2012 Programs
We hope you enjoy our full slate of programming for the 2012 season! Programming runs from late May to September 15th. Please call us at 867-993-7210 or visit the Visitor’s Centre on Front Street for detailed daily schedules and to purchase tickets.
In Dawson
In the Goldfields
Strange Things Done under the Midnight Sun -- town core tour
Strange things were done … © Parks Canada / Hastings
It’s all about the gold... but gold can do strange things to those who seek it. As Robert Service eloquently wrote it, “The Northern Lights have seen queer sights” and let’s be clear, Service was talking about Dawson City! With a transition from a patch of moose pasture to a topsy-turvy boomtown in the blink of an eye, anything and everything could, AND DID happen! Find out how much stranger than fiction the truth really is while wandering through the historical core of this amazing town.
Greatest Klondiker Contest -- interactive theatre presentation
Who was the greatest Klondiker? © Parks Canada
(Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, starting June 10th)
Thousands of men and women with great talent and greater dreams made their way to the Klondike in the stampede of 1897. Some stayed and made a name for themselves, others disappeared into obscurity, their dreams never realized. In this program, you will meet three of the remarkable Canadians who “made it” during the Gold Rush. They wll regale you with their adventures and let you know why they, and they alone are the greatest of the dreamers and schemers who made such great contributions to this particular place and time. When it’s all said and done, it’s up to you to decide who will be crowned the Greatest Klondike Canadian!
Palace Grand Theatre -- daily guided tour
Imagine yourself performing on this stage! © Parks Canada
Arizona Charlie Meadows built this beautiful theatre in 1899. Throughout its history it has provided entertainments ranging from vaudeville to silent films. Daily tours relate the dramas and dreams of the leading ladies, percentage girls and miners desperate for a place to spend their gold dust. Explore backstage haunts and the 2nd & 3rd floor nooks both public and private with your knowledgeable costumed guide.
Gold Dredge No. 4 -- daily guided tour
Explore the inner workings of this massive machine. © Parks Canada
This, the largest wooden hulled, bucket line gold dredge in North America, was pulled from the muck in 1992, exactly as the last shift left it 32 years before. Now you can explore the belly of the beast and witness how the insatiable quest for tiny gold flakes transformed not just the landscape, but Yukon society. The tour includes a 10 minute video showing the restoration and conservation of this significant historic site.
A Site Guide replete with facts, figures and schematics is available for $2, with information about nearby Discovery Claim National Historic Site on the back.
SS Keno -- open every morning
Classic adventure on the Yukon river! © Parks Canada
Built in 1922 to transport silver, lead and zinc ore from the mines on the Stewart River, the S.S. Keno was the answer to getting resources into and out of an extremely isolated spot. For many, this steamer was the first and last contact with the outside world each season, and residents lived according to its schedule. Explore this grand lady of the river at your own pace, with a costumed staffer on-hand to provide insight and answer questions.
Commissioner’s Residence -- open every afternoon
Lawn games 1914-style! © Parks Canada
Experience the grandeur of the official residence of the Yukon’s federal government representative, the Commissioner of the Yukon, from 1900 to 1916. Throughout the decades it also served as a hospital, and as the home of one of the Yukon’s most intriguing and influential women, Martha Black. Listen for the whispers of history while exploring this opulent home.
Robert Service Cabin -- daily programs
Dan McGrew, Sam McGee, the Spell of the Yukon... © Parks Canada
Robert W. Service, the bard of the Yukon, immortalized the gold rush and brought Canadian literature to a worldwide audience. Service lived in this cozy two-room cabin nestled amidst the willows and alders. It is a must-see—a spot to contemplate an intriguing life through the man’s own poetry and unexpected life story.
The daily 1:00 pm program will feature a talented guide who will enthral you with Service’s lilting verse and fascinating tidbits about the humble yet extraordinary man’s life.
Self-Guided Audio Tour of Dawson City
For in-depth information about the wealth of historic buildings in the Dawson town core, taken at your own pace, this is the tour for you. A compact mp3 player leads you through town to hear stories and details about almost all of the Dawson Historical Complex buildings. This tour is available in English, French and German.
Discovery Claim -- self guiding trail
A short hike in the spot where it all began. © Parks Canada
Always Open
km 15 on Bonanza Creek Road, x km above Dredge No. 4
FREE
This is a legally defined mining claim located on Bonanza Creek, fifteen kilometres above its confluence with the Klondike River. Originally staked on August 17, 1896, it is the site of the gold discovery that sparked the Klondike Gold Rush.
Harrington’s Store “Dawson As They Saw It”
Many images of the rush of 1898 are familiar. Goldseekers recorded their impressions in diaries, letters and photographs. But there was more than one Dawson: from a hastily-built supply camp to an elegant territorial capital to a gold town in slow decline.
There is no judging how "faithfully" any one view has captured the original. Whether recording for the family album or for a specific audience, each photographer and writer has brought his or her own perspective and expectations to bear. This collection is by no means "Dawson as it really was", but rather "Dawson as they saw it."