2 connect all main towns Yukon’s highway system received a substantial boost in 1979 with the official opening of the Dempster Highway and a road connecting Carcross, Yukon with Skagway, Alaska. Also last year, the entire Klondike Highway was treated with calcium chloride to combat the infamous Yukon dust and harden the surface. Although the Alaska Highway is the primary route in and- through Yukon, more and more visitors are discovering the Klondike Highway, which offers a stunning and rewarding alter- native, Heading — , Aorth from _ Whitehorse into the wide, sweeping valleys of the. Yukon River’s drainage system, the Klondike Highway is an excellent * road, much to the delight of first- time travellers. - At Stewart Crossing, the high- way branches off on one side to Dawson City and on the other, to - Mayo. Until recently, the Stewart Crossing - Dawson City stretch has been plagued by potentially- hazardous loose gravel, not to mention dust clouds leaving motorists stranded at the side of the road waiting for the air to clear. And with thousands of vehicles using the highway daily during the summer months, that could take some time. Tourism Yukon officials have pushed in recent years to have that Portion of the highway treated with calcium chloride — in effect, asking for an extension of the government’s dust control program which has been in effect for some time. However, fit nancial restraints made it impossible until now, according to Ken Baker, Director of the Department of Highways and Public Works. The Klondike Highway isn't new, just improved. You can still make the trek to Dawson City and Bonanza Creek where the original gold find was made, sparking the © most sensational and frantic gold rush the world has ever seen, But now you can do it without the dust. Adventure-seekers won't stop at Dawson City, though. Surely the most exciting of Yukon’s roadways in many a year ‘is the Dempster Highway, which made its mark on the world in the summer of: 1979 — bringing with it an onslaught of journalists and tourists from Canada, the United States and abroad. ‘The Dempster is an all-weather gravel road and is in fair to good condition, but even so it is best to travel at moderate speeds to fully appreciate the grandeur of. the scenery and chance-sightings of Yukon wildlife, such as moose and caribou. ‘It also saves wear and tear on your vehicle. MOST OF YUKON’S campgrounds are located on ‘mountains, lakes, rivers and streams in the midst of scenic illustrate Yukon seasons . WHITEHORSE — Canada’s Yukon has fong been known for its natural beauty — towering mountains, brilliant sunsets, Tugged terrain and magnificent waterways. Rich autumn colours, balmy .. summers, crisp winters and tranquil spring mornings make visitors and Yukoners alike, . cherish their time here. But while outdoor splendor is the main drawing card for most who make the journey north, it is not, however, the territory’s only | attribute. & The people of course, do their share. By nature hearty and in- dustrious, they are constantly striving to add to their home's alréady-widespread appeal. Perhaps the most stunning example of this can be seen in the Yukon government’s ad- ministrative building. The seasons in stitches There, hanging high on one wall in the legislative members’ lounge are five hand-stitched wall hangings depicting the seasons, as. well as one entitled Survival, for that time between spring and summer, as well as between autumn and winter, when the north can seem desolate aad, gloomy. Eve McBride and. her sister Julie Aldis, who designed the hangings to illustrate womens’ contributions to the north, wanted to show the stamina often required to survive in the: nor- thiand. u * Realizing the works should appeal to everyone and depict actual Yukoners, the designers also knew the faces and figures should not be recognizable. After poring through Yukon Archives photographs, McBride and Aldis decided on several figures which they used as models, representing both Native and non- te TEE NEL TOOT ES TLE TREE NOTE TE STIS SEE R + beauty. Blue sky, fresh air and clear waterabound in Yukon Territory "'s 207, 076 square miles, Hand-stitched wall hangings THE EFFORTS OF many Yukon women and hundreds of hours went into the design and production of the five wall hangings which adom the walls of the members lounge of the Yukon Legislative Assembly. Visitors to Yukon are always welcome to visit the new government administrative building in Whitehorse. Native Yukoners from an earlier time. * When the completely designed project was introduced to the public in March 1976, it marked the beginning of a long, hard effort; approximately 6,000 hours of* needlepoint and 115,000 stitches in each of the 15 sections (would go into the hangings before ‘they were finally ready for