What can be said of the Yukon and Northwest Territories as a homeland? What does it mean to be indigenous to this area? This book offers a wealth of photographs and illustrations, as well as a lively and approachable historical text, in its documentation of the land and its people.

True North: The Yukon and Northwest Territories (Illustrated History of Canada)

History

Morrison, William R.

Americas

Oxford University Press

This completely revised edition of Land of the Midnight Sun, first published in 1988, is a comprehensive overview of Yukon history. This book places the Klondike Gold Rush within the broader sweep of the past, giving particular emphasis to the role of First Nations people and Aboriginal-white relations and to the lengthy struggle of Yukoners to find their place in the Canadian confederation. This broader story incorporates the mammoth dredges that scoured the Klondike creeks, the impressive silver mines in the Elsa-Keno Hill area, the sinking of the Princess Sophia, the Yukon's remarkable contributions to the war effort in World War I, and the sweeping transformations associated with the American "occupation" during World War II.

Land of the Midnight Sun: A History of the Yukon

Coates, Kenneth S.

University of Washington Press

Yukon History has its fair share of unique characters and fascinating events. Contemporary Yukoners talk about the colourful 5 per cent, quirky individuals who have come to Canadas North to find or reinvent themselves. Northern literature is full of accounts of mad trappers, jilted lovers, miners driven mad by cabin fever, sub-Arctic desperados and victims of racial tensions. In reality, the passions and angers that drove people to murder in the Yukon were more basic and common than popular culture suggests. Strange Things Done explores the inner dynamics of Yukon society through the exploration of these extraordinary events. Klondike lore is full of accounts of the exploits of Dangerous Dan McGrew, Sergeant Preston of the Mounted, and the Mad Trapper of Rat River. The stories vary from outright fabrications to northern fantasies and, on occasion, real-life accounts. Strange Things Done investigates a series of murders in the pre-World War II Yukon, exploring the boundaries between myths and historical events. reconstructed from court evidence and police records, and the broader social and cultural context within which these violent deaths occurred. The murder case studies provide a unique and penetrating perspective on key aspects of Yukon history, such as Native-newcomer relations, mental illness and the folklore about cabin fever, the role of immigrants in northern society, violence in the gold fields, and the role of the police and courts in regulating social behaviour. The investigation of these capital cases also illustrates the fear and paranoia which gripped the territory in the aftermath of a murder, and the society's insistence on quick and retributive justice when offenders were caught and convicted. The Yukon experienced fewer murders than popular literature would suggest, and fewer than most would expect given the region's intense and dramatic history, but those that did occur illustrate the passions, frustrations, angers and human frailties that are present in all societies. reacted also reveals specific and important aspects of territorial society.

Strange Things Done: Murder in Yukon History (Volume 40) (McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies)

Coates, Ken S.

McGill-Queen's University Press

While the Klondike Gold Rush is one of the most widely known events in Canadian history, particularly outside Canada, the rest of the Yukon's long and diverse history attracts little attention. Important developments such as Herschel Island whaling, pre-1900 fur trading, the post-World War II resource boom, a lengthy struggle for responsible government, and the emergence of Aboriginal political protest remain poorly understood. 
Placing well-known historical episodes within the broader sweep of the past, Land of the Midnight Sun gives particular emphasis to the role of First Nations people and the lengthy struggle of Yukoners to find their place within Confederation. This broader story incorporates the introduction of mammoth dredges that scoured the Klondike creeks, the impressive Elsa-Keno Hill silver mines, the impact of residential schools on Aboriginal children, the devastation caused by the sinking of the Princess Sophia, the Yukon's remarkable contributions to the national World War I effort, and the sweeping transformations associated with the American occupation during World War II. 
Completely revised with a new epilogue, the bestselling Land of the Midnight Sun was first published in 1988 and became the standard source for understanding the history of the Yukon. Ken Coates and William Morrison have published ten books together, including Strange Things Done: A History of Murder in the Yukon and the forthcoming Trailmarkers: A History of Landmark Aboriginal Rights Cases in Canada. Land of the Midnight Sun was their first collaboration.

Land Of The Midnight Sun: A History Of The Yukon

Coates, Kenneth

McGill Queens Univ

While the Klondike Gold Rush is one of the most widely known events in Canadian history, particularly outside Canada, the rest of the Yukon?s long and diverse history attracts little attention. Important developments such as Herschel Island whaling, pre-1900 fur trading, the post-Second World War resource boom, a lengthy struggle for responsible government, and the emergence of Indigenous political protest remain poorly understood. Placing well-known historical episodes within the broader sweep of the past, Land of the Midnight Sun gives particular emphasis to the role of First Nations people and the lengthy struggle of Yukoners to find their place within Confederation. This broader story incorporates the introduction of mammoth dredges that scoured the Klondike creeks, the impressive Elsa-Keno Hill silver mines, the impact of residential schools on Aboriginal children, the devastation caused by the sinking of the Princess Sophia, the Yukon?s remarkable contributions to the national First World War effort, and the sweeping transformations associated with the American occupation during the Second World War. Land of the Midnight Sun has long been the standard source for understanding the history of the territory. This third edition includes a new preface to update readers on developments in the Yukon?s economy, culture, and politics, including Indigenous self-government.

Land of the Midnight Sun: A History of the Yukon, Third Edition (Volume 202) (Carleton Library Series)

Baby's Room

Dorrance Pub. Co.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor a general fear of invasion swept North America, and particularly the West Coast; it seemed essential that immediate steps he taken to defend the Far Northwest. With the approval of the Canadian government, Washington drew up plans for the future Alaska Highway to connect Edmonton, Alberta, with Fairbanks, Alaska, and for a pipeline to connect the oil fields at Norman Wells, Northwest Territories, with the Pacific Coast. As a result, between 1942 and 1946, forty thousand American military and civilian personnel invaded the Canadian Northwest. Where there had been few roads or none, a pioneer road more than 1,500 miles long was built in less than a year. A rough road was built from Norman Wells to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (a distance of nearly 600 miles), and the Canol Pipeline was built along its length. Navigation facilities along the Mackenzie River were improved. Pipelines were laid from Whitehorse northwest 600 miles to Fairbanks; southeast 300 miles to Watson Lake, near the British Columbia line; and southwest 100 miles to the Pacific Ocean, at Skagway, Alaska. The Haines Lateral, almost 150 miles long, connected the Alaska Highway to salt water at Haines, Alaska. Existing airfields were upgraded and new ones built on the Northwest Staging Route. Ancillary facilities, such as a telephone network, were constructed. The Northwest was totally unprepared for this friendly invasion. The Alaska Highway ran through a semiwilderness where many inhabitants pursued a nomadic, harvesting way of life. More than 5,000 trucks arrived where there had been hardly that many people. Edmonton, with 95,000 people, became "the young Chicago of the North." Whitehorse, an obscure village of fewer than 800 people, was to become northern Canada's largest community and the territorial capital. Many other small towns and settlements were overwhelmed by the tens of thousands in the American "army of occupation." This lively history of a great episode in American civil and military engineering is based largely on interviews with veterans and local residents, as well as research in Canadian archives and those of the U.S. Corps of Engineers. K. S. Coates and W. R. Morrison address such related topics as how and why the projects were planned and built; the impact of the newcomers on the environment, the wildlife, and the Native people; social and sexual relations between the Americans and local people; law enforcement; and racism. The anecdotes of the participants provide humor and insights on the events of fifty years ago.

The Alaska Highway in World War II: The U.S. Army of Occupation in Canada's Northwest

Univ of Oklahoma Pr

Land of Midnight Sun

Hurtig Publishers

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