YUKON TERRITORY (see 28.945 and 15.847). Although at one time the pop. of the Canadian province reached 30,000 to 35,000 the decline of the mining industry had reduced it to about 5,000 in 1921. Since the establishment of government in Yukon the administration of justice has been in the hands of the North-West Mounted Police, whose services in preserving law and order have been invaluable.
In the northern portion of the territory the ground below the surface remains frozen throughout the year, but from June to Oct. the climate is warm and sunny and vegetation grows freely in the valleys. Wild fruits such as bilberry, bearberry, crowberry, bog apple, currant, raspberry, foxberry and high-bush cranberry occur, besides numerous species of phanerogams. The Yukon is not an agricultural country, but oats, barley, rye, flax, potatoes, turnips and other garden vegetables are successfully raised. Parts of the territory are wooded with fair sized timber. White and black spruce are the most important trees, reaching 2,400 ft. above sea level: specimens having 21-in. stumps have been noted but the average diameter ranges from 12 to 16 inches. The timber cut is for home consumption. Poplar (two varieties) and canoe birch are found, also willows, alder, juniper and other shrubs, which form thickets and dense undergrowth.
Moose, caribou and sheep are plentiful in most localities, and black, brown and grizzly bears are numerous. Wolverines, marten, lynx, ermine, rabbits and fox are the chief fur-bearing animals. The commonest birds are the Alaska jay, Swainson hawk, northern varied thrush, fox sparrow, grey checked thrush, and there are Hutchin geese, partridge, ptarmigan and ducks of many varieties. The waters of the Yukon are well stocked with fish, especially salmon, whitefish, trout, pickerel and pike.
The old primitive methods of extracting gold have been replaced by dredging and modern hydraulic methods. In 1920 the production of gold from the Yukon territory was 72,140 oz., against 90,705 oz. in 1919. This was obtained almost wholly from the alluvial sands and from the gold ores of the Conrad district. There has been a gradual falling off in production since 1913, when about 283,000 oz. worth $6,000,000 were mined. It was estimated in 1920 that the total output of gold had been over $150,000,000. Coal, copper, silver and other ores are mined and discoveries of silver ores at Kerro Hill have been reported.
The mountain system of the Yukon is the most remarkable in Canada, not only in regard to height and extent of glaciers, but also in scenic grandeur, majesty and imposing nature. It contains Mt. St. Elias, just within Canadian territory as delimited by the joint commission of boundary surveyors (17,978 ft.), and Mt. Logan within 20 m. of it (19,539 ft.). These, along with Mt. McKinley in Alaska, are the highest peaks on the North American continent.
