The S.S. Keno was designated a national historic site of Canada because it is representative of Yukon lake and river sternwheeler steamers.

The heritage value of the S.S. Keno resides in its completeness and legibility as a fast water shallow drafter sternwheeler steamer representative of the type of vessel built for Yukon water transportation. The S.S. Keno was built in Whitehorse in 1922 to move ore from Mayo Landing on the Stewart River to Stewart Island on the Yukon River. In 1937 it was cut in half to permit three meters to be added to its length, increasing its freight capacity. She was retired at the close of river navigation in 1953, re-furbished in 1960 and sailed downriver to Dawson where it is managed as a historic site open to the public.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, 1961, Minutes; Commemorative Integrity Statement, 7 July 1997.

Character Defining Elements

Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include:

- the completeness of its hull, superstructure, propulsion and auxiliary systems;

- the physical integrity of the vessel as defined by its original massing, hull construction and design;

- the quality of its construction and its components, in particular its structural framing, mechanical systems and its well-executed carved planking;

- the surviving unity of the original vessel and its equipment, in particular its original surface materials and the details of its appearance as defined by its original colour and exterior elements (lifeboats, lines and spars);

- the surviving original functional organization of its interior and exterior space;

- its siting beside the Yukon River;

- the visual link between its resting place and the Yukon River;

- the viewplane from the vessel to Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site of Canada.

Renovation Information

Permit issued in July 1982 to stabilize building. Permit finalized in August 1983

Permit issued in December 1994 to install sprinkler system. No final date

Permit issued in December 1994 to install sprinkler system in valve house. No final date

Construction Style

Wooden hulled steam driven sternwheeler. Three decks and storage in hull, paddlewheeler at stern, steam engines mid ship.

Cultural History

In 1869, the Alaska Commercial Company put the first sternwheeler on the lower Yukon River to supply the trading posts from St Michaels on the Bering Sea to Fort Selkirk.

By the time of the Klondike Gold Rush, several companies had established trading posts and sternwheelers and a basic transportation system was in place.

Sternwheelers were the only practical craft for the Yukon River. The S.S. Keno, which was built in 1922, had a shallow two-foot draft. This allowed it to navigate through shallow water and sections with ever-changing and treacherous sandbars. It had a narrow beam to be able to make turns around tight, narrow curves. The stern-mounted paddle wheel permitted the sternwheeler to land virtually anywhere along riverbanks and it assisted in getting off sandbars. It was protected from snags and sweepers by the hull. The sternwheelers burned wood to provide steam for their power and all along the river wood camps sprang up to supply the fuel.

The S.S. Keno worked mainly on the Stewart River hauling silver lead concentrate from Mayo to Stewart City. It was also used for the early and late season trips to Dawson City.

The seasonal nature of steamboat operations (three to four months in the summer), along with the development of roads, inevitably meant the end of the steamboat era. By 1955, the remaining sternwheelers were dry-docked for the last time.

The sternwheelers, and the transportation companies which ran them, played an important role in the economic development of the Yukon. They brought in all the supplies required by the Klondike's booming population and in subsequent years supplied all of the heavy machinery, which were essential for the success of industrial, corporate mining. The sternwheelers also made the development of new areas possible and led to the creation of new mines in places such as Mayo.

The sternwheelers were more than a carrier of men and supplies into and out of the territory. They supported a timber industry, contributed to the development and evolution of mining and united the small communities that hugged the riverbank.

Source: https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/yt/klondike/culture/lhn-nhs-sskeno

Documentation Location

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec