The White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) Depot in Whitehorse was designated for its historic and architectural values. The railway depot is representative of the fundamental role that the WP&YR had in Whitehorse and Yukon's economic history and the development of a territory wide transportation system from the early twentieth century. Its location illustrates the historic link between the WP&YR rail and water transportation divisions.

The WP&YR Railroad was constructed in 1898-1900 to service the Klondike Gold Rush, carrying freight and passengers from the ocean port of Skagway, Alaska to the Yukon interior. WP&YR bought and surveyed the Whitehorse townsite as a typical railway town with the railway depot as the focal point at the two main intersecting streets. The transportation industry was essential to the economic growth and stability of the isolated territory with long distances between communities.

The original WP&YR Depot was constructed in 1900 but burned in the 1905 fire that destroyed downtown Whitehorse. The replacement structure constructed in 1905 was less adorned and smaller than its predecessor. It underwent several additions and alterations to respond to the changing requirements of its occupants. The roof line changed from a traditional style with a two story hipped gable central block with one story hipped gable wings to a 2 story low pitched gable extending the length of the building. The simple plan, stick sign, simulated log cabin siding and wood-shingled roof contribute to the building's northern rustic appearance. The deep canopy skirting the building at the second floor level and large neon sign on the roof add to the visual impact of the property. The open, wood paneled lobby area and large ticket office window demonstrate an original function of the building.

The freighting industry changed after 1942 with the war time construction of the Alaska Highway and the end of large scale river transport with the completion of roads into the interior in the mid 1950s. The freight yards in Whitehorse gradually moved from the downtown waterfront up to the Alaska Highway. The WP&YR Depot remained as the main office and head of operations until 1982 when the rail division shut down. Purchased by the Yukon Government in 1987, the building has undergone extensive rehabilitation and is now leased as office space.

Source: Minutes from Whitehorse Heritage Advisory Committee Meeting 2001-07, Thursday Sept. 20, 2001

City of Whitehorse By-law 2001-66

Character Defining Elements

- Location and setting

- Rectangular footprint except for the dispatch bay on the trackside

- Exterior architectural elements that illustrate its function and contribute to its northern rustic appearance such as the log cabin siding, wood shingled roofs, deep canopy encircling the building, platforms, and the spacing and sizing of wood door and window openings

- Spatial configuration and interior finishes of the main entrance and lobby area, and the central stairway to the second floor

- Fixed vault on the second floor; mobile vault on the first floor

- Neon "White Pass & Yukon Route" sign on the roof

- Rustic stick "Whitehorse Yukon" sign on the street facade

Description of Boundaries

Footprint of building plus 10 meters on north, east, and south sides, 0.5 meters on west side Part of Lot 4, Block 310 Plan 91-55, Whitehorse, YT

Historical Sources Location

YHMA Collection:

--acc. #Y039, Historic Buildings of Whitehorse, Yukon Historical & Museum's Association, 1980, text & photographs

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of south-east corner of depot.

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of depot from Main Street.

--Photo. W.P. & Y.R. Depot - view of depot from Yukon River.

--"The Story of the White Pass & Yukon Route" by W.D. MacBride.

--W.P. & Y.R. Copy from photo display text.

Archives:

--Photo. #3180, Pedersen Photo, Dennett Collection - view north on front Street. c.1920.

--Photo. #5556, H.C. Barley Collection. View of W.P. & Y.R. depot. June 1901

--Photo. #50 (temp.) Acc. # 82/344. William Puckett Collection. View of W.P. & Y.R. depot. c.1903

--Photo. #103, Arthur Vogee Collection. Exterior of terminal under construction; viewed across river. 1900.

--Photo. #263, 264D, White Pass Depot. 1900.

Renovation Information

Extension to the second storey and placement of log siding to the exterior:1950's.

1998 new roof, new windows, interior renovations

exterior painted

Demolition Information

Original depot destroyed by fire in 1905. Depot reconstructed within two months.

Cultural History

The White Pass and Yukon Route Railway was built between 1898 and 1900 from Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon; a distance of 110 miles (177km). It is a narrow (3ft) gauge railway that had 21 stops, in addition to stations these included section houses, water tanks, trestles, tunnels, and bridges. There were four large depots on the route at Skagway, Bennett, Carcross and Whitehorse but many stops included a station or section house of varying sizes as well as support infrastructure. The railway operated continuously until 1982 as a passenger- freight combination then shut down during a recession. The Carcross station was constructed in 1900 and burned in a 1909 fire. The extant building was constructed in 1910 and used as a train depot until 1982. The section from Carcross-Skagway was re-opened as a tourist railway in 2006.

After the great fire of 1905 razed the original station, a replacement was quickly erected. Perhaps due to the necessity of replacing the building quickly, or because the White Pass realized the Yukon’s economy was not what it expected to be, the replacement building was 1100 square feet smaller and architecturally less refined than the 1900 original. Although a small Mail Room was added, the Police Quarters, Private Office, and the separate Customs Office were removed from the main floor. The upstairs apartment was reduced to four rooms from six. Railway station historian, J. Edward Martin, dismissed the building as “a mere two-storey frame box.”[60]

In 1911, further changes were made through a rearrangement of the upstairs apartment into offices. In the mid- to late 1930s, another 19 feet was added to the upper floor, squaring off the hipped roof, and creating more office space. Downstairs was now the exclusive domain of the railway operations and upstairs housed the offices of the administrative staff. This division held until the train service ceased in 1982.

World War II saw the American military take over operation of the railway and as well as another extension to the building. A new addition at the north end of the building added 14 feet to the main floor and 27 feet to the second floor. The extra space was required for the extra personnel operating the railway that went from one train a day to almost one per hour during the peak of the war effort to complete the Alaska Highway and Canol pipeline.[61]

Following the war, White Pass got into the bussing business with their new Highway Division. They took over the American Army bus service to Dawson Creek, bought their own buses, and built some highway lodges. The railway depot was also the bus terminal for several years. White Pass ran the bus service for about 20 years before selling out to Canadian Coachways.

In the 1950s, the ailing White Pass came under new management and was modernized. They were one of the first in the world to explore container shipping. The expansion was made possible by the increase in Yukon mining production and White Pass thrived again. This led to yet another expansion of the depot. In 1953, they added an addition to the south end of the building that balanced the north end addition of 1942. There were interior office rearrangements as well as painting and new finishes. This was done several times in subsequent years. The split log siding was added to the exterior in 1953 to give the depot a northern flair.[62]

Citations:

60: J. Edward Martin, Railway Stations of Western Canada (White Rock: Studio E. Martin, 1980), p.75.

61: Midnight Arts, The White Pass and Yukon Railway Depot, Whitehorse and associated buildings, pp.22-23.

62: Ibid., p.36.

Documentation Location

Heritage Resources, Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Yukon, file #3450-52-01-01

Building Style

The White Pass&Yukon Route Depot is a two story platform framed wooden structure with a wood shingled medium-gable roof. The floor plan is rectangular with a small bay at ground floor level of the east wall near the south end. The exterior walls are clad with log cabin siding and trimmed with corner boards. A wide low sloped canopy roof skirts the building at the second floor level to provide protection from the weather for freight and passengers on the open platform. Window and door openings have narrow wood trim. The platform and foundation are poured concrete.