Columbian Disaster, yukon

Along the Robert Campbell Highway there is a very prominent feature on the Yukon River called Eagle Rock as named by the coastal Chilkat Traders. . In 1906 it was the site of the worst accident in Yukon’s Riverboat history. In September of that year the sternwheeler, Columbian exploded and burned. The streamer was carrying a crew of 25 men and a full cargo that included cattle, and 3 tonnes of blasting powder destined for the Tantalus Butte coal mine downriver. Five men lost their lives and another was badly burned. Today, this area is the scene of the aftermath of a massive wildfire that consumed the forest as far as the eye can see.En savoir plus