Atlin, British Columbia

Atlin is a town in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, located on Atlin Lake. The name comes from AA Tlein, the Tlinglits word for " large body of water ." The area was settled by Inland Tlingit for many years; Atlin is the capital of the " Taku River Tlingit First Nation ".

• 7.1 company
• 7.2 Tourism

Location

Atlin is located in the middle of the eastern shore of the long-drawn Atlin Lake, which has a north-south extent of about 100 km. From the border of British Columbia to the Yukon Territory of place approximately 45 km ( straight line ) is removed, so it is accessible by road only from the Yukon.

History

Originally Atlin gold mining town. The " Atlin gold rush " came in 1898 in the area of Atlin and was one of the most profitable parts of the Klondike Gold Rush. At the end of the gold prospecting season in 1899 about 5,000 people had come to the region and Atlin was a busy and important city. Although the promotion in the early years was greatest, is mined in Atlin today gold. The total gold production has exceeded the value of U.S. $ 23 million.

In the 1920s, Atlin was a popular destination for " exotic" vacations. Today's road did not exist, therefore the tourists had on Canada's west coast, arriving Yukon River and a series of lakes. Since the track was not navigable was a part of it, covered the land bridge between Tagish Lake and Atlin Lake, with a railroad. This railway was operated as " Taku Tram " from 1926 by the White Pass and Yukon Route. The last part of the trip took over the Atlin Lake, among other things, on the ship " MV Tarahne ", which is now a historical monument on the shores of the lake in Atlin. As a property served, among other things, the mundane, 3-storey hotel " Atlin Inn ", which was operated by the White Pass and Yukon Route. During this time, Atlin received due to its surrounded by mountains nicknamed " Little Switzerland of the North " ( "Little Switzerland of the North" ). In the wake of the global economic crisis, tourism in Atlin went back, so that the White Pass and Yukon Route also gave the hotel (which later burned down ), and the traffic routes. Atlin had a very isolated position, which only changed with the construction of the Atlin Road in 1950-51 in the sequence.

Was in the course of history, and is today operated in Atlin Mining - both of individuals and of large enterprises. Have been degraded or are, among others, gold, silver and molybdenum. Furthermore, Atlin is now a popular destination of tourists who run, among other things fishing, hunting, hiking and heli-skiing.

Atlin was also affected by the impact ( asteroid impact ), which crippled the Yukon power grid on 18 January 2000.

Religion

In Atlin, there are three churches of different denominations.

Attractions

Atlin is rich in historical mining facilities, which can be found in more or less good original condition throughout the region.

The Atlin Museum provides information and exhibits on the town and its history. It is located in an old school house that was built in 1902. In addition to this building located in the center a few other historic buildings from the time of the gold rush.

On the shore of Atlin Lake is the MV Tarahne, a motor ship going in the 1920s in regular service on the Atlin Lake. After it, in order to manage the high volume of traffic had to be extended even to a piece, it was shut down in the wake of the decline of tourism in Atlin. Later it was restored, it can also be visited after registration today.

A special attraction is the rich nature in and around Atlin. In addition to many lakes and mountains, it is an opportunity to experience wildlife up close. Due to the northern location there in summer to more than 18 hours of daylight. In autumn and winter can be observed here is the aurora.

In winter, the frozen lakes offer many opportunities for cross-country skiing, ice skating, hiking or snowmobiling

Culture

The Globe Theatre was built in 1917 as a cinema and renovated in 1998. It also has a stage was built. Today, theater plays, musicals and movies there are demonstrated. Since 2003, every year in July, the " Atlin Arts & Music Festival", the performances and exhibitions of different artists from across Canada as well as various workshops offers.

Infrastructure

Traffic

The nearest major town is at a distance of 175 km Whitehorse. Here is the Whitehorse Airport also provides a connection to the national and international air traffic is present. A regular bus service to Whitehorse offers the Atlin Express, which runs three times a week between Whitehorse and Atlin. The Atlin Road ( Yukon Territorial Highway No. 7) on the all year passable by normal car, is since its construction in 1950-51 the main route to and from Atlin; they do leads from Atlin 98 km to the north the Tagish Road, which opens into the Alaska Highway after 2 km at Jake 's Corner. The road is paved for about one-third, the rest is gravel and continuously maintained.

The streets in the center are mostly paved, outside the center there is an extensive network of gravel roads. In addition, there is an airfield, which can be served by small aircraft. However, a scheduled air service does not exist. On the lake today there is no regular transport more, Desk there are providers of boats and boat tours on-site.

Supply and disposal

At Pine Creek at the time of the Gold Rush, there was already a hydroelectric power plant with two turbines, which supplied the mining facilities with electricity. However, this plant has long been no longer in operation and finally plummets. Today Atlin has a powered with diesel engines power plant, which supplies the town center and surrounding districts has its own power grid with the usual in Canada AC voltage of 120 V/60 Hz. At present (2009) is a hydroelectric power plant under construction, which is fed from the Pine Creek and to replace the diesel power plant in the foreseeable future.

A public water or sewage system does not exist. The water is drawn from the lake or from private wells, while disposing of the waste water through septic tanks or waste water tanks, which are emptied regularly occurs.

Communication

Atlin is connected to the public telephone network. An Internet connection is via satellite anywhere possible (if a power supply is available)

Health service

The village has a clinic which provides basic health care.

Education

The Atlin School offers an education from kindergarten to twelfth grade ( Senior Secondary School).

Economy

Business

In addition to various companies, which are to ensure the basic needs of the town, some mining companies active in Atlin. Due to the high commodity prices, some new mining projects were launched in 2008. Such a camp was established on Pine Creek, to serve several hundred workers at a molybdenum mine as property subsequently.

Tourism

In addition to mining, tourism in Atlin occupies a certain value. From campsites about Bed and Breakfasts to hotels, diverse people and businesses deal with the accommodation of visitors. In the winter, is operated on the mountains around heli.

In addition, the town is the starting point for tours into and through the Atlin Provincial Park and Recreation Area, which is located on the opposite side of the river.