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1503

Klondike Gold Rush Yukon Whiskey Mirrored Sign [155000]

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Advertising Signs Start Price:1,250.00 USD Estimated At:2,500.00 - 5,000.00 USD
Klondike Gold Rush Yukon Whiskey Mirrored Sign [155000]
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Yukon Glass Sign, Gold leaf in hand carved letters “Yukon” c1898-1900.

Original saloon mirrored glass whiskey sign for Yukon Whiskey thought to be from a Dawson City saloon used during the Klondike Gold Rush period, circa late 1890s-1905. The framed sign measures 6.25 X 17.75". Original wood frame and wood backing with beveled inset gold-leaf lettering “Yukon” with black border along the cut letter edges highlighting the gold leaf lettering on the edges of the lettering cut into the glass. There is some damage to the mirrored backing around the “Y, U and K”, and along the frame edges, particularly where nails were placed in the wood to hold in the glass sign. The edge of the glass sign inside the frame has a single beveled edge all around, about 5/8” width. No cracks or chips visible.

This sign was sold at auction in Anchorage several years ago, and may have come from a Dawson City saloon, though the exact provenance is unknown. It is in the exact style of certain western whiskey brand signs of the nineteenth century, particularly those from California such as J.H. Cutter Whiskey (we sold a Cutter sign of almost this exact size and style years ago)

Our research shows Dawson to be about a perfect spot for a Yukon Whiskey sign, so we don’t doubt the origin. It would have hung in a saloon of decent patronage. Most of the saloons in the Yukon were known as loud, rousing, boisterous places, full of men, gaming, dancing and cavorting. An Illinois newspaper told the story well: “The Yukon Gold Region - … Until the past summer the social life of the mining camp centered on the saloon, and this was particularly true in winter ... The saloons of a mining camp have no counterparts in the East, and the Yukon saloons have none anywhere. They contain a bar where whiskey and cigars are sold at half a dollar each … elaborate gaming layouts and perhaps theatre and dance hall.” (Inner Ocean, Chicago, Jan 25, 1900)

Enterprising whiskey manufacturers all clamored for licenses to make Yukon whiskey. Canadian governmental officials apparently handed out very few, and many were prosecuted for making Yukon whiskey without a permit. Whiskey makers in Vancouver, Ontario and Montreal all made whiskey bound for the Yukon and called it Yukon Whiskey. It was very popular, and this gold lettered sign is obviously a key promotional item for Yukon Whiskey. A plethora of newspaper clips accompanies this magical, rare, and historic sign.

Included with the sign is an original photograph of the historic 1899 Dawson City fire that destroyed a handful of saloons, along with dozens of other shops and businesses in the downtown area. The photograph is by George G. Cantwell, with his name and "Alaska" printed on reverse, and is labelled "Dawson Fire Apr. 26,'99" on the front lower left corner of the image. Photo measures approx. 4" x 5" and shows several onlookers watching the city smolder. The skeletal remains of a handful of structures can be seen still smoking in the background, along with piles of burnt debris; at least one sign is partially legible in the rubble.

Dawson City, located in the heart of the Yukon, boomed in the 1890s during the Klondike Gold Rush and hosted a plethora of saloons. The prosperous decade went up in smoke, however, as the town was plagued by multiple fires in the last two years of the 19th century, culminating in the April 1899 conflagration that reduced the downtown area to rubble. According to stories about the Dawson City fires, business owners scrambled to save their supplies and inventory, and salvaged all they could from the smoldering debris once the smoke cleared; they were desperate to rebuild and resume operations as quickly as possible as many proprietors were forced by the flames to close up shop and leave Dawson City penniless. Saloon keepers were somewhat luckier than others, though, as the highly profitable liquor trade skyrocketed post inferno with whiskey in high demand the and the cost of shots nearly tripling in price. (Ref: Les McLaughlin, https://yukonnuggets.com/stories/dawson-city-fire-1899).

Date: 1899
Country (if not USA): Canada
State: Yukon Territory
City: Dawson City
Provenance:
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