Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" On the Unique Things About the Yukon

Since the middle of April when I learned I am a "Lost Canadian", it matters to me to know all I can about Canada. While I have learned many things,  there clearly are a great many things I still do not know and have yet to learn. Today I'm sharing some of the unique things I've learned online about the Canadian Territory of Yukon . . .

The Yukon is a rugged and sparsely populated territory in northwest Canada. It is famous for towering peaks, gold rush history, and extreme northern wilderness. Moose outnumber humans there, and it features unique extremes like the world's smallest desert and Canada's highest peak. 

Extreme Nature and Geography

Mount Logan: Canada's tallest mountain and the second-highest peak in North America. Its massive base is the largest non-volcanic mountain mass on Earth. 
Carcross Desert: Often called the world's smallest desert at roughly 2.6 square kilometers, made of wind-blown glacial silt rather than actual sand. 
Kluane National Park: Home to the largest non-polar ice fields in the world. 
Dempster Highway: A remote gravel road that lets travelers drive all the way across the Arctic Circle. 
Fifth Longest River: The territory’s name probably comes from the word “Yu-kun-ah” meaning “great river.” The Yukon River is the fifth longest in North America.
Rare Gems: Lazulite is an azure-blue semi-precious gemstone. A rare and beautiful phosphorous-based mineral, well-formed crystals of the gemstone occur in only a few places in the world.

Culture & History

• First, First Nations: Yukon was probably the first area in Canada to be settled, following the migration of the ancestors of First Nations people across the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia to North America some 4,000 years ago.
• Population Explosion: After gold was discovered at Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza Creek) in 1896, the Klondike area became one of the most populated regions in the northwestern part of the continent as thousands of hopeful gold seekers headed north. By 1898-1899, Dawson City, at the junction of the Klondike and Yukon rivers, was home to 40,000 people.
• Flag & its Meaning: The Yukon flag was adopted by the Territorial Council in 1967. The flag is made up of three vertical panels. The green panel on the staff side symbolizes the forests, the white in the center, the snow, and the deep blue on the fly side, Yukon’s rivers and lakes. The center panel features the territorial coat of arms and floral emblem, the fireweed.

Wildlife and Climate

More Moose than People: The moose population nearly doubles the human population.
Porcupine Caribou: Over 200,000 caribou travel the longest land mammal migration route on the planet.
Record Cold: The lowest temperature ever recorded in North America (-81.4°F or -63°C) was measured in the Yukon village of Snag in 1947.

Quirky Traditions

The Sourtoe Cocktail: A famous drink in Dawson City served with a real, mummified human toe inside the glass.
Hair Freezing Contest: An annual winter event where people soak their hair in hot mineral water and let it freeze into wild shapes in the sub-zero air. 
See the World: You can see the world in Watson Lake, Yukon. It is there that you'll find the Sign Post Forest a collection of signs brought by visitors from every country you might imagine. It all started when a U.S. soldier was repairing signposts along the Alaska Highway in 1942, and added one with the direction and mileage to his hometown in Illinois. It took until 1990 to reach the 10th sign in the forest, but now there are over 77,000 spread out over a couple of acres, making this an attraction real unlike any other. 
Ancient Remains: Now-extinct animals like the woolly mammoth and the giant beaver used to roam in the Yukon. 

There is SO much more to know, discover, and most certainly love about the Yukon, Canada, and you will find much of it at this link and this link. (Images from Canada.ca)