Zoë Sheng

Chinese-Canadian - 26-Oct-18 -

What do you think when you hear "Klondike"? Gold Rush, Charlie Chaplin, German tourists in camper vans (YES!), First Nations...wait what? Yes! So actually what people probably don't even know is that the original town of Dawson City has been reduced to a sheer third nowadays because the First Nation has been given back the land across the south called the Tr’ochëk fishing camp. I did not attempt to go over there but there are probably tours because there are dozens of tours every day in peak season starting from the well-organized National Parks office in town. The town is actually part of the national park although there is a "real" park entrance across to the west just beyond the free car-ferry crossing.

My main focus was doing historic tours. They are very informative, also telling you about Klondike today. I had the feeling that knowing more about the history we had to ask questions and luckily others in the group all did the same. The tour is the only way to visit the old buildings such as the post office where everyone in town had a deposit box to pick up their mail, something that is still done today in the new post office (apparently things like Zip codes, sealed roads and 911 services are new to the city only for like a year now). The saloon was nice, and the bank is still in great condition. I wasn't quite clear now if they have been renovated inside because all that wood in the harsh environments couldn't have lasted over a hundred years, could it? The outside of the buildings is painted regularly, and was even being painted during the time I visited.

I found Dawson has many things to offer for a few days visit. These might not be WHS criteria but a nice bonus. A gold panning tour, a specialized tour of the huge dredges, fishing, several museums (I recommend the Jack London museum to see half of his hut from the nearby forest and to have a great chat with the lady running it).