| |
Pelly Crossing -
3rd Checkpoint - 255 miles
|
| |
 Pelly
Crossing is a small community on the banks of the Pelly River,
along the Klondike Highway, 282 kilometers northwest of Whitehorse
and 254 kilometers southeast of Dawson City. Originally a ferry
crossing, Pelly Crossing was a construction camp for workers
building the Klondike Highway. When highway construction ended
in the 1950s, the community's economic base disappeared. The
tiny community gained a new lease on life as the home of the
Selkirk First Nation.
|
| |
 The
people of Selkirk First Nation had settled near the old territorial
capital of Fort Selkirk on the Yukon River. But the highway
passed Fort Selkirk by, so the townsite was virtually abandoned.
The Selkirk First Nation people were relocated to Pelly Crossing
to centralize services and make administration easier. Selkirk
First Nation is part of the Northern Tutchone cultural and language
group and a participant in the Northern Tutchone Council. Northern
Tutchone is a member of the Athapaskan language family.
|
| |
 The
community's general store is converted into a multi-purpose
space for the Quest, with banks of hook-ups for media laptops,
an area for mushers to eat, and space for handlers to wait for
their teams. It's a bustling hive of activity for several days
during a month which would otherwise be very quiet.
|
| |
 The
dog yard is set up beside the general store, in the middle of
town. Almost everyone in Pelly helps out during the Quest, and
everyone comes out to see the teams arrive and depart. Many
people in community know Frank, as he lived and worked in Pelly
for a decade, so they give him an especially warm welcome.
|
| |
