Interpretation on Dempster HIghway Photo: Jay Armitage

The highway is named after Insp. William John Duncan Dempster of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). In his younger days as a corporal he was known as ‘The Iron Man of the Trail’ for his legendary dogsled journeys from Dawson City to Fort McPherson, sometimes in temperatures of 40 degrees below zero. Dempster originally came to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. In winter he personally patrolled the route from Dawson to McPherson by dogsled, a 475-mile journey that he completed 10 times in four years. Dempster served with the RCMP at a variety of Yukon detachments for 37 years. When he retired to Vancouver in 1934 he had achieved the rank of inspector.

The highway roughly follows the route of Dempster’s trail. He learned it from the Gwitchin Indians of the region, and they learned it from their ancestors. It was their main transportation link between the Yukon and Peel river systems. The Gwitchin floated triangular rafts down these rivers, carrying goods to barter and trade with Loucheux Indians, and later with white traders. From the turn of the century, Royal North-West Mounted Police patrols mushed their dog teams up the frozen rivers and creeks and over divides between Dawson City and Fort McPherson carrying mail, news and the law.

From Trail to Highway…