Whitehorse, YT - SS Klondike

This afternoon, we were given a tour of the SS Klondike, the largest of the sternwheelers to operate on the Yukon River, now a National Historic Landmark. The river was frozen 6 to 7 months of every year, so when it thawed, the riverboats were busy. Smaller riverboats ofter handled extra freight by pushing a barge which was very difficult in parts of the river. The SS Klondike was large enough to handle freight needs without pushing a barge. She required 1 chord of wood per hour to run, so up and down the river every 30 or 40 miles, wood was cut and stacked on the side and the boats would have to pull over to the side and load on more fuel, usually around 12 chords. She is no longer in the water, and has been completely restored.