SS Keno facts for kids
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|} The SS Keno is a special historic sternwheel paddle steamer. It is also a National Historic Site of Canada. Today, the SS Keno rests in a dry dock. You can find it on the waterfront of the Yukon River in Dawson City, Yukon, Canada.
This amazing ship was built in 1922 in Whitehorse. It was made by the British Yukon Navigation Company. This company was part of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway. For many years, the Keno carried valuable silver, zinc, and lead ore. It moved the ore down the Stewart River from mines near Mayo.
The Keno stopped working in 1951. This happened because the Klondike Highway was improved. Trucks could now carry goods faster and cheaper. After its working days, the SS Keno was stored in Whitehorse. In 1959, the company gave the ship to the Canadian Government.
On August 25, 1960, the Keno sailed from Whitehorse to Dawson City. It was the very last sternwheeler to travel the Yukon River on its own power. Three days later, it arrived in Dawson. The Keno became a popular tourist attraction. It reminds everyone of the many sternwheelers that helped transport goods and people on the Yukon River for over 100 years.
Contents
| History | |
|---|---|
 Canada |
|
| Name | SS Keno |
| Owner | White Pass and Yukon Route |
| Operator | British Yukon Navigation Company |
| Port of registry | Dawson City |
| Launched | 1922 |
| Completed | 1922 |
| Maiden voyage | 15 August 1922 |
| Out of service | 1951 |
| Refit | 1937 |
| Status | Museum ship in Dawson City, Yukon |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Sternwheel paddle steamer |
| Tonnage | 613.05 tons |
| Length | 140.6 ft (42.9 m) |
| Beam | 30.4 ft (9.3 m) |
| Draught | 3 ft (0.91 m) |
| Decks | 3 |
| Official name: SS Keno National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 1962 |
The Amazing SS Keno Steamboat
The Yukon River is a very long river. It flows for about 3,190 kilometers (1,980 miles) through Yukon and Alaska. Its name comes from a Gwich’in word meaning "Great River." People have used this river for travel for centuries.
In the mid-1800s, it became important for trappers, traders, and miners. But the river was tricky to navigate. It was often shallow, winding, and had fast currents. In 1869, the Alaska Commercial Company started using sternwheel paddle steamers. These boats were perfect for the river. They could float in shallow water and had protected paddlewheels.
River traffic grew a lot during the Klondike Gold Rush. By the late 1800s, about 60 sternwheelers were working on the Yukon River.
What is a Sternwheeler?
By 1914, the British Yukon Navigation Company (BYN Co.) controlled most riverboat traffic. This company was part of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway. As mining grew, bigger sternwheelers were built for the main river.
But many mining camps were on smaller, shallower rivers. In 1922, BYN Co. built the SS Keno. It was made to serve the busy silver mining area around Mayo Landing. This area included the United Keno Hill Mine. The mines were about 290 kilometers (180 miles) up the narrow Stewart River.
Building the Keno
Designed for Shallow Rivers
A.E. Henderson, a BYN Co. foreman, designed the SS Keno. He made it special for shallow water. When first built, it was 130.5 feet (39.8 meters) long. Its width was 29.2 feet (8.9 meters).
For comparison, the larger SS Klondike was over 200 feet long. The Keno was much smaller. Most importantly, the Keno only needed about 2 to 3 feet (0.6 to 0.9 meters) of water to float. When it was lightly loaded, it needed even less.
The Keno's body was made of wood. It had three decks, like most sternwheelers.
- The bottom deck was the freight house, for carrying goods.
- Above that was the saloon deck, with rooms for passengers.
- The top deck was called the 'Texas' deck. It had bigger rooms for the captain and first-class passengers.
- At the very top was the pilothouse, where the ship was steered.
In this setup, the Keno weighed about 553.17 gross tons.
How it Moved: Steam Power
The Keno used a wood-fired boiler to make steam. This steam powered two large engines. These engines turned the big paddlewheel at the back of the ship.
When full, the Keno could carry 120 short tons (109 metric tons) of cargo. It could also push a barge with another 225 short tons (204 metric tons). Besides freight, the SS Keno could carry up to 78 passengers. It had beds for 32 to 53 people.
