Oldest town in Yukon almost wiped out by ice jams and flooding

The historic town site of Forty Mile is the latest area in the Dawson City, Yukon, region to be impacted by ice jams and extreme flooding.

A large ice jam at the confluence of the Forty Mile River sent water and ice into the site, knocking buildings and structures off of their foundations.

"There's been a lot of movement," said Roberta Joseph, chief of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation. "New buildings, old buildings, off their original locations, which is quite devastating."

Joseph said the extent of the damage isn't known at this time, but once the road into the site is safe to travel ground assessments will be conducted.

"There's been a major flood there," she said. "It raised up to some of the rooftops. Some even higher than the rooftops."

Joseph said that hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of work and time have been lost.

"Every year there are new investments into the site," she said. "In terms of stabilizing, building new structures, archeology work, caretakers.

It's a real traumatic setback."

Joseph said it's not the money lost that has her feeling upset.

"I really feel for the individuals who worked there and looked after the site," she said. "And for our elders who visited the site and so many people who went there for our cultural and traditional camps."

Located approximately two hours down river from Dawson City, Forty Mile is a special place for the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin and visitors alike.

"It has significant meaning and is really important," said Joseph. "We had negotiated as part of our treaty agreement to identify it as a heritage site, and to be able to work in partnership with the Yukon Government through the Forty Mile heritage site management plan."

"We've put a lot of effort into it over the past 20 years."

Joseph said there have been many archeological finds at Forty Mile; some that date back to prehistoric times.