Yukon is the westernmost of Canada's 3 territories.
It was named after the Yukon River, Yukon meaning "Great River" in Gwich’in.
First Nations people have used this area for many thousands of years.
Early explorers had little contact with the indigenous population.
Traditionally, First Nations people were very mobile,
covering vast areas in their annual round of fishing,
hunting and trapping.
The impact and influence of different native groups often overlapped,
and borders of traditional territories were not structured.
To the traditional peoples of the area now known as the Yukon Territory,
boundaries between groups were not fixed entities,
but indistinct and flexible corridors which separated hunting and
fishing areas.
The Whitehorse area was inhabited by the Southern Tutchone and
Tagish peoples of the Yukon interior, and Tlingit peoples from the
coast were frequent visitors for trade.
An agreement between Russia and Great Britain in 1825,
set the 141st meridian as the boundary between their
territories to the north of the 60th parallel,
and a vague strip of land along the coast as far south
as 54° 40' was set aside for exclusive use by Russian traders.
The first recognition of Yukon as a distinct political entity in
Canada occurred on Oct 2, 1895, when the
NorthWest Territories was
divided into four provisional districts
On Aug 16, 1896, gold was discovered in the Klondike,
and the Yukon was changed forever.
During the 'Klondike Gold Rush',
prospectors discovered copper in 1897,
calling their find the 'Copper King'.
The Whitehorse Copper Belt extends for approximately 30 km in
the hills just west of Whitehorse.
The next change in the political status of the Yukon occurred with
the creation of the Yukon Judicial District, on Aug 16, 1897.
Basically just a statement that the laws of Canada would be enforced.
In practical terms,
the North West Mounted Police became the government.
The rush reached its peak in the spring of 1898.
Over 30000 people poured over the passes,
20000 of them in the period between mid~February to
the beginning of May.
On June 13, 1898, the Yukon achieved legal recognition as a separate territory,
and a government structure was established.
All members of the territorial government are appointed
by the federal government, not elected by Yukon citizens.
The territory is the approximate shape of a right triangle,
bordering the American state of Alaska to the west,
the NorthWest Territories to the east and British Columbia to the south.
The northern coast is on the Beaufort Sea.
The crooked eastern boundary mostly follows the divide between the
Yukon Basin and the Mackenzie River drainage basin to the east in
the Mackenzie mountains.
Large numbers of people camped at Whitehorse.
At the turn of the century, "white horse" was a common term for a standing wave or whitecap.
The rapids just upstream from the town got their name this way.
Whitehorse developed quickly from a jumble of tents to a sizeable town.
By 1942 the Alaska Highway was built the Yukon as a year~round truck
route for freight to Alaska.
Highway construction changed everything again.
Tens of thousands of troops and civilian workers flooded into Whitehorse.
Between 1941 and 1951 the city's population doubled.
In 1951 the federal government amended the Yukon Act,
increasing the number of members on the Yukon Council
and providing for two of them to represent Whitehorse.
Two years later, Whitehorse became the
capital of the Yukon Territory,
the most westerly capital city in Canada.
Much of the population of the territory is traditional First Nations.
An umbrella land claim agreement
was
signed with the federal government in 1992,
representing
7000 members of 14 different First Nations
that speak 8 different languages.
Each of the individual First Nations then has to further negotiate a
specific land claim and a self~government agreement.
In April 2003, a formalized government was enacted
by the federal government.
This Yukon government has elected representatives,
plus many of
the same powers as provincial governments.
The very sparsely populated territory abounds with snow~melt lakes and
perennial white~capped mountains.
Mount Logan [5959 m~19551 ft] is the highest mountain in Canada,
and the 2nd highest in North America.
WEATHER
Yukon’s climate is sub arctic.
Average temperatures rise above
10°C more than 4 months per year.
Temperatures in January vary between
-20°C and -33°C depending on the region while in July,
temperatures vary between 12°C and 16°C.
In the summer, the climate is dry and relatively warm with long sunny days.
During winter months, the temperature is cold with not many daylight hours.
