Visit the Robinson Roadhouse & Robinson Flag Station on the South Klondike Highway in the Yukon. At just under 25 miles (40 km) from Whitehorse, this ghost town is a fun road trip if you’re visiting the Yukon capital.
Linda’s Pick of the Historic Stories
The thing about ghost towns is that they served a purpose at one time, but then that purpose faded away. So, the aspect of this historic site that I found most interesting was its beginnings.
Robinson Roadhouse started out as a “flag station” on the White Pass & Yukon Railway (WP&YR). The railway ran from Skagway, Alaska, to Whitehorse, Yukon, in 1900. Flag stations were places on a rail line where a parallel track, or siding, were built. They allowed trains to pass one another.
The station got its name from railway construction head, William “Stikine Bill” Robinson.
Fast Fact: One one of Stikine Bill's best-known skills was his accuracy spitting Black Strap chewing tobacco!
Robinson was in charge of delivering construction materials from the top of White Pass summit to where they were needed.
And of course, don’t forget the whole reason for the railroad was the discovery of gold! It was first discovered in the Yukon River basin and resulted in the Klondike Gold Rush. However, by the time the railroad was finished the rush was over. The rail line struggled along taking prospectors home and freight back. Well, until the Wheaton Gold Rush in 1906.
Fast Fact: The first building at the Robinson siding flag station was an empty railway car. It was parked at Robinson to accommodate passengers waiting for the train in 1906.
Robinson flag station stayed in operation until the railway shut down in 1983.
While there were attempts to save the Robinson Roadhouse for future enjoyment and uses in the 1980s, nothing really materialized. It was, however, the location for an Historic Places Day in 2023.
What’s at the Robinson Roadhouse Site?
The Robinson Roadhouse is located at Km 239 on the Klondike Highway. Earlier, the stop was known as Mile 11.1 on the Carcross Road and Milepost 89.9 on the White Pass & Yukon Railway.
The site includes:
- Rest area with large parking lot
- Primitive outhouses
- Picnic tables
- Interpretive panels
- Historic buildings (some with on-going restoration)
So, what exactly is a roadhouse? It’s a mixed-service settlement set up to deliver a variety of services to a sparsely populated area. When gold was discovered in the Wheaton Mining District, the flag station was a natural gathering place.
Fast Fact: The Whitehorse Star published this headline July 20, 1906. "Goes $5000 Per Ton - Rich Vein of Gold-Bearing Quartz Discovered Near Robinson. Strike Made at the Headwaters of the Watson River, Forty Miles from Whitehorse. Stampede to New Find!"
The town site was planned at the flag station by William Grainger and Herman Vance. The men claimed land on both sides of the railroad in 1906. Louis Markel built the Gold Hill roadhouse and saloon on the site. A post office was also set up with Charles McConnel as postmaster in 1908. However, it closed in 1915.
Unfortunately, while the Wheaton Mining District has a number of different ores, the town early builders dreamed of never happened.
Instead, Robinson became a hub for woodcutters, trappers, big game outfitters, waterfowl hunters and visitors to McConnel’s ranch. The ranch even pastured horses for the winter Overland Trail to Dawson.
Later, during the Alaska Highway construction in 1942-43, Robinson was occupied by a US Army work camp and sawmill.
Fast Fact: The Whitehorse Star, Apr. 10, 1996 - Delores Smith writes, "Robinson becomes the town that never was."
Today, the site has a number of interpretive signs to share its history with visitors. One of the signs focuses on the earliest inhabitants, the Carcross/Tagish hunters and fishermen.
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
We visited the Robinson Roadhouse and Robinson Flag Station on our way from Whitehorse, Yukon, to Skagway, Alaska. From Skagway we boarded the Alaska Marine Highway ferry going first to Juneau, then Prince Rupert.
Whitehorse has lots to offer visitors — beyond 21+ hours of daylight at the summer solstice on June 21! We enjoyed both the Yukon Transportation Museum and Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre.
