November 2019 | SMITHSONIAN.COM 37Dawson City
faced hard
times, with
fewer than 1,000
residents in the
mid-20th centu-
ry. But tourism
has sparked
a revival:
Some 300,000
people visit the
pristine Yukon
in summer.peders were now portaging their boats and supplies
around them, but that took four days. Jack’s group
voted to run the rapids.
The 27-foot boat was heavily laden with supplies.
There were hundreds of spectators on the canyon
walls, predicting disaster. Jack steered with a sweep-
oar as they careened through the white water, and the
others paddled frantically to avoid getting dashed
against the rocks. The current was so swift that they
ran the mile-long canyon in two minutes, with no
damage done except one snapped paddle.
An even bigger challenge came at White Horse
Rapids, which featured big standing waves, jagged
rocks and whirlpools. Again, Jack’s boatmanship got
them through. Then, with admirable generosity, he
went back and helped a young couple run their skiff
through the same rapids. Thompson wrote in his di-
ary that they rested easy that night.
Sixtymile River fl owed into 30-mile Lake Laberge. It
took a week to battle across it in howling north winds
and snowstorms. The going was easier below Laberge,
although the weather was bitterly cold with dense fogs.