Fort Reliance
64°08′28″N 139°29′06″W / 64.14111°N 139.48500°W
Fort Reliance is an abandoned trading post and military fort in the Yukon Territory of Canada.[1] It is located on the east bank of the Yukon River, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) downstream of the town of Dawson City. The fort was established in 1874 by François Mercer, Jack McQuesten, and Frank Bonfield for the Alaska Commercial Company to serve as a trading post for the Han Indians, who lived in the area and had a village at the site of the fort.[2]
Trading at Fort Reliance continued uninterrupted until 1877. During this time, the post became a major landmark for traders. The Fortymile River, Sixtymile River, and Seventymile River were named for their distance from the fort. In 1877, traders abandoned the fort after natives stole their goods.[3] Traders returned in 1879 and operated the fort until 1886, when it was abandoned due to a gold strike on the Stewart River. The gold strike diverted traders' attention from fur trapping, and thus the fort assumed less importance.[4] After it was abandoned, many of its buildings were used as fuel by the steamboats that sailed the Yukon River. Today, a few isolated buildings and artifacts remain.
References
- ^ Natural Resources Canada. "Bonanza Creek", Geographic Names of Canada. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- ^ Webb, Melody. Yukon: The Last Frontier UBC Press, 1993. p. 61.
- ^ Webb, Melody. Yukon: The Last Frontier UBC Press, 1993. p. 65.
- ^ Webb, Melody. Yukon: The Last Frontier UBC Press, 1993. p. 78.
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