Entered Confederation: 1898

District of Yukon Copyright

In 1870, Canada bought Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory from the Hudson's Bay Company. After the discovery of gold in the late 1800s, the government sent the North West Mounted Police there to show Canada owned and controlled the area. The Yukon was made into a separate territory in 1898 for two main reasons:

• The Klondike gold rush brought many Americans into Canada. Some people were worried that the United States would use this as an excuse to take control of the area.

Yukon Territory created, 1898 Copyright

• The gold rush had attracted many people to the region. This gave the Yukon a much bigger population and made it a more active area than the rest of the Northwest Territories.

North West Mounted Police town station on 4th Avenue, Dawson, Yukon Territory Copyright