An Explorer's Guide to Whitehorse, Yukon
Arctic & Northern Mining
Dateline: December 26, 2025.
Exploring the Copper Belt
The Whitehorse Copper Belt - An annotated geology map
A field guide to the geology and mining history of the Whitehorse Copper Belt, published by the Yukon Geological Survey to assist Whitehorse residents and visitors in exploring this fascinating area.
TIMMIT History Exploration Notebook
Tom Green has created an extremely detailed guide to exploring the Copper Belt area, including the mines, the railroad, and the old Dawson Road.
Whitehorse Copper Belt
A large and extremely detailed virtual field trip by Yukon University describes the geology of the area and specific mine sites.
Whitehorse Copper Belt Field Trip
A 9-page pdf describing the history and some of the mine sites and significant rock types.
MacBride Copperbelt Mining Museum
Located on the Alaska Highway just north of Whitehorse, on the edge of the historic copper mining region, the museum is an interpretive learning experience that preserves and presents Copperbelt mining history.
A Whitehorse Copper Belt mine history hike
A hike with Tim Green in August 2021. This post on The ExploreNorth Blog has 48 photos.
A Whitehorse Copper Belt railway hike
A hike with Tim Green in July 2023. This post on The ExploreNorth Blog has 33 photos.
An e-bike wander in the Whitehorse Copper Belt
A look at the Keewenaw and Black Cub South mining pits in particular in July 2023. This post on The ExploreNorth Blog has 24 photos.
A 53-km ride along the Whitehorse Copper Belt
An e-bike ride along the main "Haul Road" through the Copper Belt in July 2023. This post on The ExploreNorth Blog has 32 photos.
Copper Belt historical articles and reports
Valerie mine in the White Horse copper belt optioned, 1900
An article from The Daily Alaska (Skagway, Alaska) of December 7, 1900, describes the basic facts of the option on the Valerie property
The White Horse Mining District, 1902
A lengthy report by William M. Brewer, published in the New York Engineering and Mining Journal of February 1, 1902, and re-published by The Weekly Star on March 15 and March 19, 1902.
The Copper King Mine, April 1904
A lengthy report on the mine from The Daily Evening Star of Tuesday, April 5, 1904.
The Whitehorse Copper Zone, April 1907
An article from The Weekly Star of Friday, April 5, 1907, describes the various properties.
Copper price drop closes mines in the Whitehorse Copper Belt, 1907
Two brief articles from The Weekly Star of October 25, 1907
The Whitehorse Copper Belt
An 81-page report by R. G. McConnell of the Geological Survey Branch of the Department of Mines, published in 1909, based on his 1907 field work.
Map of the Whitehorse Copper Belt
A high-resolution version of the main map in R. G. McConnell's 1909 report above, zoom-able to see the details.
Some History of the Whitehorse Copper Belt to 1912
A lengthy article from The Weekly Star of Friday, August 30, 1912.
The Whitehorse Copper Belt, 1927
A full-page report on the mining area by T. H. Kerruish, in The Whitehorse Star of December 2, 1927.
The Whitehorse Copper Belt: Mining, Exploration & Geology 1967 - 1980
This 29-page report was written by a geologist who was actively involved in mining and exploration in the district - it concentrates on mining and development.
A History of the Whitehorse Copper Belt
This 50-page report was written in 1993 by Helene Dobrowolsky and Rob Ingram, for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.
Not in my backyard ... already
An article published in The Whitehorse Star on September 8, 2023, looks at current Copper Belt exploration activities in historical context.
Mineral Exploration and the Whitehorse Official Community Plan
An article published in The Yukon Star on June 21, 2024.
The Whitehorse Copper Belt - click on the image to open a pdf in a new window.
