Carcross, Yukon
Encyclopedia
Carcross, originally known as Caribou Crossing, is an unincorporated community in the Territory of Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Bennett Lake and Nares Lake
Nares Lake
Nares Lake is a lake in the southern Yukon between Bennett Lake and Tagish Lake. This lake lies below Nares Mountain. Nares Lake is actually an arm of Tagish Lake. The community of Carcross, Yukon is on the Nares Narrows between Bennett and Tagish Lake, along the Klondike Highway.Named after...
. It has a population of 431 (June 2008) and is home to the Carcross/Tagish First Nation
Carcross/Tagish First Nation
The Carcross/Tagish First Nation is a First Nation in the Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centres were Carcross, Yukon and Tagish, Yukon, although many of its citizens also live in Whitehorse...
.
It is 74 km (46 mi) south-southeast by the Alaska Highway
Alaska Highway
The Alaska Highway was constructed during World War II for the purpose of connecting the contiguous U.S. to Alaska through Canada. It begins at the junction with several Canadian highways in Dawson Creek, British Columbia and runs to Delta Junction, Alaska, via Whitehorse, Yukon...
and the Klondike Highway
Klondike Highway
The Klondike Highway links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City and its route somewhat parallels that used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush....
from Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, at 60°10′12"N 134°42′13"W. The south end of the Tagish Road
Tagish Road
The Tagish Road is a 33-mile road, now hard surfaced, that links Jake's Corner on the Alaska Highway with Carcross, Yukon on the Klondike Highway. One mile from Jake's Corner is the terminus of the Atlin Road...
is in Carcross. Carcross is also on the White Pass and Yukon Route
White Pass and Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. Class II narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the...
railway.
History
Caribou Crossing was a fishing and hunting camp for Inland Tlingit and TagishTagish
The Tagish or Tagish Khwáan are a group of Athabaskan First Nation people that lived around Tagish Lake and Marsh Lake, in the Yukon Territory of Canada. Tagish people intermarried heavily with Tlingit people from the coast and the Tagish language is almost extinct...
people. 4,500-year-old artifacts from aboriginal people living in the area have been found in the region.
Caribou Crossing was named after the migration of huge numbers of caribou across the natural land bridge between Lake Bennett and Nares Lake. That caribou herd was decimated during the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
, but a recovery program raised the number of animals to about 450.
The modern village began in 1896, during the Klondike Gold Rush
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. At the time, Caribou Crossing was a popular stopping place for prospectors going to and from the gold fields of Dawson City
Dawson City, Yukon
The Town of the City of Dawson or Dawson City is a town in the Yukon, Canada.The population was 1,327 at the 2006 census. The area draws some 60,000 visitors each year...
.
Caribou Crossing was also a station for the Royal Mail and the Dominion Telegraph Line, and it served as a communications point on the Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
.
In 1904, Caribou Crossing was renamed Carcross as a result of some mail mix-ups with the district of Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
in nearby British Columbia, Canada.
Silver mining was promoted nearby in Conrad, Yukon in the early 1900s, but there was little to be found and mining efforts soon ended. Mineral exploration continues today, but tourism is far more important to the economy of the community. The book Fractured Veins & Broken Dreams by Murray Lundberg
Murray Lundberg
Murray Lundberg is a Canadian historian, tour guide, writer, and photographer, whose primary focus is the history and lifestyle of the Yukon Territory and Alaska....
details a nearly complete history of Conrad.
Community Population Over Time
- Population in 2008: 431
- Population in 2006: 331
- Population in 2001: 152
- Population in 1996: 196
Economy
Klondike Highway
The Klondike Highway links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City and its route somewhat parallels that used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush....
between Whitehorse
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
and Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska, on the Alaska Panhandle. It was formerly a city first incorporated in 1900 that was re-incorporated as a borough on June 25, 2007. As of the 2000 census, the population of the city was 862...
and offers a variety of historic attractions and outdoor activities. Popular with road traffic including tour buses and RVs, in 2007 the White Pass
White Pass and Yukon Route
The White Pass and Yukon Route is a Canadian and U.S. Class II narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. An isolated system, it has no direct connection to any other railroad. Equipment, freight and passengers are ferried by ship through the...
railway also resumed service to Carcross railway station
Carcross railway station
Carcross railway station in Carcross, Yukon, Canada is a railway station which is used by the White Pass and Yukon Railway train service. The station is the northern most terminus for passenger railway service on the line, with connecting bus service to Whitehorse, Yukon.The building was...
.
Just north of the town is the Carcross Desert
Carcross Desert
Carcross Desert, located outside Carcross, Yukon, Canada , is often considered the smallest desert in the world. However, the Desert of Maine, another similar false "desert", has an area of . The Carcoss Desert measures approximately , or 640 acres....
, often referred to as the "world's smallest desert."
Media
- FM 90.5 - VF2039CHON-FMCHON-FM is a Canadian radio station, owned by Northern Native Broadcasting which broadcasts at 98.1 FM in Whitehorse, Yukon. A community radio station with a variety of music and information programs for the First Nations population, the radio station serves much of the Yukon, as well as several...
, First NationsFirst NationsFirst Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
communityCommunity radioCommunity radio is a type of radio service, that offers a third model of radio broadcasting beyond commercial broadcasting and public broadcasting. Community stations can serve geographic communities and communities of interest... - FM 97.5 - CIKOCIKO-FMCIKO-FM is a Canadian high school radio station, broadcasting at 97.5 FM in Carcross, Yukon. Owned and operated by Carcross Community School.See also List of high school radio stations in Canada....
, school radio - FM 105.5 - VF2360, TIS/weather