The Keno was built in Whitehorse in mid-1922. In 1923, its paddlewheel was moved back a bit. This helped the ship move better when going backward. In 1937, the Keno was rebuilt. It was made longer to 140.6 feet (42.9 meters). Its width grew to 30.4 feet (9.3 meters). These changes made the ship's weight 613.05 gross tons.
Keno's Working Life
The SS Keno was ready for the 1922 river season. The rivers in the Yukon were only open for part of the year. They froze over in winter. Its first trip was on August 15, 1922. It carried 120 tons of meat.
Carrying Silver and Supplies
Most of the time, the SS Keno carried silver, lead, and zinc ore. This ore came from mines near Keno City and Elsa. The ore was put into sacks, each weighing about 125 pounds (57 kilograms). Miners brought the ore to Mayo Landing by cart or sled. It was stored there all winter.
In spring, when the ice melted, the Keno would carry the ore. It took the ore downriver to Stewart City. From there, bigger ships took the ore up the Yukon River to Whitehorse. In Whitehorse, the ore was put on trains. The trains carried it to ocean ports. Every 125-pound sack was loaded and unloaded by hand! In 1938, the Keno moved over 9,000 short tons (8,165 metric tons) of ore. On its way back to Mayo, the Keno carried food and supplies for the mining camps. The trip upriver to Mayo took three days. The trip back downriver took only 12 hours.
Bumps and Repairs
The rivers were narrow and fast. They had sandbars and hidden rocks. These could move a lot when the ice melted in spring. Even for a ship like the Keno, designed for these conditions, accidents happened.
On June 8, 1927, the Keno hit a hidden rock on the Yukon River. It sank but was later raised and repaired. In 1933, the Keno was pushing a barge. The barge got stuck on a bend. This made the Keno's stern hit the river bank. Its paddlewheel was smashed, and its rudders broke off. Again, it was repaired and put back into service.
End of an Era
The SS Keno worked for almost 30 years. Because it was smaller, it often helped on the main Whitehorse–Dawson route early in the season. This was when parts of the river were still narrow with ice. In 1942, the Keno helped transport US Army soldiers and equipment. This was during the building of the Alaska Highway.
The Keno stopped working in 1951. The Klondike Highway was finished and improved. Road transport became the best way to move goods and people. The Keno was stored at the shipyard in Whitehorse. Many other sternwheelers joined it there. The BYN Co. stopped all paddle steamer operations in 1955.
Becoming a National Treasure
In 1958, a group called the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC) decided something important. They wanted to save a typical sternwheel steamship. In 1959, the White Pass company offered four sternwheelers to the Canadian Government. These were the SS Keno, SS Casca, SS Klondike, and SS Whitehorse. All were out of the water in Whitehorse.
The board decided to move one ship to Dawson City. It would be a main attraction for the 1962 Dawson Gold Rush Festival. They chose the SS Keno.
The Last Journey
On August 20, 1960, the Keno was put back in the water. Its pilot, Emil Forrest, sadly passed away that day. A new pilot was quickly found. On August 25, the SS Keno left Whitehorse for the last time. Hundreds of people came to see it off.
Before the trip, the ship needed changes. A new highway bridge had been built at Carmacks. It was too low for the Keno to pass under. So, the Keno's pilothouse was removed and placed on the saloon deck roof. Its smokestack was made to fold down flat. Pilot Frank Slim steered the Keno under the bridge. It had only 11 inches (28 centimeters) of space to spare!
After Carmacks, the trip was mostly smooth. The Keno passed the Five Finger and Rink rapids. But it did get stuck on a sandbar near Minto. With help, it was pulled free and continued to Dawson.
A Special Museum Ship
Three days after leaving Whitehorse, the SS Keno arrived in Dawson City. It was the last Yukon sternwheeler to travel the river on its own. It was then pulled onto the river bank and placed in a permanent dry dock.
The HSMBC spent two years fixing and restoring the ship. On July 1, 1962, the SS Keno was officially named a National Historic Site of Canada. This happened during the opening of the Dawson Festival. The Keno became a meeting place and attraction for tourists. It is still a major tourist spot in Dawson City today.
Sadly, many other sternwheelers were destroyed by fire. The Keno is one of only three Yukon sternwheelers left in good condition. Out of about 250 ships that once worked the rivers, it's a true survivor.
