# Carmacks, Yukon

Carmacks is a village in Yukon, Canada, on the Yukon River along the Klondike Highway, and at the west end of the Robert Campbell Highway from Watson Lake. The population is 588 (Canada Census, 2021), an increase from the Census of 2016. It is the home of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, a Northern Tutchone-speaking people.

## History

The name of the community comes from George Washington Carmack, who found coal near Tantalus Butte (locally called Coal Mine Hill) in the early 1890s. He built a trading post near the present site of Carmacks and traded with locals before opening a coal mine in the south bank of the Yukon River. The focus of his entrepreneurial energy switched a few years later when he or his wife, Kate Carmack, discovered gold with her brother, Keish (Skookum Jim), and Dawson Charlie (Tagish Charlie) at what was to become the Discovery Claim, near Dawson City, which started the Klondike Gold Rush. Carmacks incorporated as a village on November 1, 1984.

## Geography

The community consists of the Village of Carmacks and the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation. Carmacks Landing Settlement is within the Village of Carmacks.
Carmacks is situated at the confluence of the Nordenskiold and Yukon rivers, approximately 180 km (110 mi) north of Whitehorse and 360 km (220 mi) south of Dawson City on the North Klondike Highway. It is the site of one of the four bridges over the Yukon River. The Campbell Highway also intersects the community and carries on to Faro, Ross River and Watson Lake, providing a gateway to the Canol Road and some of Yukon's most spectacular scenery.

### Climate

Carmacks has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with short but mild summers and long, severely cold winters.
Climate data for Carmacks Climate ID: 2100301; coordinates 62°06′54″N 136°11′31.1″W﻿ / ﻿62.11500°N 136.191972°W﻿ / 62.11500; -136.191972﻿ (Carmacks CS); elevation: 12.2 m (40 ft); WMO ID: 71039; 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1963–present :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.5 (49.1) | 13.0 (55.4) | 17.3 (63.1) | 23.3 (73.9) | 35.0 (95.0) | 35.3 (95.5) | 34.2 (93.6) | 33.0 (91.4) | 27.0 (80.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 12.8 (55.0) | 10.2 (50.4) | 35.3 (95.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −16.4 (2.5) | −10.0 (14.0) | −1.7 (28.9) | 8.4 (47.1) | 16.5 (61.7) | 21.4 (70.5) | 22.5 (72.5) | 19.9 (67.8) | 13.7 (56.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | −9.1 (15.6) | −14.3 (6.3) | 4.6 (40.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −21.8 (−7.2) | −17.0 (1.4) | −9.6 (14.7) | 0.7 (33.3) | 8.3 (46.9) | 13.5 (56.3) | 15.3 (59.5) | 12.8 (55.0) | 7.1 (44.8) | −1.2 (29.8) | −13.8 (7.2) | −19.3 (−2.7) | −2.1 (28.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −26.7 (−16.1) | −23.4 (−10.1) | −18.1 (−0.6) | −6.9 (19.6) | 0.0 (32.0) | 5.6 (42.1) | 7.9 (46.2) | 5.6 (42.1) | 0.4 (32.7) | −6.0 (21.2) | −17.8 (0.0) | −23.6 (−10.5) | −8.6 (16.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −57.8 (−72.0) | −57.2 (−71.0) | −50.0 (−58.0) | −33.4 (−28.1) | −13.6 (7.5) | −3.9 (25.0) | −1.1 (30.0) | −5.0 (23.0) | −16.5 (2.3) | −32.5 (−26.5) | −46.7 (−52.1) | −54.4 (−65.9) | −57.8 (−72.0) |
| Record low wind chill | −53.0 | −50.7 | −47.5 | −31.7 | −15.7 | −4.1 | −2.1 | −3.4 | −14.5 | −26.5 | −47.4 | −51.5 | −53.0 |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 15.4 (0.61) | 10.2 (0.40) | 10.3 (0.41) | 7.1 (0.28) | 23.5 (0.93) | 31.7 (1.25) | 57.4 (2.26) | 44.9 (1.77) | 24.9 (0.98) | 22.5 (0.89) | 20.5 (0.81) | 18.8 (0.74) | 287.1 (11.30) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.1 (0.00) | 0.1 (0.00) | 2.7 (0.11) | 23.9 (0.94) | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | — |
| Average snowfall cm (inches) | 16.7 (6.6) | 10.8 (4.3) | 10.2 (4.0) | — | 1.2 (0.5) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | — | — | 20.5 (8.1) | — | — |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 9.2 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 4.4 | 8.3 | 10.1 | 13.2 | 11.1 | 9.4 | 9.1 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 108.3 |
| Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) | 0.0 | 0.06 | 0.07 | 0.87 | 7.2 | — | — | — | — | — | 0.0 | 0.0 | — |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) | 7.7 | 5.1 | 4.1 | — | 0.53 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | — | 8.9 | — | — |
| Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada ||||||||||||||

## Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, the Village of Carmacks had a population of 588 living in 263 of its 302 total private dwellings, a change of 19.3% from its 2016 population of 493. With a land area of 36.87 km$^2$ (14.24 sq mi), it had a population density of 15.9/km$^2$ (41.3/sq mi) in 2021.
As a designated place in the 2021 census, Carmacks Landing Settlement had a population of 206 living in 86 of its 95 total private dwellings, a change of 22.6% from its 2016 population of 168. With a land area of 2.41 km$^2$ (0.93 sq mi), it had a population density of 85.5/km$^2$ (221.4/sq mi) in 2021.
Carmacks has a 91.4% First Nations population the majority of which belong to the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nations. The local language of the LSCFN community is Northern Tuchone, which is carried on both by the elders and taught to all students at the local Tantalus Elementary/high School.
Panethnic groups in the Village of Carmacks (2001−2021) :
| Panethnic group | 2021 | 2021 | 2016 | 2016 | 2006 | 2006 | 2001 | 2001 |
| Panethnic group | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Indigenous | 420 | 73.04% | 340 | 70.83% | 325 | 76.47% | 295 | 68.6% |
| European | 120 | 20.87% | 115 | 23.96% | 95 | 22.35% | 135 | 31.4% |
| Southeast Asian | 25 | 4.35% | 20 | 4.17% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 2.33% |
| South Asian | 0 | 0% | 10 | 2.08% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| African | 0 | 0% | 10 | 2.08% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| East Asian | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 2.33% |
| Middle Eastern | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Latin American | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other/multiracial | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Total responses | 575 | 97.79% | 480 | 97.36% | 425 | 100% | 430 | 99.77% |
| Total population | 588 | 100% | 493 | 100% | 425 | 100% | 431 | 100% |
| Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses |||||||||

## Economy

The area around Carmacks has abundant mineral resources, including coal, copper, and gold. Various mining activities are taking place on mineral sites around Carmacks. There is a small zinc-copper mine in production near Carmacks operated by Western Silver and a gold property northwest of Carmacks currently in the exploration stage operated by Northern Freegold Resources based out of Whitehorse.

## Attractions

The Carmacks Recreation Centre is at the east end of River Drive between the nursing station and visitor centre, and is a community focal point for youth. There is a youth drop in daily with activities often funded by Yukon grant programs. The gymnasium is host to adult floor hockey and other sports. The Recreation Centre also holds a skating rink, fully loaded fitness gym and a full kitchen for all occasions.

## Infrastructure

Carmacks is served by the Klondike Highway by cars and Carmacks Airport by air.
It has been proposed as a hub for an extension of the Alaska Railroad, and historically for an extension of the White Pass and Yukon Route from Whitehorse.

## Sports

Every February, Carmacks hosts a checkpoint for both the long-distance Yukon Quest sled dog race and the Yukon Arctic Ultra foot/ski/bike race.