Dawson to Ashcroft Telegraph Line National Historic Event

Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
Dawson to Ashcroft Telegraph Line (© PAPER FILE)
Dawson to Ashcroft Telegraph Line
(© PAPER FILE)
Address : Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1994-06-05

Other Name(s):
  • Dawson to Ashcroft Telegraph Line  (Designation Name)

Importance: One of the longest and most remote telegraph lines completed over land

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque: Telegraph Office Whitehorse, Yukon Territory

This former station was a key part of the 2700 km Dawson-Ashcroft telegraph line, among the longest and most remote overland telegraph routes ever completed. Built by the federal government in the aftermath of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, it gave individuals, businesses and governments new access to a world-wide network of rapid communications. It also asserted Canadian sovereignty over lands near the American border. Due to the hazards of climate and terrain, heroic efforts were expended in both its construction and maintenance until its closure in the 1940s.