Dawson City was founded by Joseph Ladue and named after noted Canadian geologist George M Dawson, he explored and mapped the region in 1887. Dawson City was the centre of the Klondike Gold Rush, it began in 1896, but by 1899, the gold rush had ended but it still is a eclectic and vibrant northern City. For me.. it was like walking back in time...no paved streets, the sidewalks are still made from wood, and the preserved frontier-style buildings...it was awesome.. we stayed in an RV Park right in the heart of Dawson City.
One of the first things to do in Dawson City is to go to Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino – Canada’s first legalized gambling hall. Since 1971, Diamond Tooth Gerties has been wowing visitors with its unique Klondike period style, Can Can dancing and friendly charm, you will have a whooping good time, with the Gold Rush Girls, casino games, nostalgic tunes, and three different cancan-inspired shows, it was a night on the town that I won’t soon forget..Gerties is operated by the Klondike Visitors Association and all proceeds are re-invested in the community.
Another fun thing to do is visit the Downtown Hotel in Dawson City this is where the famed drink...the Sourtoe Cocktail is....this drink is seasoned with an amputated toe....REALLY.....Established in 1973, the Sourtoe Cocktail has become a Dawson City tradition and is exactly what is sounds like: an actual human toe that has been dehydrated and preserved in salt, used to garnish a drink of your choice, then the rule is this “You can drink it fast, you can drink it slow—but the lips have gotta touch the toe.”
I chose whiskey as the drink of my choice…and yes…I did it!!
We had so much fun in Dawson City. One afternoon we drove up to the Midnight Dome and the views from up there are spectacular, a 360 degree view of the Yukon River, Dawson City and Top Of the World Highway.
We went to the Danoja Who Cultural Center..The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in: The People of the River
For countless generations the Hän speaking people of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in lived and traveled in a vast territory extending from the Yukon valley into the mountains to the north and south. The heart of this homeland was Tr’ochëk, a fishing camp at the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon Rivers.
Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in made their living on the land. People traveled between the rivers, creeks and the mountains, according to the season, harvesting fish, game and berries. They devised ingenious tools and devices from wood, skin and stone to trap, hunt, net and store their food. Resources from the land also provided clothing, transportation and shelter.
The Hän maintained a complex network of trade and exchange with their neighbors. People walked hundreds of miles over an extensive system of trails to trade and to visit.
The discovery of gold had an immediate impact on the life of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Tr’ochëk fish camp, across the river from boom town Dawson, became flooded with prospectors. The leader of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Chief Isaac, was left little choice but to move his people away from their traditional home to the relatively isolated hunting camp of Moosehide.
The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in has seen many changes over the past century, but the relationship and connection to the river and to the land remain.
We also got to experience Discovery Day...August of 1896, George Carmack, Dawson Charlie and Skookum Jim discovered gold in what is now called Bonanza Creek. Soon after came one of the world’s greatest gold rush stampeded; nearly 100,000 people attempting to strike it rich in the Klondike gold fields.
Today, Dawson City celebrates its rich and unique history with a weekend festival known as Discovery Days. They have lots of family-friendly events and of course a parade!
We stayed there for a week...Wonderful!
