Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizens gather for annual celebration at historical Yukon site

Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizens gathered last week for an annual celebration featuring traditional arts, food and culture at the Conrad Historic Site. 

People came together at the historical Conrad settlement on the shores of Windy Arm, on Tagish Lake, about 16 kilometres south of Carcross, Yukon. The site has three names that reflect the traditional use of the area by the Tagish and Tlingit people: Tséi Zhéłe, Sinwaa Éex'i Yé and Conrad Historic Site.

The town — a former gold and silver mining site — was founded in 1905 by Colonel J.H. Conrad of the Conrad Consolidated Mining Company. With 300 people at its peak, it was briefly the largest settled town in the Southern Lakes area. But by 1914 declining silver prices forced Conrad's company into bankruptcy and the town was abandoned.

But even before settlers arrived, the area on Windy Arm was a traditional fishing, hunting and camping spot for the Tagish people. After the town's boom and bust, the Tagish people reclaimed the site.

Colleen James, who helped host the celebration, said there was stew, bannock and a fish pond for kids to mark the day. 

"Fish is integral to what happened in the past to people in Carcross/Tagish," she said. 

There were also a badge-making, colouring and art stations. 

"It's a beautiful day today," James said. 

Chelsea Jeffery, the historical site's interpretative planner, organized a station where panels that explain the site's history were laid out for people to read and provide their feedback. 

Jeffery said the panels will be printed on a permanent surface and put at the entrance to the site.

"They sort of give people context to what they're about to experience," she said. 

"They can understand the many layers of history that kind of overlap in this place."

Many of the original buildings that were built at Conrad have been moved to Carcross, Jeffery explained.

The remains of some log buildings and structures are all that remain of the town today.

For James, the site today is a gateway to fishing and hunting grounds. 

"It's almost like Grand Central Station, if you were to think of a frozen lake or a boat access to trails across the lake," she said, noting that the site's history as a mining town was "really short-lived."

The site is jointly managed by Carcross/Tagish First Nation and Yukon government.