Atlin in Stikine Region, British Columbia — Canadas West Coast (North America)
St. Andrew's Church
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Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell
1. St. Andrew's Church Marker
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church served new settlers in Bennett from 1899-1902. Post-stampeders wanted to build boats, not churches, so the first minister held services in bunkhouses, tents, or hotels.
The completed church offered many residents a sense of home and comfort that went beyond religion. People gathered here to chat, smoke, read, write letters home, sing, and play instruments, listen to gramophone, and "do little courting."* The church is the only gold-rush building in Bennett today. It has long been a landmark to visitors.
Caption:
* Written by Reverend Sinclair, minister of St. Andrew's Church.
1. Yukon Archives E.A. Hegg (University of Washington Collection 2461
2. St. Andrew's church being constructed around the church tent
3. St. Andrew's Church, ca 1899
4. Interior of St. Andrew's Church
2-4. Parks Canada C-14-6-38
St. Andrew's Church ca. 1899
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Religion & Religious Structures. A significant historical year for this entry is 1898.
Location. 59° 37.51′ N, 135° 8.318′ W. Marker is in Atlin, British Columbia, in Stikine Region.
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Regionally, this marker is in Northern BC. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 23 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bennett (a few steps from this marker); Me`n Cho`Bennett Lake (a few steps from this marker); Fraser (approx. 11.3 kilometers away); a different marker also named Fraser (approx. 11.6 kilometers away); Pitch Fork Falls (approx. 17.8 kilometers away in the U.S.); Asaayνx' Kudziteey Haa Lιelk'u Hαs Aanν (approx. 20.7 kilometers away in the U.S.); Skagway Remembers (approx. 21.2 kilometers away in the U.S.); Before the Gold Rush (approx. 21.2 kilometers away in the U.S.). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlin.
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell
2. St. Andrew's Church Marker
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell
3. St. Andrew's Church Marker
Photographed by Sandra Hughes Tidwell
4. St. Andrew's Church Marker
They hold socials, write letters, have business meetings, meet engagements read smoke, and file saws (when there are no ladies present). and sometimes do a little courting in the place, which is a better-equipped town, they would reserve exclusively for worship.
Reverend J. A Sinclair
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is a symbol of Bennett's boom period, Not just a place of worship-although the building committee included a Roman Catholic, a Congregationalist, two Episcopalians, and two Presbyterians - the church was the focus of the town's social scene Reverend James Sinclair, who oversaw its construction in 1899,boasted that the church was" ...the most popular rendezvous in Bennett".
Credits. This page was last revised on January 26, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. This page has been viewed 425 times since then and 138 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 18, 2024, by Sandra Hughes Tidwell of Killen, Alabama, USA. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
