Teslin and the Tlingit Heritage Centre

A Lakeside Village Known For Its Long Highway Bridge Over Teslin Lake, The Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre, The George Johnston Museum With The Photographs And Car Of A Tlingit Trapper And The Tlingit Clan Culture Of The Region. A Summer Stop On The Alaska Highway · Teslin, Yukon

Teslin is a Tlingit village of roughly 450 people on the Alaska Highway, strung along the shore of Teslin Lake about 180 km east of Whitehorse. The highway crosses the Nisutlin Bay arm of the lake on a bridge more than half a kilometre long, one of the longest water crossings on the whole road (confirm the length). Two small museums tell the story of the people here. The Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre explains the clan system of Wolf and Crow, with regalia, poles, tools and stories from elders. The George Johnston Museum honours a Tlingit trapper, trader and photographer who kept a camera, a record of village life and a car on a short road he built himself, since no highway reached the village in his youth. Both sit within a short walk of the lake. The stop suits a break on the long drive between Whitehorse and Watson Lake, and it works best when you ask questions. Plan on a short summer season, and phone ahead for hours.

Teslin, a Tlingit village on the Alaska Highway on the shores of Teslin Lake about 180 km east of Whitehorse, with the George Johnston Museum and Teslin Tlingit Heritage Centre; coordinates approximate, Teslin, Yukon, Canada

Both museums are seasonal, usually open daily or on most days from about mid May or June to early September, with hours that often run from mid-morning to late afternoon (confirm). Outside the summer the buildings may open by appointment through the Teslin Tlingit Council office, and winter visits are unlikely. The village, the lake shore and the long bridge are open at any hour and cost nothing. Fuel, the cafe and the lodges keep their own hours and may shorten them after Labour Day. Light lasts until nearly midnight around the June solstice, so an evening walk on the bay shore is easy.

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