A short hike at the historic Venus silver mill

Posted On May 20, 2022

The drive down the South Klondike on May 17th whetted my appetite for more mountain time in a big way, so on the 19th I headed down the South Klondike Highway again, with a more ambitious plan. I left Bella and Tucker at home because although it was a hike I was planning, I knew that it could be all I could manage to take care of myself, never mind two dogs.

That morning, I had to drive into Whitehorse, and was lucky enough to catch three Air Tractor 802F Fire Boss water bombers en route to Alaska. These incredible aircraft are my favourites among all the aerial tankers.

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Just before noon, I headed south. At 12:20, about 10 km north of the Venus Mine, I met this fine-looking black bear. I kept my distance, he came down the bank and walked across the highway, and continued on doing bear things.

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Reaching the Venus Mine area, I started assessing possible hikes. Pooley Canyon with it’s lovely waterfalls? No, too short…

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The Venus mill? Has potential, but not very long either…

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I saw that the 1901 Venus mine cabin had been badly damaged by this past winter’s record-breaking snow, and gave this hike a lot of thought. I finally decided that it’s far too difficult in my present condition.

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It looked like the 1906 workings of the Venus mine would be the destination. The hike is difficult but not at a crazy level, and there are great views right from the car.

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And then suddenly that hike got discarded in favour of the mill, though I don’t really know why. Perhaps the little bit of open water below was the main attractant. The climb down from the highway to the shore of Windy Arm of Tagish Lake, navigating a talus slope and boulders, isn’t easy.

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I always bring some clothes for staged photos of my hikes…

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…but my regular readers know that’s not how I actually hike – it’s all about comfort and maximizing Vitamin D and getting all the bits that lovely shade of brown. Which photos I use depends on my mood when I’m writing the blog 🙂

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Over the past decade or so, the mill has been deteriorating in significant ways. The warehouse and mill manager’s house are now completely gone after being collapsed and then washed away by high water, and the mill itself is no longer safe. In 2015 I posted a lengthy tour through the mill so you can see what it looks like. In about 2016 the Yukon Historical and Museums Association asked me to take some of the directors through the mill so they could assess its historic significance and know how to respond to future threats to it. I declined, and when I showed them that blog post, they understood why 🙂

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It’s hard to imagine how many thousands of years mill equipment such as the massive wood-fired boiler that provided power initially will last.

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Looking up the length of the mill – high on the slope above you can see the 1906 workings that fed the silver ore into the mill.

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It’s an impressive structure by any standards.

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An hour and 20 minutes after leaving the car, I started looking for a way back up the slope. My ability to make good decisions has declined badly over the past year, and the route I chose was a good example. There were some nice flowers along it, though 🙂

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Only a tiny amount of blood was lost on the climb up, though, and this little waterfall right beside the highway afforded me a refreshing cleanup before heading home. In the winter this spring-fed flow provides decent ice-climbing for fans of that sport.

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My main activity when the sun isn’t out is, and will be for many months yet, dealing with my collection. I only have about 12,000 slides left to scan, so it’s coming along nicely.

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Most of the snow is now gone from our property, so when the sun is out, I’m into the endless Spring cleanup duties in many short work periods. Bit by bit…