Tr'ochëk, Cultural landscape and national historic site at the Klondike and Yukon river confluence, Yukon, Canada.
Tr'ochëk lies on an alluvial flat of the Klondike River at its confluence with the Yukon, directly across from Dawson City. The flat holds poplar, alder and willow with open grassy meadows, while the steep hillside behind carries moss, spruce and small birch groves. Above the flat, mining has stripped vegetation and soil, leaving a fringe of original spruce along the river bluffs.
Tr'ochëk was a Hän fishing ground with archaeological evidence dating from 1500–1700 CE. In the late 19th century it was the summer camp of Chief Isaac, leader of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, during the Klondike Gold Rush. To escape the stampeders, the First Nation moved a few kilometres downriver to Moosehide with help from the Anglican Church and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The site later became Klondike City, was used for market gardening, and was resettled by First Nation people in the 1950s. It was designated a National Historic Site on July 19, 2002, and joined the Tr'ondëk-Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2023.
The Hän people used this riverside location as a seasonal fishing camp for generations, catching salmon and preparing food for the cold months ahead. The river continues to hold deep cultural meaning for the local Indigenous community today.
Tr'ochëk lies on the upstream flat of the Klondike, directly across the river from Dawson City, which is just to the north. The Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Department of Heritage manages the site, so access arrangements should be checked with the First Nation before visiting. The ground mixes open grassy meadow with brush, and the steep hillside behind the flat is dense boreal forest.
Tr'ochëk's oldest archaeological evidence dates from 1500–1700 CE, but the site was used as a fishing ground at several different times. In the early 1990s, mining on the site prompted the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in to sue Canada over mining claims on unsurrendered Indian lands.
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