A Quaint Gold Rush Capital - Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

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The Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, are a magical and mysterious display of coloured lights you will not see in Whitehorse, Yukon. They dance across the night sky in pinks, greens and yellows any time there is activity or sun - so they say.

I have spent about 20 weeks in Whitehorse, Yukon, over the past three years, and I only saw the northern lights once. It was my first visit. I rushed out of the airport even though it was -25 degrees. I saw a faint green streak across the sky that was gone as soon as I saw it. I had to ask the cab driver, who looked at me like I just fell off the plane, "Of course it was northern lights, not much of a display though." However, I would soon discover many other reasons to visit this quaint gold rush capital.

Whitehorse came to thrive during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897, when the fierce Yukon River became the main method of transporting tens of thousands of prospectors to the north to seek their fortune. Travellers would float down the river on sternwheelers, like the S.S. Klondike, as far as the great White Horse Rapids, where whitecaps resembled the mane of a white horse and gave the city its name.

Yukoners have preserved the gold rush atmosphere, making this a charming and educational town to visit. Many of the old buildings still exist, including the log cabins belonging to the prospectors, the old train station and some inns.

In 1906, in the midst of Whitehorse's boom, Robert Service wrote "Bob Smart's Dream", a look into the future of Whitehorse and what it might become after "50 years had sped". Fortunately, many of those predictions never came to pass:

The eighteen storey steel palace
Where once stood the White Pass,

The silent rush of its elevators
The clamor of bell upon bell.

Today the White Pass Inn still stands. No buildings higher than four stories are allowed in the city.

Although not a gold rush building, the Westmark is worth a visit to see the amazing photos of the gold rush times in the lobby. There you can see pictures of prospectors arriving on their own boats and on the sternwheeler with crowds of people lining the banks of the river. Today, if everyone in the city stood on the banks of the river, the crowd would pale in comparison.

Another reminder of historical times, but even more ancient than the gold rush, is the ivory trade. Mammoths once roamed this ground. Due to global warming, some of that ground is softer now and miners occasionally dig up 10 to 15 foot mammoth tusks weighing 60 to 80 kilograms, so heavy some mammoths had to drag them on the ground. A tusk like this can be worth up to $15,000. Because this is fossil ivory, the trade is legal.

This whale's tail is carved out of mammoth ivory approximately 10,000 years old. The ivory is available in many shops in downtown Whitehorse, including Murdoch's, home to the stuffed albino moose. Other stuffed arctic animals can be seen in the lobby of the Best Western Gold Rush Inn. While perhaps not as refined as the other two recommended accommodations, the Edgewater and the Westmark, the lobby at the Gold Rush Inn is like walking into the gold rush itself; it even includes a post marked "918", as Whitehorse is located at the "Historic Mile 918" of the Alaska Highway.

One needs a good constitution to live in Whitehorse. One of the most notable aspects of a visit here is the food, large portions of some of the best food I have ever eaten. For a huge slab of the best prime rib, try "The Cellar" which is in the basement of the Edgewater. Alternatively, "Georgios" has delicious Italian food and tasty martinis.

Whitehorse also supports a thriving arts and music scene, particularly in winter when long dark days require many festivities to keep spirits high. During February Yukoners celebrate "Sourdough Rendezvous" and party on the streets all night.

Today, Yukon has a population of 25,000; 23,000 live in Whitehorse. That leaves the majority of the territory with only 2,000 inhabitants, making it a great place for hunting, fishing and other wildnerness adventures in the summer and dog sledding, snowmobiling and skiing in the winter.

If you do want to see the Northern Lights, locals recommend getting out of the city. I never considered three blocks and 10 street lights a "city", but this small amount of light is what keeps you from viewing the aurora borealis in Whitehorse.

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