Dawson is a town that attracts those with a ‘past’ who are in search of a new beginning.

So many people here are ex-cons, druggies, alcoholics, and gamblers needing a fresh start. I can’t imagine any other place in Canada being so welcoming of these kinds of people. If you come to Dawson with a willingness to work hard, you will be accepted. It is also easy to live on the fringes of society here; just move to a cabin in the wilderness and choose a solitary profession like mining.

This is also a town that appeals to those who are attracted to the romantic idea of the Yukon, of a hard life lived on the land where every action matters. There are people who live here without running water or electricity, something that is surprisingly common throughout the Yukon. When I often did without running water during frigid spells in the Gatineau Hills, I was pitied whereas here the melting of snow and hauling of drinking water from the village spring would be quite normal.

I lived in a small village in Quebec for four years and rarely ran into anyone I knew when I was running errands. I would enter a restaurant and be met with suspicious whispering. I was an interloper disrupting the the quiet sameness of the community. Dawson, however, was built by outsiders and it knows that this is where its strength lies. Dawson depends on outsiders for labour, for entertainment, for supplies. Soon as someone knows you, you are met like a best friend on the street or greeted as one on the phone.

I am someone who has always thought of herself as being something of a loner. I enjoy interacting with people, especially through the safety net of the ‘web, but I’ve always needed a lot of ‘alone’ time. Dawson has changed me into something I can barely recognize. Two months ago, I would never have imagined that I would ever go ‘into town’ after a long work shift and be happy to have my alone time on a bench by the Yukon with an ice cream cone be interrupted by an acquaintance wanting to catch up on gossip.

Dawson is changing me in ways so profound that I am almost regretting not spending the winter here. I think I will be more open to that idea next year….

I was once told that you shouldn’t have to travel to the end of the world to find yourself, but in my case this has proven itself to be false.