Yukon Territory Forts

Canadian Forts

YUKON TERRITORY

Last Update: 08/MAY/2010

Compiled by Pete Payette - Š2010 American Forts Network

NOTE: Yukon Territory was separated from the Northwest Territories in 1898.

Conrad Post
(1906), near Montana Mountain
A NWMP post at the former mining community along Windy Arm of Tagish Lake.

Carcross Post
(1898 - 1938, 1942 - 1945, 1956 - present), Carcross
A North West Mounted Police post. The post stayed open after the Klondike gold rush, and continues today as a Royal Canadian Mounted Police post.

Tagish Post
(1897 - 1901), Tagish Post
A North West Mounted Police post and customs house, located 3.2 km south of Tagish. Originally named Fort Sifton. Replaced by Whitehorse Post. Two of the original five log buildings are still extant, including the Dominion Telegraph Station (1900).

Teslin Posts ?
(1903 - unknown ?), Teslin
A Hudson's Bay Co. post was relocated here in 1903. The 1898 post was located at the southern end of the lake in British Columbia (see also), according to the HBC Archives post map. The 1903 post was located on Second Street near the present Teslin Lake Bridge.

The NWMP / RCMP established a post here in 1906 and 1919 - present.

McClintock River Post
(1898 - 1901), near Tagish
A NWMP post at the mouth of the McClintock River.

Robinson Post
(1906), Robinson
A NWMP post located north of Bear Creek.

Miles Canyon Post
(1898 - 1901), near Whitehorse
A North West Mounted Police post at White Horse Rapids and the former gold-mining town of Canyon City, located above Schwatka Lake. See also The Archaeology of Canyon City from Yukon Heritage Branch

Whitehorse Post
(1900 - present), Whitehorse
A North West Mounted Police post and division headquarters. The original location of the post was at the present-day site of the MacBride Museum of Yukon History at First Ave. and Wood Street (admission fee).

Takhini Crossing Post
(1902 - 1907), near Whitehorse
A North West Mounted Police post located on the Takhini River, 22 miles from Whitehorse on the Whitehorse - Dawson Trail.

Champagne Post
(1904 - 1910, 1919, 1928 - 1938), Champagne
A NWMP patrol post on the Kluane wagon road and the Dalton Trail.

Dalton Trail Post
(1898), near Dalton Post
A NWMP border post on the Dalton Trail, possibly located in British Columbia.

The NWMP also established Dalton House Post (1898 - 1906) in town.

Kloo Lake Post
(1904), near Haines Junction
A NWMP post located west of town.

Kluane Post
(1904 - 1924, 1944 - 1945), Silver City / Kluane
A North West Mounted Police post on the south shore of Kluane Lake at Silver Creek. Also known as Silver City Barracks.

Bullion Post
(1904), near Kluane Lake ?
A NWMP post on Bullion Creek after gold was discovered here.

Burwash Post
(1920 - 1922), Burwash Landing
A RCMP post.

Donjek Post
(1913), Donjek
A NWMP post at the mouth of the Donjek River.

Lower Laberge Post
(1897 - 1904/1915), Lake Laberge
A NWMP post located at the foot (north end) of Lake Laberge.

The NWMP also established the Upper Laberge Post (1898 - 1903) at the head (south end) of the lake.

Livingstone Creek Post
(1900 - 1910), near Lake Laberge
A North West Mounted Police post at Livingstone Creek.

Kynocks Post
(1902 - 1905), Kynocks
A North West Mounted Police winter post on the Nordenskiold River.

Braeburn Post
(1902 - 1906), Braeburn
A NWMP patrol post on the Whitehorse - Dawson Trail.

Montague Post
(1900, 1902 - 1905), Montague
A North West Mounted Police winter post.

Carmacks Post
(1916 - 1932, 1936 - 1938, 1954 - present), Carmacks
A NWMP / RCMP patrol post on the Whitehorse - Dawson Trail. The RCMP still maintains a presence here.

Tantalus Post
(1898 - 1908), near Carmacks
A NWMP patrol post on the Whitehorse - Dawson Trail, just north of the present town.

Big Salmon Post
(1898 - 1899, 1904), near Carmacks
A NWMP wintering post during the Klondike gold rush, located at the mouth of the Big Salmon River.

The NWMP also established Little Salmon Post (1898 - 1902) about 30 miles northwest at the mouth of the Little Salmon River.

Hootalinqua Post
(1898 - 1905, 1909), near Carmacks
A North West Mounted Police post at the mouth of the Lewes (Thirtymile) River.

Ross River Post
(1921 - 1936, 1967 - present), Ross River
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police post.

Pelly Banks Post
(1846 - 1849), near Ross River
A Hudson's Bay Co. post on the Pelly River at Big Campbell Creek. Also known as Fort Pelly Banks. It burned down in 1849.

