New plaques are in place on the base of the Prospectors Statue at the Elijah Smith Building in downtown Whitehorse.
The statue at the corner of Third Avenue and Main Street features a prospector and his dog. As the Yukon Prospectors Association said in a statement, the statue is designed to epitomize prospectors following their dreams.
“The statue celebrates the Yukon prospectors who struggled against seemingly impossible odds, suffered undue hardships and incurred incredible risks in their search for minerals in the territory,” it was highlighted in a statement by the association. “The prospectors that came to the Yukon in the mid-nineteenth century and onwards were greatly helped in many ways by the Indigenous people who had been here from time immemorial.”
At the base of the statue are the plaques recognizing awards presented to prospectors in the territory.
Among them are the Prospectors Hall of Fame which honours those who make key mineral discoveries; the Honour Roll dedicated to individuals and groups that have supported prospectors, exploration companies, mining and exploration projects; and the Prospector of the Year which is handed out annually to a recipient who has made significant discoveries or contributed significantly to the field throughout their career in the Yukon.
The new plaques have been updated to recognize more recent award winners as well as to recognize those who designed and built the statue, which was unveiled in 1992.
The rededication ceremony for the new plaques will be held at the statue at 4 p.m. Nov. 20.
Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com