We’ve been here before.

Back in 1898, Canada nearly lost a chunk of its territory to the United States. The Yukon, home to breathtaking wilderness and spectacular northern lights, almost became American soil.

It all started with gold

In 1896, a member of the Tagish First Nation named Keish discovered gold on a Klondike River tributary near Dawson City. News spread fast and by 1897, thousands of people (mostly Americans) were rushing north with dollar signs in their eyes.

The situation got intense fast. The city's population exploded to around 30,000 people during the height of the gold rush, with Americans making up the majority.

A flood of Americans

Canadian authorities were worried. Thousands of Americans suddenly outnumbering Canadians on what was technically Canadian land.

Making matters worse, the exact border between Yukon and Alaska, which the US had purchased from Russia in 1867, was still being disputed. Plus, some Americans still believed in "manifest destiny," the idea that the US should control the entire North American continent.

Canada's government was legitimately worried. The Minister of the Interior didn't mince words when he expressed concern that the Canadian authority in the region could be "overridden," and the government of that district being theoretically, if not actually, taken out of our hands.

The fear wasn't just paranoia: The US was actively trying to annex Hawaii during the same period. Canadian officials worried that the Americans in the Yukon might establish their own government and then call in US military support.

Birth of a Territory

On March 1st, 1898, the Canadian government ordered a military force to the Yukon.

This Yukon field force consisted of 203 men equipped with rifles, machine guns, and field artillery pieces. These soldiers embarked on a difficult journey, attaching bayonets to long poles to spear salmon when their food ran low. The force split up, with half stationed at Fort Selkirk, another half in Dawson City, where they guarded banks and gold shipments. They never actually fought any battles, but their presence probably discouraged any American takeover attempts.

At about the same time, Canadian authorities passed the Yukon Territory Act, officially creating Yukon as a separate Canadian territory with its capital at Dawson City. This established firm Canadian control over the region.

The border dispute with the US was eventually settled through diplomatic channels, although Canada wasn't thrilled with the outcome. (The British representative on the resolution board sided with the Americans, something Canadians viewed as a betrayal for many years afterwards.)

It's a little crazy to think how different North America might look today if Canada hadn't acted so decisively. This almost-annexation doesn't get a lot of attention in history books, but it was a pretty crucial moment that helped shape Canada as we know it.

First, the Good News 🙂

• Two Brazilian nuns went viral this week after beatboxing and dancing on Catholic TV, using music to promote religious vocations.

• Turkey will now fine airline passengers who unbuckle their seat belts or open overhead bins before the plane has fully stopped.

• An Oregon man and his cat went viral after sailing solo to Hawaii with no prior experience.

The Dumb-Ass Trade War 🥊

• The Québec government has tabled a bill to remove all restrictions on the use and sale of products from other provinces

• Watch Tod’s profanity-laced video about Americans’ attempts at enticing Canadians across the border

Cross-Canada 🍫

• Tabarnac! The Québec French-language czar was really, really mad at busses for showing “Go Habs Go” signs.

• Despite their dive-bombing antics, most Vancouverites says they still love crows

Science News You Missed 🧪

• Artificial blood! Japan is the first country to begin clinical trials of artificial blood. If successful, this could solve of the largest hospital challenges of our age.

• All that backyard feeding we’re doing for hummingbirds is actually changing the shape of their beaks

• A Vancouver Island father-daughter team of fossil hunters discovered a new dinosaur, and now it has a name: Theirs!

• Scientists found that plants produce more nectar when they ‘hear’ bees buzzing nearby

The Dystopian Hellscape 🔥

• A Toronto woman says Dominos Pizza charged her $7,000 for a pizza. And neither the company nor the bank seemed to give a shit about it.

• A new Japanese law prohibits parents from naming their children “overly flashy” or bizarre baby names

• The CIA secretly ran a Star Wars fan site

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