Fort Finlayson
(Finlayson Lake Historic Site)
(1842 - 1851 ?), Finlayson Lake
A Hudson's Bay Co. trading post.

Fort Frances
(Frances Lake Historic Site)
(1842 - 1851, 1934 - 1949), Frances Lake
A Hudson's Bay Co. stockaded post (HBC records cover 1842 - 1846), also known as Frances Lake Post, or Glenlyon House, north of the village of Watson Lake. Located just west of the Frances Lake Narrows at the confluence of the East and West Arms. The original post was burned down and abandoned. The second HBC site was located on the east shore of the Narrows. Also used by the U.S. Army as a weather station during WWII. Ruins still remain at the second site. One cabin was restored and relocated to the Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge. See also History of Frances Lake from Frances Lake Wilderness Lodge

Five Fingers Post
(1898 - 1902), near Yukon Crossing
A NWMP post on the Yukon River at the Five Fingers Rapids.

Yukon Crossing Post
(1903, 1904, 1909), Yukon Crossing
A NWMP post on the Yukon River.

Hutshiku Post
(1898 - 1902), near Yukon Crossing
A NWMP post on the Yukon River, just above (south of) McCabe Creek.

Minto Post
(1901 - 1906, 1950 - 1954), Minto
A North West Mounted Police post.

Fort Selkirk (Historic Site)
(1848 - 1852, 1892 - 1950), Fort Selkirk
Originally a Hudson's Bay Co. post on the Yukon River near Minto Landing. It was pillaged by Chilkat Indians in 1852. A new independent trade post and Anglican mission was established in 1892. The North West Mounted Police arrived in 1898, and then the Canadian Army's Yukon Field Force arrived in 1898 - 1900. The NWMP left in 1911. The RCMP returned in 1932 - 1949. Over 30 restored buildings remain. No road access. See also The Force in the North from Virtual Museum of Canada || Yukon Register of Historic Places
(some info courtesy of Sally Robinson, Yukon Territorial Historic Sites)

Pelly Crossing Post
(1907 - 1914), Pelly Crossing
A North West Mounted Police winter post.

Summit Post
(1917 - unknown), near Stewart Crossing
A NWMP post on the Whitehorse - Dawson Trail, located on the divide between the Pelly and Stewart River basins.

Stewart Crossing Post
(1901 - 1906), Stewart Crossing
A NWMP post.

Mayo Post
(1904 - 1906, 1940 - present), Mayo
A NWMP post. The RCMP still maintains a post here.

McQuesten Post
(1900 - 1905), near Mayo
A NWMP post located at the mouth of the McQuesten River.

Keno Post
(1923 - 1932, 1936 - 1937), Keno
A RCMP post.

Klondike Goldfields NWMP Posts
(various dates), various locations
The North West Mounted Police established several detachment posts in the various goldfields. They were located at Selwyn (1898 - 1905) located on the Yukon River west of Fort Selkirk; Grand Valley (1903 - 1906) located north of Fort Selkirk; Half-Way House (1898 - 1904, 1915 - 1920) located halfway between Stewart River and Selwyn; Stewart River (1898 - 1907, 1930); Ogilvie (1898 - 1905); Indian River (1898 - 1909, 1914 - 1917); Sulphur (1899 - 1909) on Sulphur Creek; Dominion (1898 - 1909) on Dominion Creek; Gold Run (1901 - 1906); Wounded Moose (1904, 1906); Black Hills (1918); Hunker (1898 - 1909) on Hunker Creek; Grand Forks (1898 - 1911); Eureka (1901 - 1903) on Eureka Creek; Glacier Creek (1898 - 1909) on the Sixtymile River; and Quartz (1907 - 1909).

Granville Post
(1906 - 1932, 1938, 1940 - 1943), Granville
A NWMP / RCMP post.

Fort Herchmer
(Klondike National Historic Sites)
(1897 - 1910 ?/1966), Dawson
A 40-acre North West Mounted Police post, and barracks for the Canadian Army's Yukon Field Force (1898 - 1900). The former Married Officers' Quarters (1898), used by the RCMP until 1966, is now used for the Parks Canada staff residence. Also here is the Commanding Officer's Quarters (1902), the NWMP Hospital - Jail (1898), and the NWMP Stables (1903). Admission fee to Parks Canada areas. A separate Town Station was established by the NWMP in 1900 to acommodate additional troopers. The RCMP still maintains a presence in town. Of interest in town is the Dawson City Museum on 5th Ave. in the Old Territorial Administration Building (admission fee).

Moosehide Post
(1917 - 1923), near Dawson
A NWMP / RCMP post, located between Dawson and Fort Reliance.