We stayed at the Sternwheeler Hotel & Conference Centre, which is in the heart of the city’s downtown. The hotel is located near a number of restaurants, although we chose to eat at the hotel in Tony’s. They serve a great Grilled Arctic Char — my favorite northern fish.
Who Should Visit Robinson Roadhouse & Robinson Flag Station?
The Robinson Roadhouse is a great stop for anyone driving the South Klondike Highway.
Whether you just want to check out the old buildings, or have a picnic in the wilderness, you’ll wonder what stories ghosts might be able to tell about the area.
I enjoyed the opportunity to walk through the wildflowers down the long abandoned railroad tracks. Others might find strolling between the abandoned buildings more interesting. And of course, the interpretive signs are there to tell the story.
How Do You Visit Robinson Roadhouse & Robinson Flag Station?
The Robinson Roadhouse & Robinson Flag Station are around half an hour south of Whitehorse, Yukon.
Parking: There's lots of free parking for visitors to experience this historic spot.
Location: Km 239 on the Klondike Highway at Robinson, (address sometimes listed as Carcross, as Robinson is just 20 miles north) Yukon Territory.
Check out more about visiting the roadhouse on the Web.
Take a virtual tour of the Robinson Roadhouse on YouTube.
Plan your visit with Google maps.
More Things to Do in the Yukon
Check out all of guide2museum.com’s reviews of museums in the Yukon.
Read More Historic Sites Reviews
While the Robinson Roadhouse isn’t officially recognized as an historic place by Yukon Territory or Canada’s National Historic Sites, it’s still very historic. So, here are links to more historic sites in Canada and the U.S.
- Canada’s Little-Known Cold War Museum: the Diefenbunker
- Discover the Mormon Handcart Historic Site & Devil’s Gate in Wyoming
- Historic Home of 1800s Governor in Lafayette, LA: Alexandre Mouton
- See 100 Miles Across Nebraska From Scotts Bluff National Monument
- Bishop’s Palace in Galveston, Texas: Victorian Era Castle
- Rip Van Winkle Gardens & Historic Mansion: Jefferson Island, Louisiana
- Robinson Roadhouse & Robinson Flag Station: Yukon Ghost Town
- USS Lexington Museum: WWII Aircraft Carrier in Corpus Christi, Texas
- Watson Lake Sign Post Forest Historic Site: Watson Lake, Yukon
- Medalta Museum: Ceramic Arts in Medicine Hat, Alberta
- Claybank Brick Plant National Historic Site: Claybank, Saskatchewan
- The Sheriff’s House Museum & Historic Site: A Hidden Gem in Devils Lake, North Dakota
- Soo Line Historical Museum & Historic Site: Weyburn, Saskatchewan
- Texas Seaport Museum: Gulf Coast History in Galveston, Texas
- Fred Light Museum: Battleford, Saskatchewan
- Frontier Prison Museum: Rawlins, Wyoming
- Toronto’s First Post Office Museum & National Historic Site: Ontario
- The Bastion: Designated Historic Place, Nanaimo, British Columbia
- Hearst Castle: National Historic Landmark in San Simeon, California
- Inglis Grain Elevators National Historic Site: Agricultural History in Inglis, Manitoba
- Evergreen Plantation: National Landmark Site in Edgard, Louisiana
- Cannington Manor Provincial Historic Park: Rich Lifestyles in 1880s Saskatchewan
- Mystic Seaport Museum: Historic Seafaring Village in Mystic, Connecticut
- National Doukhobor Heritage Village: Veregin, Saskatchewan
- Manhattan Project National Historical Park: WWII History in Hanford, Washington
Reference(s)
Dobrowolsky, H. (January, 2020). Robinson Roadhouse Historic Site: Bibliography of archival resources & site chronology. Midnight Arts. https://yukonheritage.com/sites/default/files/2024-06/June%202021%20RobinsonRoadhouse%20Newsletter.pdf
guide2museums.com 