The Cyr House

The Cyr family

The Cyr family is well known to Yukoners. Its origins go back to the Gold Rush era when the brothers Michel (Mike) and Antoine (Tony) arrived from New Brunswick. They became well-established Yukoners, although they never made it to Dawson, which had been their final destination.

The professional lives of the brothers were focused on meeting community needs of the time. Upon their arrival, they settled in Canyon City upstream of Whitehorse, where they piloted boats through Miles Canyon. They also cleared the Yukon River banks to make way for the construction of the tramway.

The Cyr brothers built this house in 1907 for the McGee family. The Cyr family also resided here during the 1910s after the McGees.

This house is now a Bed & Breakfast and is designated heritage house.

Photo credit: Stéphanie Chevalier

Michel Cyr

After the Gold Rush, Michel made a name for himself as a trapper and prospector and also as a driver for a company specialized in the meat trade.

In 1915, he built the third Montague Roadhouse on the Overland Trail from Whitehorse to Dawson. He lived there year-round and took care of the stables until the mail was delivered by vehicle in 1929.

Photo credit: MacBride Museum, Laurent Cyr Collection

Antoine Cyr

Antoine settled in Whitehorse, where he bought horses and woodlots and started a wood-and-water delivery business.

Photo: Antoine Cyr and his wife, Marie Beaudoin
Photo credit: Yann Herry Collection

Laurent Cyr

Like his father Antoine, Laurent worked on the Yukon River boats, then started a transportation business, the first to use a truck in the Yukon. He was also known to be a history buff; he was a founding member of the Yukon Transportation Museum, the Yukon Order of Pioneers and the Yukon Historical and Museum Society which founded the MacBride Museum.

Photo: Laurent Cyr (right), 2000
Photo credit: Yann Herry Collection

Extract of
Whitehorse with a French Touch

Whitehorse with a French Touch image circuit

Presented by : Association franco-yukonnaise
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