Mining resources is the backbone of Canada’s booming economy. Whether it is the Oil Sands of Alberta or Gold in the Northwest Territories, mineral wealth is the most stable form of wealth that exists today. With the growing industrial markets in China and India, prices can only increase. The danger exists in market “bubbles”, or undeserved increases in prices which are unsustainable in the long-run. These are inevitably followed by short-term crashes that can render entire operations unprofitable, and thus destroy entire cities. Thus, starting a mining operation is a gamble; little wonder that Keno City was named after a game of chance.
Keno City is the site of one of Canada’s largest silver mines. The original 1919 claim was (ironically) named the “Roulette” stake, and it was purchased by the Yukon Gold company in 1920. Until 1930, the city was a major source of fine silver, when falling prices of silver caused the town to be slowly abandoned. Today a population of 10-25 people inhabit this “city”.
The population isn’t particularly open to out-of-towners, although the town itself seems to be aimed at tourists. The unofficial mayor of the city was sadly away in Dawson City. I had planned on meeting him, but time limits meant I had to rush off before I could visit him. Maybe someday he can tell me the stories about the time he was stuck in a prison cell with a cannibal (!).
The path is incredibly treacherous and I do not recommend a novice driver taking it in the winter. Even with relatively decent conditions, I nearly met my doom at several points along the trail. I don’t regret it, but I would advise budgetting 3 hours to travel the 60 miles between Keno and Mayo. There are parts of the route which are frankly not traversable at anything more than 10 km/h.
Clifford here explained a bit about the area to me. He is a Native American who lives in Mayo, and he comes in to move the snow and keep the roads open. (“Roads” being a relative term – most surfaces here are packed mud). He told me a bit about the wild life and the kind of people who lived in the town.
By 1989 all the major companies had left the city of Elsa, which is just before the most treacherous part of the trail between Mayo and Keno City. Today, with the price of Silver breaking $10/ounce, the city has been purchased by a mining company. A similar fate may yet await Keno city.
The Keno Cafe once made almost $500 at a peak hour off of miners in Keno and Elsa. Now it is lucky if it makes that kind of money in a month. However, if the people I met in Mayo are any indication, things might be changing. Geologists and other surveyors are being brought into the area to find new sources of silver. If a profitable mine is set up, who is to say that the 500$ hour is so far away? Maybe, in the finest traditions of the Yukon Territory, it is time to take a gamble on the future.
