The is a major watercourse of northwestern or
Alberta .
The longest river in Alaska and the Yukon Territory, it was one of the principal means of transportation during the
1896 –
1903 Klondike Gold Rush . Paddle-wheel
Riverboats continued to ply the river until the 1950s, when the
Klondike Highway was completed.
''Yukon'' means "great river" in
Gwich'in . The river was called ''Kwiguk'', or "large stream", in
Yupik . The is the former name of the upper course of the Yukon, from
Marsh Lake to the confluence of the
Pelly River at
Fort Selkirk .
The Yukon River has been heavily
Polluted from gold mining, military installations, dumps, wastewater, and other sources. The
Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council , a cooperative effort of 64
First Nations and
Tribes in Alaska and Canada, has the goal of making the river and its tributaries safe to drink from again.
]]
The generally accepted source of the Yukon River is the Llewellyn Glacier at the southern end of
Atlin Lake in
British Columbia . Others suggest that the source is Lake Lindeman at the northern end of the
Chilkoot Trail . Either way, Atlin Lake flows into
Tagish Lake , as eventually does Lake Lindeman after flowing into
Lake Bennett . Tagish Lake then flows into
Marsh Lake . The Yukon River proper starts at the northern end of Marsh Lake, just south of
Whitehorse . Some argue that the source of the Yukon River should really be
Teslin Lake and the
Teslin River , which has a larger flow when it reaches the Yukon at Hootalinqua. The upper end of the Yukon river was originally known as the Lewes River until it was established that it actually was the Yukon. North of Whitehorse, the Yukon River widens into
Lake Laberge , made famous by
Robert W. Service 's "
The Cremation Of Sam McGee ." Other large lakes that are part of the Yukon River system include Kusawa Lake (into the Takhini River) and
Kluane Lake (into the Kluane and then White River).
The river passes through the communities of ,
Alakanuk ,
Emmonak , and
Kotlik . Of those delta communities,
Emmonak is the largest with roughly 760 people in the 2000 census.
Emmonak 's gravel airstrip is the regional hub for flights.
on the
Klondike Highway ]]
over the Yukon north of Fairbanks.]]
Volcano es near the Yukon River, such as
Volcano Mountain in the
Fort Selkirk Volcanic Field , may have once partly blocked or at least altered the Yukon River by
Lava Flows . Any future activity in this area could disrupt the course of the river and could have serious impacts on people living or working downstream.
Despite its length, there are only four vehicle-carrying bridges across the river:
A car
Ferry crosses the river at Dawson City in the summer; it is replaced by an ice bridge over the frozen river during the winter. Plans to build a permanent bridge were announced in March 2004, although they are currently on hold because bids came in much higher than budgeted.
There are also 2 pedestrian-only bridges in Whitehorse, as well as a dam across the river and a
Hydroelectric generating station. The construction of the dam flooded the
White Horse Rapids , which gave the city its name, and created
Schwatka Lake .
The river flows into several parklands and refuges including:
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