Canada

Tr’ondëk-Klondike

WHS Score 2.83 Votes 6 Average 3.5

Tr’ondëk-Klondike testifies to the dramatic effects that the search for gold and precious minerals had on the indigenous people and the landscape.

The ancestral land of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in was overrun by newcomers in 1874 and eventually came under colonial authority in 1908. The eight selected sites include archeological remains and settlements of indigenous inhabitants, traders and colonial settlers.

Community Perspective: best visited on a tour from Dawson to understand its history.

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Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Tr’ondëk-Klondike (ID: 1564)
Country
Canada
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Tr’ondëk-Klondike
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
News Article
  • June 23, 2024 yukon-news.com — Community to shape washed away Tr'ondëk-Klondike UNESCO heritage site’s future
  • Feb. 23, 2024 yukon.ca — Assessment of flood damage at Ch’ëdähdëk (Forty Mile)

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Other
  • Urban landscape: Colonial
Travel Information
Undergoing Restoration or Repair
Undergoing Restoration or Repair
The Forty Mile historic site is closed due to flood …
Recent Connections
View all (17) .
Connections of Tr’ondëk-Klondike
Geography
Trivia
History
  • Historical Events
    Crit iv: "Tr’ondëk-Klondike stands out as a very rare occurrence and provides remarkable evidence of growing colonial influence within a concentrated timeframe – from the construction of the first commercial fur-trading post at Fort Reliance in 1874, to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1898, and, ultimately, the consolidation of colonial authority by 1908."

    See en.wikipedia.org

Architecture
  • Wooden architecture
    Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site (group of 17 historic wooden buildings), Yukon Hotel National Historic Site of Canada 1898 (Dawson City), Former Territorial Court House National Historic Site 1901 (Dawson City), Old Territorial Administration Building National Historic Site of Canada 1901 (Dawson City), St. Paul's Anglican Church National Historic Site of Canada 1902 (Dawson City), St. Barnabas Anglican Church 1908 (Moosehide)

    See parks.canada.ca

World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
  • Christian missions
    St. Paul's Anglican Church National Historic Site of Canada (Dawson City) "Constructed in 1902 to serve the new settlement at Dawson, this small church is a significant example of frontier mission architecture. St. Paul's is also a symbol of the long-standing presence of Anglican missions in Canada's North beginning here in the 1860s, ministering to Aboriginal peoples and later to miners and settlers." - Parks Canada St. Barnabas Anglican Church (Moosehide) "The St. Barnabas Church was built by the Anglican Church of Canada in 1908. A cemetery with about 200 burials (the oldest from 1898) is located behind the church." - Moosehide Wiki

    See www.pc.gc.ca

  • Legends and Folk Myths
    The Sourtoe Cocktail

    See www.atlasobscura.com

Human Activity
  • Indigenous groups expelled
    Moosehide Village Relocation "As one of the most ancient processing and gathering sites for the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, it was chosen for the relocation of the community, after the occupation of Tr'ochëk, and it became the first permanent village of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in." - AB Evaluation "The serial nomination is held to attest to the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in's ancestors' relationship with their homeland, to the alteration of this relationship due to the encounter with non-Indigenous people, and to the evolution of their relationship between 1874 and 1908, from initial interaction to the rapid marginalisation, displacement and segregation, and also attempted assimilation, of the Indigenous people." - AB Evaluation
  • Festivals
    "The Moosehide Gathering (every 2 years) is the signature event of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, held at Moosehide Village in July, and is open to the public. Over a four-day period, over 2,000 participants are ferried by boat to experience traditional games, crafts, talks, performances, feasts, dances, and potlatches. Visitors learn about the ongoing culture and strength of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in and their First Nations neighbours." - Nomination File [Moosehide Gathering - Indigenous Yukon webpage] *Guests are invited to camp for free at Moosehide Village. Regular boat transportation is available for free from Dawson

