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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Whitehorse, Yukon — The Northern Territories (North America)
 

Copper Nugget

 
 
Copper Nugget Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2010
1. Copper Nugget Marker
Inscription.
This immense slab of native copper weighs 2590 pounds or 1175 kilograms. In 1905, prospectors found the copper on the upper White River, 250 miles northwest of Whitehorse. This is the Yukon’s largest copper nugget, possibly a Canadian record.

Six men ventured into the wilderness in April 1958 to fetch the trophy nugget. Using a Canadian Army caterpillar, the slab was hoisted 400 feet to the riverbank. Guided by dog teams, the group hauled their copper cargo through wilderness, around two canyons, across a river and over a blazed trail to the highway. The operation took five days.

The nugget is dedicated to the pioneer prospectors of the White Rive country: Frank R. Miles, Harry Townsend, Frank Slaggard, Clem Eminger, Bill Blair, and others who staked claims on the White River between 1900 and 1958.
 
Erected by Mac Bride Museum.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ExplorationNatural Resources. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1958.
 
Location. 60° 43.299′ N, 135° 3.104′ W. Marker is in Whitehorse, Yukon. Marker is on 1 Avenue near Steele Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1124 1 Avenue, Whitehorse YT YT Y1A 1A4, Canada. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 4 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this
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marker, measured as the crow flies. White Pass and Yukon Route Railway (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); Log Church & Rectory (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); SS Klondike (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Alaska Highway (approx. 1.9 kilometers away).
 
Copper Nugget Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer
2. Copper Nugget Marker
Inset on the marker is a photo of the copper nugget at the first home of the MacBride Museum ca. 1960, courtesy of the MacBride Museum and a photo of Bill MacBride at the copper nugget dedication ceremony, May 1958, courtesy of the MacBride Museum Collection.
The Copper Nugget, the marker is to the right. image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2010
3. The Copper Nugget, the marker is to the right.
The Dominion Telegraph Office image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2010
4. The Dominion Telegraph Office
"The Dominion Telegraph Office... has been designated a Whitehorse municipal historic site. The office was built in 1900 as part of the Ashcroft to Dawson telegraph line, which was the first quick reliable method for Klondike Gold Rush stampeders to communicate with the outside world. The Telegraph Office survived the 1905 fire which razed many of the buildings in downtown Whitehorse. It served as a telegraph office and operator residence until the late 1920s. It used by the Boy Scouts and by the RCMP in the 1930s and ‘40s. In the early 1950s became the first home of MacBride Museum".
Extracted from http://www.macbridemuseum.com
The Copper Nugget and the Dominion Telegraph Office image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 9, 2010
5. The Copper Nugget and the Dominion Telegraph Office
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on May 26, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 1,122 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 26, 2011, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 19, 2024