Pamphlet

Archival Item

Accession Number1996.41.1

Alternative NameBooklet

Description A Hand Book of Vacation Trips in Alaska and the Yukon on the White Pass and Yukon Route (c. 1950's).

History Of Use This booklet was created with the intention of being a guide to the travel destinations along the WP&YR.

Narrative/Stories The White Pass and Yukon Railroad was constructed between 1898 and 1900 to bring gold seekers from Skagway, Alaska to Lake Bennett, Yukon, which was linked to Dawson by navigable water. By 1900 the line had been extended to Whitehorse. The 176 km. (110 mi.) mile route was constructed by Canadian railway contractor Michael J. Haney with assistance from British railway engineer Sir Thomas Tancred, American engineer Erastus Corning Hawkins and Canadian civil engineer John Hislop. From sea level, at Skagway, the line climbs 2900 ft. (884m) in 20 miles (32km) to the USA-Canada border at Summit Lake at an average grade of 2.6%. The maximum grade is 3.9% and the maximum curvature 16°. About 35,000 men, mostly Canadian and American, built the line at a cost of, approximately, ten million dollars. The rails between Whitehorse and Bennet Lake remain, although there is no longer a train service on them.
https://legacy.csce.ca/en/historic-site/white-pass-and-yukon-railway/