There’s something about folks who live in tough climates that I just love. They have a sense of independence and a do-it-yourself attitude I find highly appealing. And they don’t come much tougher — or more colourful — than in Dawson City.
There’s a colourful history to Dawson City, thanks in part to the “women of the evening” during the gold rush. You can learn about some of the madams’ stories on a fun walking tour of the town offered by Parks Canada. At one point, locals ran the working women out of town. One enterprising madam set up shop on an island in the Yukon River. To get there, men would have to cross a bridge. Dawson City being a small town, everyone who saw the men crossing the bridge knew where they were going, so a local kid started renting fishing poles to the men so they could claim they had other reasons to head to the island.
You can stay in a former brothel if you book a room at Bombay Peggy’s hotel. It’s said that a local clergyman in the Catholic Church performed a blessing for the building when it opened as a hotel, calling it “the old whorehouse.”
The MacBride Museum of Yukon History is a great spot in Whitehorse. Jim Byers Photo
You don’t want to miss a chance to try the famous Sour Toe cocktail, a 49-year tradition at what’s now called the Sourdough Saloon, where they place an actual human toe in a shot glass of alcohol and get you to drink the liquid. If your lips touch the toe, you get a certificate and get yourself enrolled in the Sour Toe Club. The club now stands at more than 95,000 members, yours truly included (I’ve done it twice).
The Jack London cabin is another great spot in Dawson, and I love taking a ride on the Klondike Spirit, the only operational paddlewheeler in the Yukon.
Roughly 90 minutes from Dawson City is Tombstone Territorial Park, one of the most rugged mountain formations in Canada.
In Whitehorse, check out the lovely walk along Miles Canyon and read about tough pioneer women and men at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History. One great story surrounds Lucille Hunter, who is said to have been one of the first black women in the Yukon. She arrived from the US, 19 years of age and pregnant, yet still took the tough Stikine Trail to the Yukon with her husband.
A couple hours west of Whitehorse is magnificent Kluane National Park. I also recommend a visit to the sand dunes (yes, really) of the Carcross Desert.