viewing. Two month deadline As if the task at hand wasn’t formidible enough, the stitchers were then faced with an unex- pected dilemma: the Yukon government’s new administrative building was slated for official opening in just two months, and Officials asked if the finished hangings could be included in the ceremony. Most involved said it couldn't be done, but once again Yukoners rallied to the rescue.. Beginning only with women stitchers, the finished product bears the handiwork of nearly 4,000 men, women and children from one end of the territory to the other. Sections of the panels were distributed to. various com- munities, as well as one which was taken to the Sourdough Reunion in Vancouver, British Columbia, coming back with oldtimers’ stitches intact. Panels that stayed in the territory were stitched by groups during their regular meetings, with others worked on by in- dividuals who went to designated work areas to do their part. " Finished on time A lot of work, patience and endurance. When May rolled around, all but one of the five brightly-colored. wall hangings were finished. Stitching continued through the - summer and fall, but even then the job was far from being done, There were consultations about Stretching, backing, and. the proper rods to use in hanging...all especially necessary since each hanging measures seven feet by 13 feet! The panels, which took two- years to. become a reality were started by the Whitehorse branch of the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women. by Tim Cowan What draws hundreds of “thousands of visitors north each 43 ari mountains glisten under the midnight sun and tours down North America’s fifth-largest river, the majestic Yukon, It?s rugged interior plateaus, meadows, ice fields, Arctic tundra, marshland and forests, It’s Kluane National Park on the Yukon-Alaska border, which features not only the highest mountain range in North America — the St. Elias Range — but spectacular glaciers forming what is probably the largest non-polar ice cap in the world, Canada’s highest peak, Mount Logan, at 6,060 metres (19,500 feet) also calls the park ‘home.’ Yes, without a doubt, Yukon is nature at its best. Beginning with the Klondike Gold Rush of °98 when~ thousands of would-be prospectors hit the trails in search of fortunes, Yukon has had a continuous hold on. the world’s centre stage, seldom relinguishing the spotlight. * Magnetic appeal Although the lind and lifestyles have been revamped over the years, there still exists a magnetic appeal keeping Yukoners here and bringing more and more ‘out- siders’ into the fold, : Fluctuating temperatures, light Precipitation and semi-arid climate will do the trick for some; while others are lured by Yukon’s brilliant sunsets, northern lights and magical summers, As an added plus, the land is a virtual paradise for camera buffs, . with. almost total daylight in June, Whitehorse, Yukon’s capital city, is a year-round hub of ac- tivity with its government . buildings, archives, radio and television stations, daily and weekly newspapers, national Mame stores and automobile dealerships. Whitehorse leads Whitehorse is the.exception to the rule where community facilities and populations are concerned: while most have less than 500 permanent residents, Whitehorse ‘alone is now home to about 15,000 year-round citizens. While Whitehorse boasts the highest population, the small town of Faro has rapidly become more and more important,- with its massive open-pit lead and zinc mine operated by Cyprus Anvil. Interestingly enough, the Faro mine is ranked among Canada’s five largest in ‘terms of sales, according to a recent - Financial Post study, and contributes about 40 per cent of Yukon’s economic activity. Today’s Yukoners have all the amenities of their southern neigh- bors and more, much more. The splendor of the sky, imposing mountain ranges and seasons as diverse as the people themselves enhance Yukon’s reputation as a great, —still-untapped _ natural resource, just waiting to be discovered, And so it is, time and time again. We'll make you a present ofour past Drive north. The past unfolds before you in a glorious Pageant: the majestic wilderness as it always was — and as it was always meant to be; the tinhorn echoes of the gaudy, bawdy Gold Rush days; the warmth of a people whose welcome is as wide as the landscape itself. This land is alive with the presence of the past. -Come {ill your days with discovery, your eyes with delight, your camera with memories. Yukon is waiting. To: Tourism Yukon P.O. Box 2703 Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 Please send exciting, full-colour brochures to: Name. Address. City_______— State/Province. Zip/Postal Code. D1 ldlike to know more about convention Possibilities in Yukon. “HOME OF THE KLONDIKE’