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

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.

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.

Guide Mike McLarnon's passion for the ship is infectious, and he can answer any question about her!

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

The dining room on the Klondike only gets busy now when a Parks Canada tour is being conducted.

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

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 is a fascinating place just jammed with tanks and pipes and switches and gauges and stuff - a big boy's playroom!

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 Klondike was undergoing a multi-year restoration of the hull when this shot was taken on August 11, 2002.

A panoramic shot of 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 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 June 21, 2003.

The Klondike reflected in the waters of the Yukon River on a calm evening - March 21, 2003.

The Klondike in the fog - October 22, 2010.

The Klondike gets decorated for Christmas every year, with lights installed by a crew from Yukon Electrical. This photo was shot on November 29, 2011 at 4:30pm.

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

To see lots more Yukon transporation history, visit the Yukon Transportation Museum just up the hill from the Klondike. Click on the photo for more information about the museum's exhibits.