The Overland Trail was a Klondike Gold Rush-era transportation route between Whitehorse, Yukon and Dawson City in Yukon, Canada. It was built in 1902 at a cost of CDN$129,000 after the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad won a contract to deliver mail to the Dawson City gold fields from the Canadian government. The trail consisted of a -long, wide graded surface with culverts in some locations.Webb, p. 235 Before its construction, transportation to Dawson City required a steamboat trip on the Yukon River during the brief subarctic summer, or dog sleds after the rivers had frozen.Killick, p. 57

After its construction, horse-drawn stagecoach routes soon were established. Even with this regulated travel, it took five days to travel between the two towns. Sleighs were substituted for coaches once snow began to fall, and passengers were charged CDN$125 for a one-way trip.PR Services, Ltd. "Overland Trail", Yukoninfo.com. Accessed March 3, 2009.

The first automobile used the trail in 1912,Webb, p. 238 but soon afterward, declining returns from the gold mines caused the population of Yukon to drop precipitously. In 1921, the White Pass discontinued operating stages on the Overland Trail, and the mail contracts were awarded to other contractors thereafter. In 1922, the mail contractor switched from horse-drawn vehicles to motor vehicles. In 1955, a new automobile highway was built north from Whitehorse to Mayo, with a spur to Dawson City. This highway made the Overland Trail obsolete, and it fell into disrepair.Killick, p. 58 That road itself was replaced by the Klondike Highway. Today, the Overland Trail is primarily a recreation route for sled dog teams, snowmobiles, and other tourism-related activities. Artifacts relating to the Gold Rush-era use of the trail are plentiful along the route, which is used in February as part of the Yukon Quest, a 1,000-mile sled dog race between Whitehorse and Fairbanks, Alaska.

White Pass & Yukon Route overland trail equipment, 1901–1921 + White Pass WagonsPassenger wagon bodies had thoroughbrace (leather straps) suspension. Freight wagon seats had spring suspension. Freight wagons hauled ore, wood, and feed. (29 units) 1909-Ser. Road No.The listed wagon road numbers are the official 1909-series numbers. Wagons were officially renumbered in January 1905 and, again, about 1909. Type Builder(s) Year built RemarksPassenger capacities exclude the driver but include additional riders on the driver’s bench.1Passenger WagonGear: Abbot-Downing Co. (Concord, New Hampshire); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190241 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Original body of #1 appears to have been installed on Sleigh #42 or 43 in January 1905. One of ##1, 4, 7, and 8 (four passenger wagons) was destroyed by a flood at Carmacks in 1918, leaving three. One was sold in 1928, leaving two. The remaining two of ##1, 4, 7, and 8 were written off in 1950.2Passenger WagonGear: Abbot-Downing Co. (Concord, New Hampshire); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190241 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Original body of #2 appears to have been installed on Sleigh #42 or 43 in January 1905. Sold in 1928 to interests at Denali Park.3Passenger WagonGear: Pacific Wagon Co. (Seattle); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190341 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Middle bench seat removed, thereby reducing passenger capacity to 8. Given to the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1944. Put on display at Yukon Historical Society Museum in 1953. Museum renamed MacBride Museum in 1967.4Passenger WagonGear: Pacific Wagon Co. (Seattle); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190341 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #1, above.5Passenger WagonGear: Pacific Wagon Co. (Seattle); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190341 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Given to the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1944.6Passenger WagonGear: Pacific Wagon Co. (Seattle); Suspension and Body: WP&YR190441 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Middle bench seat removed, thereby reducing passenger capacity to 8. Sold to E. J. Spinney Trucking Service in 1944. Mr. Spinney died in 1948. Wagon put on display by 1953. Wagon put on display by 1953 at Carcross, Yukon.7Passenger WagonSuspension and Body: WP&YR1906For disposition, see, Remarks for #1, above.8Passenger WagonSuspension and Body: WP&YR1915For disposition, see, Remarks for #1, above.9Passenger WagonSuspension and Body: WP&YR191743 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 11 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. Suspension and body built by White Pass. Written off in 1950. Put on display at Yukon Historical Society Museum in 1953. Museum renamed MacBride Museum in 1967. Wagon has green paint.10Heavy Freight WagonGear: Studebaker Bros. (South Bend, Indiana); Body: WP&YR190244 in. front & 54 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. Originally, #7. Officially renumbered to 10 about 1909. Written off in 1950.11Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. One of ##11-15 (five Bain heavy freight wagons) was sold in 1912, leaving four. One was sold in 1940, leaving three. Parts of one were sold in 1948, leaving two. The remaining two of ##11-15 were written off in 1950.12Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #11, above.13Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #11, above.14Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #11, above.15Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #11, above.16 (physically retaining #9)Heavy Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)190245 in. front & 56 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. & 5 tons of freight. Originally, #9. Officially, renumbered in 1905 and 1909. Nevertheless, physically retained #9, possibly because it may have been taken out of service by 1905. Transferred to the Yukon Transportation Museum in 1990.17Store Wagon (South Bend, Indiana)190434 in. front & 49 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 2½ tons of freight. Written off in 1950.18Concord Road WagonGroton Carriage Co. (Groton, New York)190441 in. front & 46 in. rear wheels. Cap’y = 3 Psgrs. Sold in 1928.19Break CartFraser Road Cart Co.190349 in. wheels. Cap’y = 0 Psgrs. (other than the driver). Used to train horses. Written off in 1950.20Light 2-Horse BuckboardWP&YR1907Sold in 1922.21Light 4-Horse BuckboardWP&YR1907Sold in 1928.22Heavy 4-Horse BuckboardWP&YR1909Cap’y = 4 Psgrs. & 1¾ tons of freight. Sold in 1924.23Medium Freight WagonBain Wagon Co. (Kenosha, Wisconsin)1909Sold in 1926.24Single Buggy1911Written off in 1950.25Light Buckboard w/Top1915Sold in 1917.26Medium Freight Wagon1915Sold in 1926.27Light Freight Wagon1916One ##27 and 28 (light freight wagons) was sold in 1926, and the other was sold in 1929.28Light Freight Wagon1917For disposition, see, Remarks for #27, above.29Side Bar Road Wagon1917Sold in 1924.

