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Photos of the S.S. Klondike

British Yukon Navigation Company Sternwheeler

by Murray Lundberg

To The S.S. Klondike

To A Guide to Whitehorse

Click on each photo to enlarge it

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike in 2003 Welcome to the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site! It's located on the banks of the legendary Yukon River, at the edge of downtown Whitehorse, capital city of the Yukon Territory.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike A tour at the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site begins with a film showing the importance of the rivers to the growth of the North. The film is shown in the tent set up on the barge below.

Ship guide Mike McLarnon. When Mike McLarnon was a guide on the ship, his passion for her was infectious, and he could answer any question about her!

The freight deck contains a huge variety of goods and supplies The freight deck contains a huge variety of goods and supplies, as the ship would have when she was operating. It ranges from firewood for the boilers and lead-silver ore from the Keno mines to canned goods, flour and clothing.

The engine room of the 'Klondike'. The engine room is a fascinating place just jammed with tanks and pipes and switches and gauges and stuff - a big boy's playroom!

A coffee pot warming It's the little details like this coffee pot that make the ship feel like the crew is just outside, about ready to cast off for Dawson City.

The lounge on the Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The wonderful details in the restoration makes it easy to imagine yourself in this comfortable lounge watching the wonderful scenery go by as you sail between Whitehorse and Dawson City.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike A pleasant dinner table to add to the enjoyment of a Yukon River trip.

The dining room only gets busy now when a Parks Canada tour is being conducted. The dining room on the Klondike, which seated 30 people, only gets busy now when a Parks Canada tour is being conducted.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike There are 10 First Class passenger cabins forward on the saloon deck. While the aft open part of the saloon deck was a common area, 2nd Class passengers were not allowed in this cabin area.

The staterooms are very small. The staterooms are very small, as passengers spent most of their time in the public areas of the ship.

The saloon deck of the Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike Aft on the saloon deck, which is covered in painted canvas. The barrels held water for fire-fighting, and the cabin at the back was a meat cooler.

A panoramic shot of the wheelhouse of the S.S. Klondike A panoramic shot of the wheelhouse of the Klondike.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The Texas deck, below the wheelhouse, is where the cabins for senior crew members were located, in a structure called the texas - the Chief Engineer's cabin door is seen here. Below and behind the texas, skylights can be seen.

Looking up the Yukon River from outside the wheelhouse of the Klondike Looking up the Yukon River from outside the wheelhouse of the Klondike. The mountain known as Golden Horn can be seen to the left - lava flowed from a crack near its base about 8.6 million years ago, and the basalt that was created forms the walls of Miles Canyon, the most treacherous part of the river for those heading for the Klondike goldfields a century ago.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The paved pathway between the ship and the Yukon River is the Millennium Trail. The very popular 5-kilometer-long non-motorized multi-use trail connects with the Yukon River Loop Trail to Miles Canyon.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike
This photo of the park was shot from the top of the "clay cliffs" that form the western boundary of downtown Whitehorse. That series of trails, which get little use, is accessed from the north or south ends of the airport, or from Black Street.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike Another shot from the top of the "clay cliffs".

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The Klondike was undergoing a multi-year restoration of the hull when this shot was taken in August 2002.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike A look at some construction details during the 2002 hull restoration.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The paddlewheel was originally 19 feet 4 inches in diameter, 23 feet long, with 16 buckets. In 1947, this 19 foot 10 inch wheel was installed, probably to get the buckets deeper into the water with the lighter loads she was carrying at the time.

The barge Atlin, seen from the sternwheeler Klondike In 1903, the 58-foot-long barge Atlin, built entirely of B.C. fir by the British Yukon Navigation Company, was built at Atlin to be used by the Scotia. It was used until the early 1930s, then was put up on ways at Atlin. In February 1974, the barge was trucked to Whitehorse and set up on the riverfront at the site where the S.S. Klondike was to be located. In the summers, a tent is now set up on the barge to show sternwheeler movies to visitors.

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike In the early 1990s, visitors to the ship were given one of these certificates following their tour.

The twisting Yukon River just above Lake Laberge The Yukon River was a challenge to even the most experienced pilots and captains. This aerial view (looking upriver) shows the bends, islands and sandbars just above Lake Laberge. It was shot at 10:10 p.m. on the longest day of the year, June 21st, when Whitehorse gets over 19 hours of daylight - the sun rises at 4:27 a.m. and sets at 11:36 p.m..

The Yukon River sternwheeler Klondike The Klondike reflected in the waters of the Yukon River on a calm evening in late March.

The historic sternwheeler Klondike in an October fog The Klondike in a late October fog.

The historic sternwheeler Klondike in a December ice fog The Klondike in a mid-December ice fog.

The SS Klondike decorated for Christmas The Klondike gets decorated for Christmas every year, with lights installed by a crew from Yukon Electrical.

The SS Klondike decorated for Christmas in 2015 The Christmas lights were changed to more energy-efficient ones in 2015.

Pilings along the Yukon River The rotting remains of the pilings upon which once stood the wharves and warehouses that were the economic heart of Whitehorse.