White Pass & Yukon Route Railway National Historic Event
Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Track side view of the White Pass and Yukon R.S.
© Expired
Address :
end of Main Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1986-06-16
Other Name(s):
-
White Pass & Yukon Route Railway
(Designation Name)
Importance:
Skagway, Alaska to Whitehorse, completed Yukon rail access to West Coast
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: On old WP & YRR Station end of Main Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Built at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, the 177 km narrow gauge railway was the heart of the Yukon transportation system for over 80 years. Completed in 1900, it linked the tidewater port of Skagway in Alaska with Whitehorse, head of navigation on the Yukon River. As a result, Whitehorse became the transportation and later, the administrative, commercial and population centre of the Yukon. The scenic line stopped operating in 1982 but was subsequently revived as a tourist excursion train from Skagway during the summer months.