The Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile, Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine Historic Site, or simply Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile, lies within the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in. Located near the Alaska border, the 50-hectare site sits at the confluence of the Fortymile and Yukon Rivers. The site is located 88 km downriver from Dawson City, Yukon and is accessed by road and by water.
Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile is co-owned and co-managed by the Government of Yukon and the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, as per Chapter 13, Schedule A of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement. Management of the site is guided by the Forty Mile, Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine Historic Site Management Plan (2006) and the Forty Mile Cultural Resource Management Plan (2014).
Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile has immense cultural and historical significance to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and other First Nation groups. From antiquity to contact times, the Hän speaking people of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Alaska, as well as their neighbours – the Gwitch’in, the Tanana and the Tutchone – utilized the site as an area for harvesting caribou, fish and berries. Additionally, the site shows a significant material record of late prehistoric use.
In 1887, Forty Mile became the first non-native settlement in the Yukon.
In May of 2023, an ice jam flood occurred at Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile causing significant damage to the site including its access trails, historic buildings, contemporary work camp and campground. Due to the severity of the impacts of the flooding and the site’s significance, an updated conservation plan is required to safeguard and guide conservation work. Following damage assessments and stabilization of the site’s remaining infrastructure, the Yukon and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in governments have contracted professional architects to lead the development of a conservation plan to provide options and guidance for the future of the site. A finalized conservation plan is anticipated by 2025.
In September 2023, Tr’ondëk–Klondike was inscribed as a World Heritage Site. Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile is one of the eight component sites that make up Tr’ondëk–Klondike. The impacts of the flooding earlier in 2023 do not change the cultural significance nor the ancestral legacy that these lands hold for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Yukon.
Due to the hazards posed by debris, damaged trails and unstable structures, Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile remains closed. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Government of Yukon ask the public not to travel to the site until further notice.
Stay tuned to this page for updates and information as conservation efforts continue.
Conserving CH'ËDÄHDËK / FORTY MILE For the Future
In May 2023, Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile suffered an ice-jam flood, causing significant damage to its buildings, access trails, work camp, campground, and landscape. See Site map below.
We want to hear from you as we explore how to repair and conserve this place and its role in the Tr'ondëk-Klondike UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"Help inform the future of Forty Mile" https://surveys.yukon.ca/S2/1/FortyMile/
This survey is available until Wednesday, August 7, 2024.
View the following Ch'ëdähdëk / Forty Mile, Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine Historic Site resources:
2014 Forty Mile Cultural Resource Management Plan Vol I and Vol II
2011 Forty Mile: Ch'ëdä Dëk guide
2007 Forty Mile, Fort Cudahy and Fort Constantine Historic Site Interpretation Plan
2006 Forty Mile, Forty Cudahy and Fort Constantine Historic Site Management Plan
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