+ White Pass SleighsFreight sleighs hauled ore, wood, and feed. (54 units) 1909-Ser. Road No.The listed sleigh road numbers are the official 1909-series numbers. Sleighs were officially renumbered in January 1905 and, again, about 1909. Type Builder(s) Year built Remarks31Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. One of ##31, 32, 34-35, 38-40 and 44 (eight 75 in. bob passenger sleighs) was sold in 1924, leaving seven. One was sold in 1925, leaving six. One was scrapped in 1929, leaving five. One lost its running gear in Laberge Lake in 1930, leaving four. Two were sold in 1931, leaving two. One was sold in 1932, leaving one. The remaining one of ##31, 32, 34-35, 38-40 and 44 was sold in 1934.32Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.33 (physically retaining #3)Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. Originally, #3. Officially renumbered to 23 in 1905. Officially renumbered to 33 about 1909. Nevertheless, physically retained #3, possibly because it may have been taken out of service by 1905. Written off in 1950. Wheels substituted for bobs by 1973. The body was transferred to the Yukon Transportation Museum in 1990. Re-equipped with newly made bobs between 1992 & 2013.34Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 9 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.35Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 9 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.36 (physically retaining #26)Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. Originally, #6. Renumbered to 26 in 1905. Officially renumbered to 36 about 1909. Nevertheless, physically retained #26, possibly because it may have been taken out of service by 1909. Written off in 1950. Body without bobs sold to George Larson in 1962. Re-sold to Henry Tjoelker of Everson, Washington in 2001. Re-equipped with bobs from its era in 2001 or 2002. Last reported in 2006 to be with Mr. Tjoelker.37 (physically retaining #7)Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190175 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. Originally, #7. Officially renumbered to 27 in 1905. Officially renumbered to 37 about 1909. Nevertheless, physically retained #7, possibly because it may have been taken out of service by 1905. Written off in 1950. Put on display at Yukon Historical Society Museum in 1953. Museum renamed MacBride Museum in 1967.38Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190275 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.39Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190275 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.40Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190275 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. For disposition, see, Remarks for #31, above.41Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190275 in. bobs. Cap’y = 14 Psgrs. & ¾ ton of freight. Written off in 1950. The body of #41 was at Yukon Crossing in 1963, without its running gear and without its center seats.Passenger SleighGear: Studebaker Bros. (South Bend, Indiana); Body: Abbot-Downing Co. (Concord, New Hampshire)190466 in. bobs. Cap’y = 5 Psgrs. & 0.35 ton of freight. Body appears to have been the original body of Wagon #1 or 2. Sold in 1905, before the 1909 renumbering, when it would have been renumbered to 42.43Passenger SleighGear: Studebaker Bros. (South Bend, Indiana); Body: Abbot-Downing Co. (Concord, New Hampshire)190766 in. bobs. Cap’y = 5 Psgrs. & 0.35 ton of freight. Body appears to have been the original body of Wagon #1 or 2. Written off in 1950.44Passenger SleighGear: Weber Wagon Co. (Chicago); Body: WP&YR190775 in. bobs. Cap’y = 9 Psgrs. & ½ ton of freight. For disposition of #44, see, Remarks for #31, above.45Double CutterWilliam J. Mable (Victoria, British Columbia)1903120 in. runners. Cap’y = 1 Psgr. For use by superintendent, assistant superintendent, or blacksmith.