Yukon’s gold potential was first recognized during the great Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Over 20 million ounces (600 million grams) of gold have been recovered from the Klondike placer mining district and production is ongoing. Several other areas of Yukon, such as Mayo-McQuesten, Dawson Range, Livingstone Creek, Kluane and Whitehorse South, have historical and recent placer gold mining activity. Today nearly all placer operations are small, family-owned-and-operated, with three or four employees.
Quick Fact
Over 518 tonnes (over $10 billion in today’s dollars) of placer gold have been produced to date in Yukon.
Placer Mining Economics
112 years after the discovery of gold in Yukon, placer mining is still an important sector in Yukon’s economy. Royalty records, which represent the minimum amount of gold production, show that over 16.6 million crude ounces (518 tonnes) of placer gold have been produced to date in Yukon — at today’s prices that would be worth more than $10 billion.
In 2008, there were approximately 105 active placer mining operations, directly employing approximately 350 people. The total Yukon placer gold production for 2008 was 49,968 crude ounces (1,554,180 g), compared to 63,929 crude ounces (1,988,431 g) in 2007. The value of this 2008 gold production was CDN$36.9 million or US$34.8 million.
Approximately 85 percent of Yukon’s placer gold was produced in the Dawson Mining District, which includes the unglaciated drainages of Klondike River, Indian River, West Yukon (Fortymile and Sixtymile Rivers), and lower Stewart River. The remaining gold came from the unglaciated Moosehorn Range in the Whitehorse Mining District, in addition to other placer mining areas in the glaciated Mayo and Whitehorse mining districts.
