Dear Minister Streicker,
The Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA) supports Mr. Wade Istchenko, MLA for Kluane, in his call to the government to explore opportunities to rehabilitate the Canyon Creek Bridge.
The bridge is a popular tourist attraction with a history that connects us to many important eras of the past.
The Yänlin (Canyon) is a traditional meeting and fishing place for the Southern Tutchone. In the early 1900s, it also became an important stop on the way to and from mines around Kluane Lake. Roadbuilders Sam McGee and Gibert Skelly put in the first bridge when they improved the trail to the mines. The partners used their new wagon road for freighting goods to the gold camps. The water course at that time was called Canyon River.
In the early 1920s, the Jacquots had a government contract to repair the bridges and upgrade the 150-mile wagon road between Whitehorse and Kluane Lake. The Jacquots owned a lodge at Burwash Landing and had a base at Christmas Bay on Kluane Lake. The Kluane Road was a vital supply route for their outfitting business and mining activities.
The Jacquots’ bridge over what was now called Canyon Creek was sturdy enough for vehicular traffic, and Josie Sias remembered that construction was done in the winter to minimize problems. In 1928, Gene Jacquot bought a Chevrolet one-ton canopy truck to haul out supplies for his hunting parties.
During the Second World War, the pioneer Alaska Highway was built in a great hurry to facilitate military traffic to Alaska, and the little wooden bridge was rebuilt in a form close to that of the previous bridge. The United States Public Roads Administration built a more permanent steel bridge just downriver on what is now called the Aishihik River. They left the wood bridge in place, perhaps as a local route to the nearby roadhouse and the First Nations cemetery on the hill behind it. Or maybe they too thought the little wood bridge had historic charm and appeal.
The Canadian government took over maintenance of the Alaska Highway in 1964; the Yukon government rebuilt the bridge in 1987 and refurbished it in 2009. Under the careful guidance of Yukon Historic Sites, original components of the bridge were saved whenever possible.
And now, the little wooden bridge so lovingly preserved in form, if not in substance, is again unsafe for public transport. It will be a great loss if the Yukon Government destroys the Aishihik River/Canyon Creek Bridge instead of working toward preserving this historic landmark. YHMA urges the Government of Yukon to seriously explore options for rehabilitation.
Yours sincerely,
Sylvie Binette
President, Yukon Historical & Museums Association
