Bennett, Atlin Mining Division, British Columbia, Canadai

Regional Level Types
Bennett	Village
Atlin Mining Division	Division
British Columbia	Province
Canada	Country

The Chilkoot Trail and the White Pass Trail converged just south of Bennett pouring all of the stampeders into this location. By 1898 a tent city sprang up with a population of about 10,000 equal to that of Skagway. From here the rest of the trip to the gold fields could be accomplished by water. Boat building quickly became a major industry. A small boat acquired at Bennett could carry a prospector and all of his supplies north through Lake Bennett, through the strait at Carcross, into Marsh Lake and from there into the head waters of The Yukon River. Then, after a brush with the Whitehorse Rapids, it was a long drift to Dawson and the Gold.

“In late May of 1898, the North-West Mounted Police counted 778 boats under construction at Lindeman Lake, 850 in Bennett and the surrounding area, and another 198 at Caribou Crossing and Tagish Lake. It was further estimated that another 1,200 boats were built in these areas over the next few weeks.” (Ken Spotswood, The History of Carcross, Yukon - ExploreNorth.com)

When the White Pass and Yukon Railway was completed on July 29, 1900 a railroad station was soon constructed at Bennett. At that time the boat building shifted to Whitehorse.

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References