Explore the treasures (and toes) of Dawson City

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/08/2024 (718 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dawson City has preserved much of its early 20th-century architecture, and is notable for its wooden boardwalks and historic buildings. Walking around this quirky little town really does feel like stepping back in time.

But, before you immerse yourself in gold rush history, you should take a moment to go back to the town’s beginnings.

The Dänoja Zho Cultural Centre on the riverbank in the centre of town is where you’ll learn the area was not quite as desolate as was depicted in novels and poetry. The confluence of the Yukon and Klondike rivers is the traditional territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, who traversed these waters and lands for millennia.

They were skilled hunters and traders in a homeland rich in resources, and used to taking care of themselves. Imagine then, what it must have been like to suddenly have 25,000 settlers descend upon you and dig up the ground all around you. Think of the infrastructure that would have sprung up – banks, stores, hotels, saloons, gambling halls, and such.

The government came along, too, with the Dominion of Canada creating Yukon Territory in 1898 and sending a commissioner to take charge. A massive and elaborate commissioner’s residence was built in 1901, in a spot overseeing the comings and goings on both rivers. Today’s guided tours offer a sense what life was like for those in the upper echelon.

There are ample historic buildings to tour, such as the Bank of British North America, where the tellers’ wickets and ornate woodwork give glimpses of the wealth of this gold rush boomtown. The Old Post Office reveals the daily life of the mail service and its administration. The visitor information centre on Front Street offers info about all the national historic sites of the Klondike, as well as various programs and tours led by Parks Canada.

Over on Eighth Avenue – the last road along the base of a heavily forested, steeply rising hill – is a stretch nicknamed the ‘Writers Block on Eighth’. Here you’ll find three different structures that were home to three different authors at three different times.

In 1897, Jack London spent a year in the Klondike, trying his hand at mining, but instead came up with stories that would one day make him famous. The Jack London Museum is dedicated to his life and writings, with displays including a replica cabin built with half the logs from the original, and outfitted with objects and furnishings fit for a stampeder.

British-born Robert William Service, referred to as the ‘Bard of the Yukon’, was a bank clerk in Dawson City from 1908 to 1912. He wrote poetry based on vivid gold rush tales, including classics such as The Shooting of Dan McGrew and The Cremation of Sam McGee. His cozy two-room cabin is still nestled in the willows and alders, has since been restored.

Pierre Berton House earned its moniker as the childhood home of one of Canada’s best-known writers, journalists, and historians. Berton’s family moved there in 1921 and stayed until he was 12, when they moved to Victoria in 1932. The house was bought in 1989 by the Yukon Arts Council, thanks to a donation from the author himself, and is now utilized as a private retreat for Canadian writers.

One of the most dazzling places to relive the golden days is Diamond Tooth Gertie’s, Canada’s oldest gambling hall. The unique atmosphere pays homage to a famous dancer and entertainer, coming alive nightly with lively cancan shows and musical performances. The vintage decor is steeped in maroons, deep reds, and purples, and accented by sparkly curtains, dark woods, and shiny brass railings.

The ‘Sour Toe Cocktail’ at the Sourdough Saloon has become a rite of passion for visitors to Dawson City. The quirky club has so far amassed over 100,000 members from around the world, with a strange ritual involving a tiny, shrivelled-up digit.

First, you purchase a shot of whatever from the barkeep. Then, you take it over to the toe-master’s table, and sit down directly across from him. He’ll ask you to say a pledge out loud, while watching an actual, previously-dehydrated human toe get extracted from some other liquid and dropped into your drink. Then its bottoms up – while the toe-master keeps a watchful eye to ensure the toe touches your lips at least once.

If you successfully do all of thsee things, you’ll earn a hand-scribed certificate that features your name and honours your achievement. If you don’t, then you won’t. But don’t be sad about it.

Just chalk it up as no toe gained, no toe lost.

This story is the second in a two-part series about Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

Read the first story here.