Heading south to Carcross

Originally referred to as Grand Canyon, it was renamed Miles Canyon in 1883.  Although accounts from that time period differ as to the ferocity of the rapids, there is no question that they were very dangerous.  During the Gold Rush, hundreds of boats loaded with precious supplies were lost (as well as several lives) before the Northwest Mounted Police arrived to regulate traffic.  Eventually a wooden rail system around the canyon eliminated the need to battle this hazard.  Nowadays the hydroelectric dam constructed to provide power to Whitehorse has tamed Miles Canyon, but the 50-foot high basaltic walls are still beautiful.

Emerald Lake is notable for its intense green colour.  The colour derives from light reflecting off white deposits of marl, a mixture of clay and calcium carbonate at the bottom of the shallow waters.  The high concentration of calcium carbonate in the water here comes from limestone gravels eroded from the nearby mountains and deposited here 14,000 years ago by the glaciers of the last ice age.

Carcross Desert is often considered the smallest desert in the world. The Carcross Desert measures approximately 2.6 km² (or 1 square mile).  Carcross Desert is commonly referred to as a desert, but is actually a series of northern sand dunes.  The sand was formed during the last glacial period when large glacial lakes formed and deposited silt.  When the lakes dried, the dunes were left behind.  Today, sand comes mainly from a nearby lake, carried by the wind.  Carcross Desert is significantly drier than the surrounding region, receiving less than 50 mm of rain per year.  This is due mainly in part to a rain shadow effect caused by surrounding mountains.

The Tagish people call this area Todezzane, "blowing all the time" and the Tlingit call it Naataase Heen, "water running through the narrows".  In 1899, the community was officially named Caribou Crossing, referring to the spot where the local woodland caribou herd crossed the narrows.  Then in 1901, Bishop Bompas who was there to establish an Anglican mission asked that the name be changed because all his mail was being sent to other towns with similar names - so the name was changed to Carcross in 1904.
With the completion of the White Pass & Yukon Railway in 1900, the town was established as a distribution centre for the area.
Geroge Carmack, his wife, Kate, Skookum Jim Mason, and Dawson Charlie (also known as Tagish Charlie) were all involved in the Klondike gold discovery of 1896.  Three of them eventually returned to Carcross and are buried here.

In 1902 the Anglican Church of St. Saviour's was built and the first bishop of Yukon, Bishop Bampas, lived and practiced here until his death in 1906.

The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP & YR) railroad depot was built in 1910.  It is a designated Canadian Heritage Railway Station.

The Matthew Watson General Store is the oldest operating store in the Yukon, being in operation now for more than a century.

Many of the buildings in Carcross are historic, some in good repair others not so much so - but in their own way they all tell a story.

What is so very beautiful about Carcross though is its location, nestled on the north shore of Bennett Lake.  Bennett Lake is part of the headwaters of the Yukon River.