Visit Yukon Archives

  • Plan your visit
  • About the collections

  1. Plan your visit

    Yukon Archives is at the Yukon University Whitehorse Ayamdigut campus.

    Find when we're open or contact us.

    We encourage you to talk to our reference staff before your visit. They can:

    • help determine what collections you need;
    • tell you which materials can be retrieved; and
    • explain any restrictions which may apply.
       

    Email: yukon.archives@yukon.ca or phone: 867-667-8061; or toll free in Yukon: 1-800-661-0408 ext. 8061.

    Our Exhibition Room is currently closed.


  2. About the collections

    Yukon Archives holds government and non-government records.

    We hold unique and original records including:

    • letters;
    • diaries;
    • manuscripts;
    • photographs;
    • films;
    • videos;
    • sound recordings;
    • maps; and
    • architectural drawings.
       

    Our library holds an assortment of materials including:

    • fiction and non-fiction books;
    • newspapers;
    • newsletters;
    • pamphlets;
    • periodicals; and
    • federal, territorial and municipal government publications.
       

    We've focused on acquiring records and published material on topics including:

    • the Klondike Gold Rush;
    • the Alaska Highway and Canol Road;
    • northern oil and gas research and development;
    • cold climate research; and
    • content relevant to Yukon and Yukon issues. This includes the ethnography, science and development of the circumpolar north.
       

    Use our research guides to find relevant records for your research. You can also search our collections online.
     

    ​Government of Yukon records

    We get Government of Yukon records through our records management program. Documents date back to 1896. Subjects include education, elections, wildlife, transportation, legislation and land.

    Government records include:

    • Territorial Court and the Gold Commissioner's Court records;
    • estate files of the public administrator; and
    • contemporary records from government departments. These date from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
       

    These records cover subjects such as:

    • education;
    • elections;
    • wildlife;
    • transportation;
    • legislation; and
    • land.
       

    Municipal records

    We acquire records of Yukon municipalities. If the material you are researching is not available online, email yukon.archives@yukon.ca.
     

    Private records

    We acquire private records by donation. There are a variety of records including:

    • White Pass and Yukon Route papers from 1898 to 1980;
    • founding documents of the Yukon Order of Pioneers;
    • the Erik Nielsen fonds; and
    • many smaller photograph and manuscript collections from all over the territory.
       

    Archives library

    Our library houses over 42,000 titles. This includes:

    • over 14,000 monographs and reports
    • 1,800 unique titles of journals, newspapers, newsletters, and periodicals (over 40,000 individual issues and counting, this number will increase as the inventory project progresses)
    • a pamphlet collection of nearly 26,000 small items and ephemera.

    We also hold these Government of Yukon reports:

    • Yukon Hansard;
    • Yukon Gazette;
    • Yukon ordinances and statutes; and
    • Yukon financial and annual reports.