Climatic influences vary across the territory.
Cold air fronts from the Beaufort Sea dominate the northern part
of the Yukon.
Warm air from the northern Pacific tempers the south~western climate.
The mountain ranges act as natural barriers guarding the center of
the territory from most of the humidity and high temperatures
rising from the Pacific.
Although the climate is Arctic and subarctic and very dry,
with long, cold winters, the long sunshine hours in
short summer allow hardy crops and vegetables,
along with a profusion of flowers and fruit to blossom.
Precipitation is heaviest in the winter months but average snow
accumulation in the Yukon is far below most areas
located in southern Canada.
ECONOMY
The Yukon Chamber of Commerce
is an association of Yukon
community chambers of commerce,
other interest groups,
individuals and corporations,
dedicated to providing their members and the broader Yukon
business community with a unified voice on
issues affecting the welfare of the Yukon.
The traditional industries of trapping and fishing have declined considerably
in the last century.
The Yukon's new major industry has been mining
(lead, zinc, silver, gold, asbestos and copper).
The legends of the Klondie Gold Rush period, the
rugged romantic early history of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
the spectacular scenic wonders, northern lights,
midnight sun, the year~round outdoor
recreation adventures, all these make tourism the 2nd place industry.
Manufacturing follows in importance,
including furniture, clothing, handicrafts,
and hydro~electricity.
The Yukon Federation of Labour
is an umbrella organization made up of
affiliated unions and locals from throughout
the Yukon.
Membership numbers over 4000,
representing workers in all facets of the
labour force and both the public and private sectors.
Today, the government sector is by far the biggest employer in the
territory, directly employing approximately 5000 out of a
labour force of around 13000.
SCHOOLS
Outside of the 1 French First Language school, the territory does not have school boards; they do, however, have school councils for each school, composed of elected citizens (including parents of students in the school) and the administrators of the school. All teachers work directly, as Yukon Territorial employees, for the Department of Education.
Whitehorse has several schools as
part of a Yukon government
operated public school system, and it is the home of the main
campus of Yukon College, a post-secondary institution with
ties to the University of Northern British Columbia.
More than a dozen community campuses across the territory
provide Yukon College courses and programs.
Although the facilities vary, most community campuses have
classroom space, computers (most with Internet connections),
television, VCRs, audio cassette players, small resource libraries,
and access to some distance education.
The Catholic Schools of Whitehorse are attended by Catholic and non~Catholic students.
Yukon schools do not close for anything other than holidays;
snow days are never called for snow (or other weather phenomena).
For more details please contact the
Yukon Department of Education.
HOSPITALITY
Yukon is "Larger than Life".
The main appeal is its pristine nature.
Tourism relies heavily on this and there are many organised
outfitters and guides available.
Hunters and anglers and nature
lovers of all sorts can hire small planes and discover
the Yukon from a bird's eye view or take in the territory's diverse
geography from ground level.
Sports enthusiasts can paddle lakes and rivers with canoes and kayaks,
ride or walk endless trails, ski or snowboard in an organized setting
or access the backcountry by air or snowmobile.
Climb the highest peaks of North America or take a
family hike up smaller mountains, or try ice~climbing and dog~sledding.
The Yukon has a wide array of
international cultural and sporting events that attract artists,
participants and tourists from all over the world.
Today, gold seekers still visit Dawson City.
Some come to mine the Klondike gold fields
while others come for the gold in the
hearts of those who call Dawson City home.
Some come for golden moments in the wild
and others for the golden memories that
will last a lifetime.
On the long cold clear nights of winter, nature provides the
ultimate natural spectacle in the form of aurora borealis.
The Yukon is a fantastic place to host your next meeting or event.
The Yukon Convention Bureau
offers professional advice and assistance in securing the meeting place and accommodation,
getting information to delegates,
and assistance in organizing a few fun social activities.
They will ensure that your meeting will be a successful and memorable event.
For more details please contact
Yukon Tourism.
NEWS
Yukon Territory 
Yukon
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