Forty Mile, Yukon

Ch’ëdähdëk (Forty Mile) became part of the Tr’ondëk-Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023, recording of the transformation of the landscape and the Indigenous adaptation to European colonization.

[1] In 1886 Jack McQuesten, Alfred Mayo and Arthur Harper of the Alaska Commercial Company (ACCo) established a post here, after gold was discovered on the Fortymile River.

[2] By 1894, Forty Mile boasted two well-equipped stores (ACCo and the North American Transportation and Trading Company), a lending library, billiard room, 10 saloons, two restaurants, a theatre, an opera house, a watchmaker, and numerous distilleries.

On June 11, 2006, the two governments signed a management plan at a ceremony and celebration hosted at Forty Mile by Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon Historic Sites Unit.

Future plans for Forty Mile include improved visitor facilities, a major expansion of interpretive programming, and continued preservation work.