Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada

I left you all in Beaver Creek, YT, Canada and also with an unanswered question…  Where did Tok get its name?  There are many presumptions on the origin of the name Tok ranging from a toll road that required a Token to pass to a native maiden that was sacrificed to the Athabaskan deity Tokanananatiam (god of the river of nightmares) on the spot where Tok currently resides.  The official story can be found on this awesome t-shirt that I purchased at the gift shop in the Westmark hotel in Tok:  

Click on image for a larger picture if you cannot read it...

My next door neighbor and adopted daughter - Erika Farmer

So, there you have the official story!

After wading through the toilet paper and making our escape from Beaver Creek, we continue south along the AlCan toward Whitehorse, YT.  Whitehorse is the current capital of the Yukon Territory, having received that distinct honor in 1951.  Dawson City was the original capital of the YT until 1952, soon after the completion of the Klondike Highway made travel to Dawson obsolete.

There are currently about 26,000 people that call Whitehorse home throughout the year, and when you consider that the entire population of the Yukon is only about 34,000 you can guess why it remains the capital.  The city boundaries extend for about 160 square miles, although the vast majority of its population resides in about the original 27 square miles.  Once you pass the “city limits” it takes about 20 minutes of driving before you actually see any buildings.   

Special features to be found in Whitehorse include the Frantic Follies, a vaudeville style show that gives the history of the Klondike goldrush era; Uncommon Journeys, a dog mushing kennel – a favorite among the guests; an informative tour that takes you to three different museums; the Schwatka, a slow boat that starts at the Schwatka resevior and takes you through Miles Canyon; and my absolute favorite the Wild Wonders tour,  a jet boat journey along the Yukon River – speeding 60+ mph down the river  with informative stops along the way, ending in numerous flat spins across the top of the water.  Too intense!

I will go through a few of the tours I have taken in another blog, but right now I want to share a discovery I made at the MacBride Museum of Yukon History…

Sam McGee's Original Cabin ~ Built in 1899

Yes, that is Sam McGee’s Original cabin.  I didn’t know until about four weeks ago that Sam McGee was a real live person.  I do not have time to justify what I want to say here, so further explanation will have to wait...