Dawson City

Dawson City is considered the prime specimen of a Yukon gold-rush town. Since the first swell of hopeful migrants more than 100 years ago, many of the original buildings have disappeared, victims of fire, flood, and weathering. But enough of them have been preserved and restored to give more than a hint of the city's former grandeur: in the years leading up to the turn of the 20th century, Dawson was transformed into the largest, most refined city north of Seattle and west of Winnipeg. It had grand buildings with running water, telephones, and electricity. In 1899 the city's population numbered almost 30,000, which all but overwhelmed the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, the First Nations Hän-speaking people that inhabited the area. Seeking a balance between traditional lifestyle and the ways of the newcomers, Chief Isaac moved his people to the village of Moosehide a few miles downstream. Now Dawson City is home to about 1,800 people, 400 of whom are of First Nation descent. The city itself is now a National Historic Site of Canada. It serves as a base from which to explore the Tombstone Territorial Park located on the Dempster Highway, a region sometimes referred to as the "Patagonia of the northern hemisphere." There are plants and animals there not found anywhere else this side of the Equator.