Destruction Bay Explained

Official Name:Destruction Bay
Pushpin Map:Canada
Coordinates:61.2542°N -138.8067°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Territory
Subdivision Name1:Yukon
Area Land Km2:13.57
Population Total:55
Population As Of:2016
Population Density Km2:4.1
Population Footnotes:[1]
Timezone:MST
Utc Offset:−07:00

Destruction Bay is a small community on the Alaska Highway (historical mile 1083) in Canada's Yukon on Kluane Lake.

Populated mostly by non-aboriginal residents, community residents provide Yukon government services to residents in the area (school, highway maintenance), including nearby Burwash Landing and some tourism-related businesses along the Alaska Highway. The name is derived from the wind blowing down structures erected by the military during highway construction in 1942–43.

The community has a one-room school serving kindergarten through grade eight.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Destruction Bay had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of 13.9km2, it had a population density of in 2021.[2]

History

In 1942, a camp was set up to be used by crews working to build the Alaska Highway.[3] It was used for housing of workers, as well as a stopping place for truckers to rest, refuel, and service their equipment. Not long after it was built, a severe windstorm destroyed many of the buildings in the camp, leading to the name Destruction Bay.[4]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census Profile . Statistics Canada . . January 21, 2018.
  2. Web site: Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Yukon . . February 9, 2022 . February 18, 2022.
  3. Web site: Destruction Bay . 2024-07-12 . www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca . en.
  4. Web site: Destruction Bay Travel Yukon - Yukon, Canada Official Tourism Website for the Yukon Territory . 2024-07-12 . www.travelyukon.com . en.