"The SS Keno is a historic sternwheel paddle steamer. onstructed in 1922, it exemplifies the vital role of riverboats in the development of the Yukon Territory, transporting goods and passengers along the Yukon River and its tributaries during the early 20th century. Although built after the Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899), the vessel continued the legacy of sternwheelers.

Construction and Design

The SS Keno was built in Whitehorse, Yukon, by the British Yukon Navigation Company, a subsidiary of the White Pass and Yukon Route railway company, specifically to service the silver mining district around Mayo Landing on the Stewart River, approximately 290 kilometers upstream from its confluence with the Yukon River. Designed for shallow water navigation on the narrow, winding, and often treacherous Stewart River, it featured a carvel-built wooden hull with a shallow draught of two to three feet, allowing it to maneuver around sandbars and tight curves.

Key specifications include:

Decks: Three levels—the main deck for freight, the saloon deck for passengers, and the upper "Texas" deck with staterooms.

Propulsion: Powered by a wood-fired, locomotive-style boiler.

Capacity: Licensed for up to 78 passengers (with sleeping berths for 32–53), 120 short tons of cargo, and an additional 225 tons on a towed barge.

Service History: the SS Keno's maiden voyage commenced on 15 August 1922, transporting 120 tons of meat supplies upstream. For nearly three decades, its primary role involved hauling silver, zinc, and lead ore from the United Keno Hill Mine and other properties in the Mayo district down the Stewart River to Stewart City, where larger sternwheelers transferred the cargo to Whitehorse for rail shipment to smelters in the United States. Upriver trips to deliver supplies and food to mining camps took three days, while downstream ore runs lasted about 12 hours.
The vessel operated seasonally from late spring through fall, stockpiling ore during winter for spring transport. It frequently towed barges, such as the Tookeno loaded with oil barrels near Mayo around 1932. During World War II, in 1942, the Keno supported Alaska Highway construction by ferrying U.S. Army personnel and equipment.

Challenges included navigating hazards like submerged rocks and sandbars; notable incidents were a 1927 sinking after striking a rock (repaired) and a 1933 paddlewheel damage. By 1951, post-war improvements to the Klondike Highway and the Whitehorse-Mayo road shifted ore transport to trucks, leading to the Keno's retirement. It was laid up at the BYN Co. shipyard in Whitehorse, joining other decommissioned sternwheelers as the company ended paddle steamer operations in 1955.

Role in the Klondike Gold Rush and Broader Yukon History

While the SS Keno postdated the Klondike Gold Rush, it was integral to the Yukon's mining economy that stemmed from the rush. Sternwheelers like the Keno were the primary means of transport on the Yukon River system from the 1890s to the 1950s, moving gold dust, passengers, supplies, and later ore. Approximately 250 such vessels operated in the region, forming a lifeline until highways supplanted them. The Keno's service on the Stewart River supported silver mining at Keno Hill, a key post-rush industry, and it represents the technological adaptation of steam-powered navigation to northern rivers. Its operations were confined to the upper Yukon and Stewart Rivers, within Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in traditional territory.

Visitor Information and Tours

The SS Keno, located on Dawson City's waterfront beside Front Street, is open seasonally from May to September as part of the Klondike National Historic Sites. Guided tours, led by Parks Canada interpreters."

Francis Hemmings

"Great tour today from Nicholas. What an enthusiastic, energetic and knowledgeable guide. His voice projection was fantastic and I could hear him no matter where I was standing. He was articulate. He answered every question and clearly knew his stuff we gave him some questions that made him think and he gave us credible answers. Highly recommend the tour. It’s a small ship and you don’t think it’s much looking at from the outside but there is a lot of well documented and presented history and stories and the guide is the icing on the cake."

Michele Bullock

"This boat is 100 years old and the tour was just great. The paddles located in the rear to protect them from debris in the water. It sits only 18 inches in the water. Good part of history saved for other people or younger generations to see."

Peter Mattras