- Country:Canada
- Collection:Gold Commemorative $200
- Metal:Gold
- Year:2023
- Denomination:$200
- Finish:Complete
- Weight (oz):1.002
- Purity:0.99999
- Mintage:
- Product type:Coin
As the Klondike Gold Rush (1896-1899) went on, continued prospecting and the influx of stampeders bound for the boomtown of Dawson City fuelled a demand for transportation. Most made the treacherous journey by foot and boat, but in 1898, work began on a narrow-gauge railroad that would serve as a vital link to the coast-and to the rest of the world.
Completed in 1900, the White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) Railway was a marvel of engineering that spanned 175 kilometres, from Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon. It took a total workforce of 35,000 men to overcome some of the most challenging terrain and complete "The Scenic Railway of the World," the steepest pitched railway in Canada.
As a freight, ore and passenger carrier, WP&YR drastically shortened the journey in and out of the Yukon's interior and facilitated the flow of goods. Freight could be offloaded in Whitehorse then ferried down the Yukon River to Dawson City, while gold could be loaded onto barges and sent upriver to Whitehorse, where it was loaded onto WP&YR trains bound for the coast.
The WP&YR was reopened as a tourist attraction in 1988 and excursions continue to run on the lower portion of the original line. It is a lasting reminder of the Klondike Gold Rush era, when the feverish search for riches paved the way for the Yukon to join Confederation and made Canada one of the world's leading gold producers; but the gold rush also irrevocably altered both the landscape and the lives of the Indigenous peoples who lived there. The legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush is complex, and the effects, both good and bad, are still being felt today.
A variety of bullion coins and bars are available to purchase through select dealers. The retail price of bullion products is based on the international gold, silver and platinum market prices, which vary daily. Bullion coins do not have any fixed mintage unless otherwise stated.
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Special features
Cutting-edge security features include precise radial lines, Bullion DNA and a laser micro-engraved anti-counterfeiting security mark: a textured maple leaf with the number "23" (visible under magnification) to denote the coin's year of issue.
Masterfully crafted by Royal Canadian Mint engravers, the reverse combines two scenes: a depiction of a comparable locomotive that White Pass and Yukon Route Railway used to bring passengers and supplies into the Yukon in the early 1900s; and a view of prospectors using sluice boxes to recover placer gold.
Third in a series of 99.999% (five nines) pure gold bullion coins commemorating the 125__ anniversary of the Klondike Gold Rush (1896-1899), an important chapter in Canadian history.
