The SS Klondike is perhaps the most famous attraction in the Canadian city of Whitehorse.
SS Klondike is the name of two steamships, the last of which is now installed as a monument. Steamships carried cargo between Whitehorse and Dawson on the Yukon River. The first steamboat worked from 1929 to 1936, then it was wrecked. The second steamer, an almost exact copy of the first, made commercial voyages to Dawson from 1937 to 1950. The ship was permanently moored at Whitehorse when the bridges blocked the passage of the rear-wheel steamers. Today, the SS Klondike recalls how transport worked in the Yukon Territory in the late 30s of the 20th century. It certainly attracts the attention of tourists: you will definitely want to take a picture with this beautiful steamer!
SS Klondike I was built by the British Yukon Navigation Company (a subsidiary of the White Pass and Yukon Route Railway Company) in 1929. It had a carrying capacity of 270 tons – 50% more than that of a conventional wheeled steamer. At the same time, it had a shallow draft and was suitable for traveling on the Yukon River. The ship ran aground north of the "Thirty-mile" river section in June 1936. The company saved the ship's boiler, engines, and many other parts to build a new steamship. SS Klondike II began operating in 1937. The hull of the first Klondike can still be seen on the river. For example, passing by in a canoe.
The Klondike II carried cargo until the highway that connected Dawson City and Whitehorse was built. Then many vessels on the Yukon River had to be decommissioned. There was an attempt to save the Klondike and convert it into a cruise ship. However, the company was closed in 1955 due to a lack of interest. And the Klondike II remained in the Whitehorse shipyards.