Destruction Bay

Destruction Bay is a small community on the Alaska Highway (historical mile 1083) in Canada's Yukon on Kluane Lake.

Destruction Bay
Welcome sign made on an old bulldozer
Destruction Bay
Coordinates: 61°15′15″N 138°48′24″W
Country	Canada
Territory	Yukon
Area [1]
• Land	13.57 km2 (5.24 sq mi)
Population  (2016)[1]
• Total	55
• Density	4.1/km2 (11/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC−07:00 (MST)

Populated mostly by non-aboriginal residents, community residents provide Yukon government services to residents in the area (school, highway maintenance), including nearby Burwash Landing and some tourism-related businesses along the Alaska Highway. The name is derived from the wind blowing down structures erected by the military during highway construction in 1942–43.

The community has a one-room school serving kindergarten through grade eight.

Demographics

Federal census population history of Destruction Bay

Year	Pop.	±%
1981	49	—
1986	48	−2.0%
1991	32	−33.3%
1996	34	+6.2%
2001	43	+26.5%
2006	55	+27.9%
2011	35	−36.4%
2016	55	+57.1%
2021	40	−27.3%
Source: Statistics Canada [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Destruction Bay had a population of 40 living in 16 of its 32 total private dwellings, a change of -27.3% from its 2016 population of 55. With a land area of 13.9 km² (5.4 sq mi), it had a population density of 2.9/km² (7.5/sq mi) in 2021.^[9]

History

In 1942, a camp was set up to be used by crews working to build the Alaska Highway.^[10] It was used for housing of workers, as well as a stopping place for truckers to rest, refuel, and service their equipment.^[10] Not long after it was built, a severe windstorm destroyed many of the buildings in the camp, leading to the name Destruction Bay.^[10][11]