Secret treasures of the Yukon

Secret treasures of the Yukon

by Rev. Barbara Allen, CMP - SGN Contributing Writer As a child listening to the radio adventures of Sgt. Preston of the Yukon and his lead dog, King, the setting was icy, snowy, frozen. I expected to find coolness as I drove from British Columbia (BC) over the border into the Yukon Territory (YT). Wrong! Temperatures were in the upper 90's, the road shimmering with heat waves. Before crossing into YT, we'd gone to Liard Hot Springs, (BC), where voracious mosquitoes swarmed, heat and humidity oppressed even in the morning, which made us decide we didn't need to soak in hot springs that day. So, we drove north out of BC into the Yukon Territory to Watson Lake, named after an early pioneer from Klondike Gold Rush days. In early 1897, 14 year-old, Frank Watson, left Lake Tahoe, California, and headed north with his father seeking gold. They worked two claims on Bonanza Creek, then young Frank headed further north after a flood in 1903. He was the first white man to travel to the area (mostly on rivers), then married and settled on the shore of then Fish Lake, now Watson Lake, where he and his wife led a trapper's and prospector's life. He passed on in 1938 from pneumonia. His descendants remain in the area. My first stop in YT was the local territorial visitors' center, located on the main highway, behind the unique Sign Post Forest of signs from throughout the world, perhaps 64,000 of them as of 2007, all in one area covering perhaps two acres. In 1942, a homesick US Army engineer from Illinois, working on the ALCAN in this area, erected a post with a sign naming and pointing the way to his hometown, Danville, including the distance there. Others followed his lead and continue to do so. The Forest is maintained by the town, which erects more posts as needed. Adjacent to the Forest is the Alaska Highway Interpretive Center, which is usually a northbound travelers' first stop upon entering the YT. This Center provides information, literature, photo-mural's of the highways construction, realistic displays and dioramas, a three projector audio-visual presentation, and a unique winter night scene illuminated by northern lights (not available in torrid summer midnight sun heat). There's also brewed complimentary coffee and, perhaps, cake on special Canadian holidays, if you got there early enough. One of the most ingenious public relations moves, The Yukon Gold Explorers Passport, is the best souvenir of the area, and, it's free! The small book is about 20-percent larger than regular USA Passports, with a darker blue textured cover. By visiting the sites included, one per page, and getting a free rubber stamp on the site's page, visitors become eligible for free gifts: six specific sites gets you a free poster. It is fun for young and old alike, the rubber stamps are attractive and the space this outstanding souvenir will take up once home is minimal. The Northern Lights Centre and George Johnson Museum were the first two attractions listed in the 2006 Passport. There's a separate category for a silver award with just four selected sites. Visiting six sites may yield 3 ounces of gold. Visiting all 13 sites makes a visitor eligible for winning 5 ounces of Yukon Gold. The following sites mentioned in this article are passport destinations. Our second stop in Watson Lake, after securing RV space downtown, was the Northern Lights Space and Science Centre, to catch the afternoon's "Myths and Mysteries of the Northern Lights", a wonderful multi-media presentation. With 22 hours of daylight, the only way we might see the northern lights or Aurora Borealis in summer would be on the gigantic domed screen in their comfortable, air conditioned 100 seat theater. Don't be put off by the drab metal storage building appearance and the grounds of the exterior, the two part show alone (about an hour) is world class, as it explores the mysteries of the universe in ways all ages will find fascinating! The best place to eat in Watson Lake may be Archie's Fast Food, which is open 364 days a year (closed Christmas), owned by the mayor, run by his daughter, and reasonably priced. They have nice burgers, fish, large Caesar and other salads, frozen delights, and properly done fries&a welcome change from poor fast food in other areas. We continued our Passport Quest at the George Johnson Museum just a km or so north of Watson Lake along the main highway on the way to Whitehorse. PBS ran a documentary about him a year or so ago. Johnson was a venerated Tlingit elder, fur trapper and trader, entrepreneur, and photographer. He bought and ferried in to Teslin, the first car in the area, a 1926 Chevy (restored and on display now in its original glossy black). He'd painted the car white from black so that he could hunt, fish, and photograph from it winter-camouflaged on the drivable frozen lake. Since there were no roads beyond frozen winter water ways, he convinced the First Nations locals to clear one from the forest, which later became incorporated into the ALCAN Highway project. Johnson's photographs, along with colorful exhibits of Tlingit artifacts and memorabilia, are delightful and informational. His circa 1960 general store within the museum is stocked with furs, Tlingit arts and crafts, and other interesting souvenirs, including a DVD about the area and Johnson. I'd have enjoyed visiting with this insightful Renaissance man. A mile or so further north is the Teslin-Tlingit Heritage Center. The striking great hall and museum include masks, marvelous native art displays, and locally native crafted souvenirs. The main entry walk from the parking area is lined with full size hand carved totem poles. Do not miss YT local museums, wherever they are! Along the roadsides are fascinating examples of Yukon graffiti, unlike the garish defacement found in urban areas further south. On the sandy slopes, locals place stones spelling out messages, such as: David loves Lisa or Beavers are Best. When rains come, these are gradually covered again by the sands, allowing environmentally neutral, non pervasive personal expression. The Yukon Hotel and Lodge with RV park, is in a lovely lakeside setting with a museum on premises, good service and moderately priced meals. Their halibut burger on a bun is excellent, made from fresh flown in fish. I also particularly enjoyed their potato and cheese stuffed perogies topped with freshly cooked bacon crumbles and sautéed onion, caribou sausage, sour cream, and green onions alongside. The Kluane Museum of Natural History is worth a visit, in another area of the YT (as you drive from Whitehorse to Skagway) offering one of the finest wildlife exhibits in the area, set in natural ecosystems, along with an impressive exhibit of First Nations artifacts that interpret the native history of the area. The gift shop yielded two of my prized art acquisitions from the journey, miniature models of typical pioneers' cabins and outbuildings built mostly from tiny sticks, local grass or straw, lichens or moss from local trees, with a few additional features, done by a temporary resident German, who signed her work: "Veri Woman", the winter before my visit. I cannot imagine how many hours went into these subsistence masterpieces about 6" wide!!! As an artist and occasional wood worker, I could relate to her avoiding cabin fever during the long frozen winter, using found materials to cleverly create these tiny, accurate three dimensional representations of a way of life which may not have changed much in the past century for many who live quietly subsisting in the bush. Local museum gift shops staffed by area residents may offer surprising collectors finds throughout AK, YT, and BC. You won't know unless you visit and look carefully, even at uninviting displays.