The Yukon region
Yukon, also known as The Yukon Territory, is one of Canada's three territories, in the country's far northwest. It has a population of about 31,500, and
its capital is Whitehorse, with a population of 23,272. People from the Yukon are known as Yukoners.
The territory is named after the Yukon River, which means "great river" in Gwich’in.
Of Canada's 13 provinces and territories, the Yukon is the only one which is not further subdivided into census divisions such as counties — instead, the
whole territory constitutes a single census division.
The Klondike Gold Rush was the seminal event in Yukon's history. A party led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered gold on a tributary of the Klondike River in
August 1896. An estimated 30,000 to 40,000 people braved numerous hardships to reach the Klondike gold fields in the winter and spring of 1897-1898 after
the discovery became known in 1897. With the influx of American stampeders, the Canadian government decided to create a separate territory to better
control the situation. In 1901, after many had gone back, the Census put the population of the territory at 27,219, a figure that was not reached again
until 1991. The influx of people greatly stimulated mineral exploration in other parts of Yukon and led to two subsidiary gold rushes in Atlin, British
Columbia and Nome, Alaska as well as a number of mini-rushes. Transportation needs to the gold fields led to the construction of the White Pass and Yukon
Railway...............
Adopted from and read more at:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukon |
