Pelly Crossing facts for kids
Pelly Crossing is a small community in Yukon, Canada. It is located where the Klondike Highway crosses the Pelly River. This place is the home of the Selkirk First Nation people and a center for their Northern Tutchone culture.
You can learn about their culture at a special building called Big Jonathan House, which is a copy of an old, important structure. If you travel by boat from Minto, you can visit the original Big Jonathan House at Fort Selkirk. This historic site is very important to the Northern Tutchone people.
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History of Pelly Crossing
Pelly Crossing started as a place where people could cross the river by ferry. It was also a camp for workers building the Klondike Highway in 1950. This highway connects Whitehorse to Dawson City.
When the bridge over the Pelly River was finished, large riverboats called sternwheelers stopped traveling on the Yukon River. Because of this, Fort Selkirk, which was a busy place nearby, became almost empty. The Canadian government asked the Selkirk First Nation members to move from Fort Selkirk. They first moved to Minto Landing and then settled in Pelly Crossing. Today, Fort Selkirk has been restored and is a popular stop for people traveling on the Yukon River.
Where is Pelly Crossing?
Pelly Crossing is located right on the Pelly River. It is about 155 miles (250 kilometers) south of Dawson City along the Klondike Highway.
Pelly Crossing's Climate
Pelly Crossing has a subarctic climate. This means it has short, warm summers and very long, cold winters. Temperatures can get extremely cold, sometimes reaching as low as -60 degrees Celsius (-76 degrees Fahrenheit)! The weather is usually quite dry, and even in summer, the nights stay cool.
Population of Pelly Crossing
In the 2021 Census, Pelly Crossing had a population of 316 people. This was a small change from its 2016 population of 353 people.
Things to Do in Pelly Crossing
Life in Pelly Crossing often involves traditional activities like hunting, trapping, fishing, and guiding. The community has several facilities for residents. These include a school, a curling rink, a baseball field, a swimming pool, and a youth center.
Sports and Events
Every February, Pelly Crossing is an important checkpoint for the Yukon Quest. This is a very long and famous sled dog race that covers hundreds of miles.