    See indigenousyukon.ca

  • Aquaculture
    Tr'ochëk "In late spring and early summer, our people moved to traditional fishing sites and prepared for the annual migrations, or "runs," by setting up camp then building and repairing fishing equipment. Our ancestors devised many methods for catching fish. In the early days, they built fish traps across the mouth of the Klondike River using Tr'o, or "hammerstones," to pound stakes into the riverbed that were then interwoven with branches holding basket traps. After emptying the traps of their fish, we removed the traps for several hours or overnight, allowing most of the fish to reach their spawning grounds. Men in birchbark canoes paddled out to the swimming salmon then scooped them with hand nets made from woven caribou skin on a wooden frame." - Nomination File Tr'ochëk "This component part is located south of Dawson City, on the opposite side of the Klondike River, at its confluence with the Yukon. It was one of the ancient fishing and gathering sites of the Indigenous population. The component part depicts the Indigenous people's subsistence system - AB Evaluation
  • Gold production
    "Klondike Gold Rush of 1896-1898" (OUV)
  • Hunter-gatherers
    Tr'ochëk Component "This component part is located south of Dawson City, on the opposite side of the Klondike River, at its confluence with the Yukon. It was one of the ancient fishing and gathering sites of the Indigenous population. The archaeological evidence attests to Indigenous use of the site at two locations and at two time periods – 500 and 200 years ago. The component part depicts the Indigenous people's subsistence system, their displacement and loss of fishing and hunting camps and grounds." - AB Evaluation Tr'ochëk National Historic Site of Canada "For countless generations, the Hän spent the mid-summer to late fall at fishing camps at Tr'ochëk, where they harvested and dried fish, cleaned skins from moose and caribou and prepared other foods for winter storage." - Parks Canada

    See www.pc.gc.ca

Constructions
  • Cemeteries
    Ch’ëdähdëk Tth’än K’et (Dënezhu Graveyard)
WHS on Other Lists
Timeline
  • Built in the 19th Century
    "an area that underwent unprecedented and rapid changes which were brought about by the Klondike Gold Rush and affected both the landscape and the Indigenous populations living there, between the end of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century" (AB ev)
Visiting conditions
18
News
yukon-news.com 06/23/2024
Community to shape washed away Tr'…
yukon.ca 02/23/2024
Assessment of flood damage at Ch’ë…
Recent Visitors
Reserved for members.

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 20/10/23.

J_Neveryes

Tr’Ondëk-Klondike

Tr’ondëk-Klondike (Inscribed)

Tr’ondëk-Klondike by J_neveryes

Yukon is a vast wild place, but is the most accessible of Canada's three northern territories. Unlike most parts of Northwest Territories or Nunavut, a decent portion of "sights" in Yukon is accessible by road, which includes Dawson City. 

Dawson City is not a “wild north” ghost town, but it can feel like one, with its leaning or disused old buildings. For a town born out of chaos, it’s grid layout makes this intriguing town an easy place to explore. 

Dawson City is not only worthy of a visit due to its earnest, unpolished charm, but due to the many unique characters that this city attracted and continues to attract. You have to be more than a little odd to choose to live in a place where the winter temperature can dip to -45 Celsius and there is only 4 hours of sunlight in December. 

I strongly suggest that you read late Pierre Berton's most entertaining "Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, 1896-1899" to learn about the outrageous characters and stories of this area. Knowing Dawson City’s very colourful history will allow you to appreciate it as more than a place with old buildings set in a wild scenery.

If you are in Dawson, perhaps drinking the infamous sourtoe cocktail (whiskey with an actual pickled human toe) at The Downtown Hotel, you should also visit the Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site and the Tombstone Territorial Park. The road to/through the Tombstone Territorial Park is rough, …

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First published: 29/10/18.

Zoë Sheng

Tr’Ondëk-Klondike

Tr’ondëk-Klondike (Inscribed)

Tr’ondëk-Klondike by Zoë Sheng

What do you think when you hear "Klondike"? Gold Rush, Charlie Chaplin, German tourists in camper vans (YES!), First Nations...wait what? Yes! So actually what people probably don't even know is that the original town of Dawson City has been reduced to a sheer third nowadays because the First Nation has been given back the land across the south called the Tr’ochëk fishing camp. I did not attempt to go over there but there are probably tours because there are dozens of tours every day in peak season starting from the well-organized National Parks office in town. The town is actually part of the national park although there is a "real" park entrance across to the west just beyond the free car-ferry crossing.

My main focus was doing historic tours. They are very informative, also telling you about Klondike today. I had the feeling that knowing more about the history we had to ask questions and luckily others in the group all did the same. The tour is the only way to visit the old buildings such as the post office where everyone in town had a deposit box to pick up their mail, something that is still done today in the new post office (apparently things like Zip codes, sealed roads and 911 services are new to the city only for like a year now). The saloon was nice, and the bank is still in great condition. I wasn't quite clear now if they have been renovated inside …

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