Robinson Roadhouse Historic Site

A roadhouse is a camp settlement situated on a busy transportation route used by miners during the Yukon Gold Rush.. There were many roadhouses, at the time, located on most of the major wagon road and trail transportation routes exploring the Yukon. They often included a main lodge, saloon and accommodations. Some provided trapper cabins with bunks while others pitched tents and were more reminiscent of a tent city.

The Robinson Roadhouse was under the supervision of William Robinson. To his friends and the locals he was referred to as "Stikine Bill" because he was originally from Stikine, British Columbia, Canada. He was known as a blunt and "take no nonsense" type of individual.

The roadhouse was built to service the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway. The railway only reached the summit at the time and the Robinson Roadhouse was responsible for transporting the supplies from the rails end to the shores of Bennett Lake. Bill was the manager of the Red Line Transportation company which provided the services.

The Robinson Roadhouse was called " The City in Embryo". It was a popular stop on route to the Yukon River. The roadhouse included a log cabin lodge, a saloon and three tents. The roadhouse started to grow quickly and in 1906 there was talk of turning the roadhouse into a townsite. They even went as far as to have the surrounding 320 hectares surveyed for the townsite.

During the peak of activity at the Robinson Roadhouse when corruption and chaos where its highest the the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) sent a Mountie to be stationed at the roadhouse. After all was said and done the expansion to a townsite never materialsed and the roadhouse was left as a base camp for miners.

Explore Robinson Roadhouse Historic Site in Carcross, Southern Lakes, Yukon Territories, Canada