Dawson City - A History of Growing Pains 1896 - 1906
As prepared by Dawson Historian, John Gould.
FISHING STATION (NUKLAKO )
Up until that time the area now occupied by Dawson City was a mud flat and islands, and the home of the Indian fish camp "Nuklako" (page 46, Gamblers & Dreamers, Chariene Porsild) of the Han people. Once the news of the gold discovery became known, there was influx of the prospectors from along the Yukon River, at Forty Mile, and Circle City in Alaska, it was at this time a town grew up at the junction of the Klondike River and the Yukon river. Nuklako was eventually forced to move from this area by the arrival of those who were hoping for a chance to stake a rich claim, and make their fortune.. A new village, Moosehide was established, for the Han people, a short distance down river from Dawson, (Photo, Moosehide Village, NAC PA-017115,H.J.Woodside photo)
Prospectors through out the north had been searching for just such a rich deposit of free gold, for many years.
Joe Ladue moved his trading post and saw mill from near the mouth the Sixty Mile river to the mud flat at the junction of the Klondike and the Yukon river. Joe knew that this was where a town would grow up if the prospect that Bob Henderson had told him about proved up, little did he realize that it would spark the greatest gold rush in history.
In October 1896 Ladue staked a 160 acre town site. His partner Arthur Harper
staked 18 acres, the Northwest Mounted Police staked a 40 acre site as a Government
reserve for Police headquarters. Joe Ladue named the new town Dawson, after
George M. Dawson, a Canadian Geologist and explorer who had been exploring
that part of the country for a number of years.
A total of thirteen lots were staked by the end of 1897, all the flat where Dawson was to the mouth of Bonanza creek, consisting of 830 acres.
Those lots that make up Dawson City to day are;
Lot 1 group 2 Government reserve - Police 40 acres - September 1896
Lot 2 group 2 Harper Estate - 18 acres-November 1896
Lot 3 group 2 Ladue Estate - 160 acres-October 1896
Lot 4 group 2 Smith Addition - 14.3 acres
Lot 5 group 2 Day addition - 42.87 acres
Lot 6 group 2 Menzies Addition - 42 acres
Father William Judge, S J., a Catholic priest arrived in the spring of 1897 and within a short time had a church and a hospital. The Catholic Church acquired 3 acres at the north end of town in late 1896 for this purpose.
©John Gould
(This is copyrighted material and under no circumstances is allowed to be copied or used without the express permission of the author)