ORIGINS OF THE POSTAL SERVICE
IN THE YUKON

In June 1900, the White Pass
Railway between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon was completed, marking the end of an era. With the mail service covering a larger area, dog-teams would now be used to deliver mail only to remote parts. By 1900, seven post offices had been established in the Yukon: Lake Bennett (1898), Tagish Lake (1897), Whitehorse (1900), Fort Selkirk (1899), Hunker (1899), Dawson (1897) and Fort Cudahy²¹ (1894).²² "During the winter of 1900-01 White Pass stages [horse-driven coaches] made regular trips from the White Pass to Dawson and delivered all classes of mail."²³

Government Services Building Under Construction, White Horse, Yukon, September 7, 1901 © Public domain National Library and National Archives of Canada, PA-126307 The White Pass and Yukon Railway, operating between Skagway, Alaska and White Horse (later changed to Whitehorse), Yukon, was completed on June 8, 1900, providing a reliable mail route. This building would accommodate the new post office as well as the customs office, the courthouse and the office of the mining registrar. The original post office in White Horse had opened on June 1, 1900.

Post Office, White Horse, Yukon © Public domain National Library and National Archives of Canada, PA-067209 F.W. Cane was the first postmaster at White Horse; he was previously the postmaster at Bennett.

Dawson Post Office, Yukon, ca. 1900–10 Photo: Ellingsen © Public domain National Library and National Archives of Canada, PA-059942 This was the town's sixth post office, opened in November 1900 on the corner of Third Avenue and King Street.

J. Johnston, Postmaster at Mayo, Yukon Territory Photo: Kinsey & Kinsey © Public domain National Library and National Archives of Canada, PA-100470 In 1906, miners found deposits of silver and copper near Mayo Landing. The area was not developed, however, until 1913, and a post office was officially opened there on June 19, 1914. The village adopted the name of Mayo in 1958.