The Yukon is a slow-moving, braided stream, and is shallow except when swollen by spring waters. Its gradient is even and there are few rapids; those at Miles Canyon, which proved so treacherous to the Klondike prospectors, have been drowned by a hydroelectric development. From Fort Selkirk to DAWSON, the river is sprinkled with wooded islands and its long, wide stretches are bordered by mountains. Past Dawson, the valley becomes narrow and then, as it enters Alaska, widens into the broad interior plateau called the "Yukon Flats."

The river mouth was known to Russian fur traders by 1831. The upper reaches were explored by HBC trader Robert Campbell, who explored the Pelly River and established a post at Fort Selkirk on the Yukon in 1848. John Bell of the HBC reached the river via the Porcupine River in 1846. For 3 months of the year, the Yukon is navigable from its mouth to WHITEHORSE (some 2860 km). Steamers plied the river in the 1860s, and there were at least 20 in service in 1900, at the height of the KLONDIKE GOLD RUSH. Today the steamers are antique and the area is served by road and air.

The Yukon basin is believed to be the chief migration route of America's original settlers (see PREHISTORY). However, it remains sparsely populated. Several thousand native people maintain their traditional life-style, being at least partly dependent on hunting and trapping. The forest cover of small conifers supplies local needs, but growth is too slow for a viable forestry industry; there is little agriculture. The isolation and scenic beauty of the river attracts tourists. The name Yukon was first applied to the river and is from the GWICH'IN word Yu-kun-ah, meaning "great river."

Yukon River Ferry
(photo by Brian Milne/First Light)

Whitehorse Rapids
The Whitehorse Rapids are so-named for their resemblance to a horse's mane. They are at the point on the Yukon River where the paddlewheelers could go no further (courtesy Canadian Circumpolar Inst, University of Alberta).

Author JAMES MARSH

Links to Other Sites
Yukon Photographers: The Gold Rush Era, 1897-1900
This Virtual Museum website profiles the photographers who chronicled the hardy people and harsh conditions of the Klondike gold rush in the Yukon.

Yukon Territory
An extensive visitors guide to all there is to see and do in the scenic and historic Yukon. From the Department of Tourism & Culture, Government of Yukon.

Rivers of Canada
This site highlights the political and economic importance of Canada’s major river systems. From the Canadian Council for Geographic Education.

Fort Selkirk Tour
Scroll down the page for an illustrated history of Fort Selkirk, a home to both Selkirk First Nation people and Euro-American settlers. A Government of Yukon website.

A Look Back in Time - The Archaeology of Fort Selkirk
An informative guide to the ancient and traditional history of the Fort Selkirk area, one of the Yukon’s most important historic sites. A Government of Yukon website.

Yukon River Panel
Trace the route of the Yukon River through the Yukon and Alaska to the Bering Sea. Learn about salmon natural history and the management of local salmon stocks and fisheries. From the website for the Yukon River Panel.