Fonds yuk-221 - City of Whitehorse fonds

The builders of the White Pass and Yukon Railroad first surveyed the flat on the west bank of the Yukon River below the Whitehorse Rapids and Miles Canyon in 1899. The railway owners recognized the potential for the site to become a natural distribution and transportation centre to serve the booming population in the Klondike gold fields. They named the new settlement Closeleigh, a name soon changed to White Horse and then Whitehorse. While First Nation people continued to use the waterfront and surrounding areas for fishing and other cultural and economic activities, the meeting of river boats and rail transportation at Whitehorse drew newcomers and businesses to the area. By 1900, when White Pass and Yukon Railway Company finished the railroad connecting the tidewater at Skagway to the riverfront in Whitehorse, the town's population had grown to 1,000 (the first government census for the Yukon in 1901 reported that the winter, or permanent, population of Whitehorse was 800). Because it was the economic engine in the area and had acquired most of the property in the new townsite, the White Pass and Yukon Railway Company Limited played a significant role in the community's development for the next 50 years. The building of the Alaska Highway in 1942 and the Canol Project beginning in 1943 also had a profound impact on Whitehorse. As a centre for rail, water and air access, the town proved invaluable for freighting equipment and supplies to construction sites. In 1943, the town managed to accommodate approximately 20,000 new arrivals. As well as having social and economic repercussions in Whitehorse, the wartime projects also helped to produce lasting political changes. Economic power shifted from Dawson City and Mayo to Whitehorse, and the number of territorial and federal government administrative offices transferred to Whitehorse increased significantly during the 1940s and early 1950s. No elected or appointed municipal government for Whitehorse itself existed before incorporation on June 16, 1950. Since 1900, a Board of Trade had effectively controlled local decision-making by exerting influence on the official administrators of the town - the Commissioner of the territory and his council - and indeed it was the Board of Trade that pressured the Commissioner to establish the City of Whitehorse because of the town's rapid development. After incorporation, a mayor and four-member council were elected, and many functions that had been carried out by the territorial government were handed over. In 1951, the federal government amended the Yukon Act, increasing the number of members on the Yukon Council and providing for two of them to represent Whitehorse. Two years later, on April 1, 1953, Whitehorse became the capital of the Yukon Territory, the most westerly capital city in Canada. The city has provided a wide range of local government services to people in Whitehorse. Services include: water, sanitation, and sewerage; street lighting and maintenance; building permits and inspections; zoning, subdivision development; parks, recreation facilities, and community programs; fire protection; developing and enforcing bylaws; working with municipal organizations and associations across Canada; working with local groups, boards and organizations; hosting receptions for visitors and dignitaries; and promoting events and attractions in the city.