6/25 Left Teslin early, heading towards Whitehorse along Rt.1. Nothing of particular note along the way, just pretty scenery – how boring. Stopped at Teslin which has two museums one should visit: George Johnson and the Tlingit Heritage Center (Tlingit pronounced “cling kit”). George Johnson was an accomplished Tlingit businessman and photographer who lived in Teslin in the early 1900’s. In 1928 George decided to buy a new four door Chevrolet. There were several problems which George had to overcome, however. The first being that the car was in a dealership in Whitehorse which was over 100 miles from Teslin and there were no roads also, there were no roads in Teslin. George had the car shipped on a paddle wheeler down the Yukon River, up the Teslin River and across Teslin Lake, a journey of about 500 miles. While he was waiting for the car George built a road around Teslin and when the car arrived, sold tickets for rides. In the winter he would sell tickets to go hunting on Lake Teslin – he painted the car white, in winter, for camouflage. The car, in gorgeous condition, is a centerpiece of the museum.
The Tlingit Heritage Center provides a view into the day-to-day life of the Tlingit people and explains their history and culture. It is well worth a stop.
Dropped the camper at the Caribou RV Park in Whitehorse and headed into town to make appointments to change the truck’s oil, and a veterinarian for our oldest dog’s eye infection and nose bleeds. Visited the Government of Yukon building to see the Legislature; rather disappointing after the NWT. The building is quite utilitarian, it houses the administrative offices and has a single Assembly meeting room – it seemed almost an afterthought. We came away feeling that the Assembly Delegates were considerably less important than the administrative bureaucrats.
