Canada's Colonies: A History of the Yukon and Northwest Territories

by Kenneth S. Coates

Furs, gold, whales, oil--the reason for going north has always been to empty the treasure house. The northern territories are vast and sparsely populated, so southern Canadians have been content to consider the North a colony, not a true part of Canada.
Since the first British naval expeditions to the "Frozen North," the history of the region has been romanticised. This book presents that history as seen from the North itself. Ken Coates begins by describing the resilient pre-European cultures of the Dene and Inuit peoples. Chapters are devoted to each period of development--the fur trade, Arctic whaling, the Klondike Gold Rush, military projects like the Alaska Highway, Ottawa's "bureaucratisation" of the North, and the resource projects of recent years.
First published in 1985, this book shows that modern northern politics have deep roots in the true history of "Canada's colonies."

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

See also Ken S. Coates

Coates, K. 1956-
Coates, K. S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Ken, 1956-
Coates, Ken S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Kenneth, 1956-....
Coates, Kenneth S., 1956-
Coates, Kenneth Stephen 1956-

Ken Coates (born in Alberta in 1956 and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon) is a Canadian historian focused on the history of the Canadian North and Aboriginal rights and indigenous claims. Other areas of specialization include Arctic sovereignty;[1] science, technology and society, with an emphasis on Japan; world and comparative history; and post-secondary education.