S. S. Klondike, Whitehorse

Launched in May 1937 the sternwheel steamboat S.S. Klondike II plied the route between Whitehorse and Dawson on the Yukon River. She transported general merchandise, local products such as silver-lead ore and gold ingots, as well as passengers to and from Whitehorse and Dawson City until the opening of an all weather road between Whitehorse and Mayo in 1950. The Klondike is now the center piece of a museum. There you can tour the whole boat, including the freight deck and engine room as well as the passengers areas like the dining room.

The S.S. Klondike is designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. The steamer is 210 ft. long and was registered for a freight capacity of about 300 tons. In 1940 she had a crew of 40 and stateroom capacity for 75 passengers. Her main cargo was silver-lead ore from Dawson to Whitehorse while downstream food and fuel was the need of the settlers and gold prospectors at Dawson. Due to the strong current of the Yukon River, the upstream trip took 4 to 5 days while the trip back only took one and a half days. (photo: Helga Krueger, http.net)

Check the Parks Canada website for more details about the SS Klondike's history and river transportation on the Yukon River. Explorenorth.com has a comprehensive list of Yukon/Alaska paddlewheel steamboats.

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