Pelly Crossing, Yukon
Encyclopedia
Pelly Crossing is community in the Yukon
, Canada
. It lies where the Klondike Highway
crosses the Pelly River
. Population in 2008 was 291.
It is the home of the Selkirk First Nation
, and home to the Northern Tutchone
culture. Cultural displays and artifacts are housed in a replica of Big Jonathan House. Visitors can make the journey from Minto by boat to visit the original structure down the Yukon River at Fort Selkirk
, an important historic and cultural site for the Northern Tutchone people.
to Dawson City was built in 1950. With the completion of the Pelly River bridge and the road to Dawson City, sternwheeler traffic on the Yukon River came to a halt. Fort Selkirk, located near the confluence of Pelly and Yukon Rivers, was virtually abandoned. The Selkirk First Nation moved from Fort Selkirk to Minto Landing before settling at Pelly Crossing. Today, the restored Fort Selkirk is a common stop for Yukon River travelers.
Visitor services include food, gas and lodging. There is one motel, take-out food, a grocery store, gas and diesel, minor vehicle repairs, a campground, post office and bank. Wild Things Harvest, featuring wild edibles from the Bush, is located south of town.
sled dog race.
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It lies where the Klondike Highway
Klondike Highway
The Klondike Highway links the Alaskan coastal town of Skagway to Yukon's Dawson City and its route somewhat parallels that used by prospectors in the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush....
crosses the Pelly River
Pelly River
The Pelly River is a river in Canada, and is a headstream of the Yukon River. The river originates west of the Mackenzie Mountains and flows 530 km long through the south central Yukon. The Pelly has two main tributaries, the Ross and Macmillan rivers.The river was named by Robert Campbell in...
. Population in 2008 was 291.
It is the home of the Selkirk First Nation
Selkirk First Nation
The Selkirk First Nation is a First Nation in the central Yukon Territory in Canada. Its original population centre was the trading post of Selkirk, Yukon along the Yukon River, but most of its citizens now live in Pelly Crossing, Yukon where the Klondike Highway crosses the Pelly River. The...
, and home to the Northern Tutchone
Northern Tutchone
The Northern Tutchone are a First Nations people living mainly in the central Yukon in Canada. The Northern Tutchone language, originally spoken by the Northern Tutchone people, is a variety of the Tutchone language, part of the Athabaskan language family...
culture. Cultural displays and artifacts are housed in a replica of Big Jonathan House. Visitors can make the journey from Minto by boat to visit the original structure down the Yukon River at Fort Selkirk
Fort Selkirk, Yukon
Fort Selkirk is a former trading post on the Yukon River at the confluence of the Pelly River in Canada's Yukon. For many years it was home to the Selkirk First Nation ....
, an important historic and cultural site for the Northern Tutchone people.
History
The Selkirk First Nation community was established as a ferry crossing and a highway construction camp when the Klondike Highway from WhitehorseWhitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
to Dawson City was built in 1950. With the completion of the Pelly River bridge and the road to Dawson City, sternwheeler traffic on the Yukon River came to a halt. Fort Selkirk, located near the confluence of Pelly and Yukon Rivers, was virtually abandoned. The Selkirk First Nation moved from Fort Selkirk to Minto Landing before settling at Pelly Crossing. Today, the restored Fort Selkirk is a common stop for Yukon River travelers.
Geography
Pelly Crossing is located on the Pelly River, 155 miles south of Dawson City on the Klondike Highway.Climate
Community
The local community is based on hunting, trapping, fishing and guiding. There is a school, curling rink, baseball field, swimming pool, church, youth center and laundromat.Visitor services include food, gas and lodging. There is one motel, take-out food, a grocery store, gas and diesel, minor vehicle repairs, a campground, post office and bank. Wild Things Harvest, featuring wild edibles from the Bush, is located south of town.
Sports
Every February, Pelly Crossing hosts a checkpoint for the long-distance Yukon QuestYukon Quest
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon...
sled dog race.