Fort Reliance
(1874 - 1886), near Dawson
An American trade post operated by the Alaska Commercial Company (later known as the Northern Commercial Company). In 1877 the traders abandoned the fort after local Indians stole their goods. The traders returned in 1879 and operated the fort until 1886, when it was abandoned due to a gold strike on the Stewart River (1885). After it was abandoned, the lumber from many of the buildings were used as fuel by the steamboats that plied the Yukon River. Today a few isolated buildings and artifacts remain. Located on the Yukon River about 10km downriver from the mouth of the Klondike River. The Fortymile River, Sixtymile River, and Seventymile River were named for their distance from this fort.

Fort Constantine
(Forty Mile Historic Site)
(Forty Mile Heritage Site)
(1895 - 1897/1901), Fortymile
A North West Mounted Police stockaded post located at the mouth of the Fortymile River, adjacent to Fort Cudahy, established to provide law and order in the American gold-mining community, and to survey the international boundary. The post transferred to Dawson when that community was established in 1897. Ruins of the log stockade and some building foundations still remain on site. A detachment post was later built in the town of Forty Mile on Forty Mile Island (aka Fortymile Post) for customs duties (1900 - 1924, 1929 - 1938). Several buildings still remain in the former town, some have been restored.

Fort Cudahy
(Forty Mile Historic Site)
(Forty Mile Heritage Site)
(1893 - 1897 ?), Fortymile
A North American Transportation and Trading Company post at the mouth of the Fortymile River. It was in operation when the NWMP arrived in 1895. The Americans believed this post was in Alaska. Gold was discovered on the Fortymile River in 1886.

Sixtymile Post
(1905, 1935 - 1937), Sixtymile
A NWMP / RCMP post. American traders and miners were already here in the 1890's.

Rampart House (Historic Site)
(1891 - 1893), near Old Rampart, Alaska
A Hudson's Bay Co. post located on the Porcupine River at the Canadian/U.S. border, west of Old Crow. Established in 1869 after Fort Yukon in Alaska was closed by the American authorities. The post had to be moved east again after a new boundary survey in 1890. Daniel Cadzow, an independent trader who arrived in the Yukon in 1896, took over the post at Rampart House in 1904. He built an elaborate new house in 1911. Cadzow stayed there up to the time of his death in 1929. By 1927 there were only four or five families living at Rampart House. (see also ALASKA page)

The NWMP / RCMP established a post here from 1913 - 1929 until the entire community was transferred to Old Crow.

Old Crow Post
(1929 - present), Old Crow
A Royal Canadian Mounted Police post. The last patrol to Fort McPherson, NWT, by dog sled was made in 1969.

LaPierre's House
(Rampart House Historic Site)
(1846 - 1892), near Fort McPherson, NWT
A Hudson's Bay Co. post located at the Yukon/Northwest Territories border, north of Eagle Plains, at the junction of the Bell and Water Rivers. It was relocated to its present site in 1851. HBC records begin 1851. When this post was abandoned, the Anglican Church purchased one of the buildings from the HBC. This continued to be an important stop on the route between Fort McPherson and Fort Yukon as did Rampart House. A number of families lived there for at least part of the year up to the 1930's. The Jackson brothers operated a store between 1925 and 1935 before moving to Old Crow.

Shingle Point Post
(1918 - unknown, 1937 - 1938), Shingle Point
A Hudson's Bay Co. post on the Arctic coast near the mouth of the Blow River.

Herschel Island Posts
(Herschel Island (Qikiqtaruk) Territorial Park)
(1903 - 1933, 1948 - 1964), Herschel Island
A North West Mounted Police post located on a small island in the Arctic Ocean (Mackenzie Bay). The NWMP arrived to establish law and order among the predominately American whaling community, which was established at Pauline Cove in 1890 by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company. The NWMP bought all assets of the PSWC in 1911. The PSWC community building, built in 1893, still stands, and is currently used as the park office and visitor centre. A Hudson's Bay Co. post (1915 - 1937) was also located here (HBC records cover 1932 - 1937). It was closed in 1937 and operations were moved to Shingle Point. No HBC buildings remain today, most of them were later (after WWII) relocated to Tuktuk. The American outfit Northern Whaling and Trading Company (aka Canalaska Trading Company) operated a trade post and warehouse here from 1926 - 1936. Some of those buildings still survive. The RCMP detachment left in 1964. The island has been uninhabited since 1987. This became Yukon's first territorial park in 1987. Access only by boat or plane. See also The Force in the North from Virtual Museum of Canada

NEED MORE INFO: NWMP patrol posts and detachments at the following undetermined locations: Chico (1900); Coal Creek (pre-1904); Duncan's Landing (1902 - 1903); Gold Bottom (1907); Gordon's Landing (1903); Miller Creek (1904, 1932, 1934); Ruby Creek (1904 - 1905).
Towns:

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