My grandfather always loved western movies. I remember hearing the distinct sound of colt 45 firing from the television in the background of many of my memories of visiting my grandparents. What I find interesting about westerns, Is that the characters are often trying to preserve the towns, and the way of life of the wild west, despite the fact that I don’t know many people who would genuinely desire such a lifestyle. And, ultimately, as viewers we know that they fail, because there are no wild west towns left in North america. But like any absolute statement I suppose there's at least one exception.
Dawson City is the second most populated city in the Yukon. However, with a population of under 1400 people, calling it a city is a bit excessive. It is only considered large relative to the rest of the Yukon, an area the size of Spain, Today, the entire Yukon area houses fewer people than lived in Dawson City at its peak
In august of 1896, Rabbit Creek, which would later be renamed to Bonanza creek was found to contain large quantities of gold. On September 1st, the first building was erected by Joe Ladue, a former prospector who knew from experience that merchants profited more than miners at gold camps. He moved his sawmill to the town site and the city sprung up around him. As Journalist Ken Spotswood writes, "Within six months from that date there were over 500 houses erected, which included stores, supply stations, hotels, restaurants, saloons and residences.” In two years, Danson City was the seat of the Yukon gold rush and Joe Ladue had become a millionaire. By 1898, just 2 years after gold was first struck, it had a population between 30 000 and 40 000 depending on the season, making it the largest Canadian city west of Winnipeg. Dawson city quickly became a wild west boom town, complete with saloons, gambling and dancing girls. But, all things must end.
Dawson city's golden days ended just as quickly as it began. The rapid pace of gold mining meant that just 4 years after gold was first struck, there wasn’t enough of it left to be profitable. By 1900, Dawson city was already a shadow of its former self. Most of the miners had left to search out more profitable ventures after all the claims on the Bonanza creek had been bought and used. Many of the Saloons and businesses were forced to close in the wake of the mass exodus. Steamboats packed with people moved down the Yukon River. Dawson City was in its prime for only a couple years, but the memory of that time has informed every aspect of it today.
Dawson city still looks like a wild west town, or at least it tries to. Many buildings that stand today were built during the gold mining days, or were built to look like they were. The whole town has become a relic of what it once was. An ode to the past prosperity when Dawson City was booming. You can still go see the dancing girls while gambling at Diamond Tooth Gertie's, or you can go to the Sourdough Saloon and drink the Sourtoe. A cocktail which features a gangrenous toe which has been preserved in alcohol, a tradition that began in 1973 when Captain Dick Stevenson found the toe of Louie Linken in an abandoned cabin. The toe itself is not the original, as it was stolen many years ago. But somehow, they always manage to find a new toe as a donation when a toe goes missing. This somewhat bizarre tradition is a source of pride for many of the residents, and those who are brave enough to have drank the Sourtoe, something both my father and grandfather have done.
Despite the wild west facades most buildings now feature modern amenities. You can walk through the classic saloon doors of the Sourdough Saloon, only to be greeted with the pale glow of television screens playing a hockey game. In reality, Dawson City is far from the distant memory of what it was during the gold rush. But that hasn't stopped the people who live there from holding onto that memory.
And I don't blame them for that.
(long pause)
When I visited Dawson city, I was 17. I was on a road trip with my father and grandfather. It was intended as a last hurrah for my grandfather, as the asbestosis he developed working asbestos-lined mines (a 1 star chronic lung condition which impairs breathing, but doesn’t show any symptoms until years after exposure) was deteriorating.
We had been driving for a week, all the way from Edmonton. It was summer, and the days got longer as we drove further north. By the time we reached Dawson city the light from the sun beat down all day long, even at midnight. Back then I found it disorienting, but at least it’s quite metaphorically resonant that the sun refused to set on Dawson city.
(long pause)
Humans are sentimental creatures, and I think that sentimentality is part of what made the founders of Dawson city stay, and what keeps their descendants there to this day. I suspect it’s also what drove my family to Dawson City.
Our propensity for sentimentality may often drive us to foolish ends. That being said, I wouldn’t dare live life without it.
(long pause)
Ultimately, Dawson City has become a tourist town. Hundreds of thousands of people visit it every year, such that in the summer, the tourists often outnumber the residents. Most of these tourists are seeking the wild west fantasy that Dawson City has dedicated so much effort to preserving over the years.
I guess that is always our first instinct when we find something precious, to clutch and grasp in an attempt to hold onto it however we can. Maybe that’s just a naive enterprise doomed to fail, but I can’t say it is without value, even if that value is, like all value, fleeting.
All good things come to an end. Still, I can't fault anyone for trying to hold on.
I give Dawson city 3.5 stars
My favorite fact that didn’t make it into this episode, the slogan for the sourtoe cocktail is “You may drink it fast or you may drink it slow, but your lips must touch that gnarly toe.”
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