Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Parks Canada announced a $14.2 million investment for structural improvements and remediation work at the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site in Whitehorse, Yukon.
This federal funding will support Parks Canada’s muti-year conservation project of the S.S. Klondike to protect this historic wooden sternwheeler by improving the structural stability and removing lead-containing paint, while rehabilitating and weatherproofing the vessel. A project on the neighbouring historic Atlin barge to reconstruct the hull, decking, and railings, and improve accessibility will be completed this year.
“National historic sites help us reflect on our shared history, telling the stories of who we are as communities and as a country. The S.S. Klondike was one of over 250 sternwheelers that worked the Yukon waterways for more than four generations, linking the territory to the outside world shaping the region’s society and economy. The Government of Canada is proud to invest in preserving one of the country’s few remaining steam-powered paddlewheelers and keeping Yukon’s riverboat history alive.” said Dr. Brendan Hanley, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and MP for Yukon.
From the 1860s to the 1950s sternwheelers served as the main link between the Yukon and the outside world and were aided by the barges working alongside these vessels. Conservation efforts on the S.S. Klondike will be helped by a historic shipsaw – a large, specialized band saw that can create rolling bevels in one continuous cut, to cut pieces of wood to reinforce the curved angles of a boat. The artifact was moved from Bear Creek near Dawson City and retrofitted for use on this project.
The S.S. Klondike, designated as a national historic site in 1967, commemorates inland water transportation in the Yukon from the 1860s to the 1950s and the role steam-powered river transportation played in connecting the Yukon to the outside world after the first vessel reached Fort Selkirk in 1866.
Featured image: Parks Canada is working on the long-term conservation of the S.S. Klondike National Historic Site. Restoration of the Atlin barge is largely complete and open for visitors to the site. Credit: Parks Canada. (CNW Group/Parks Canada (HQ))
