Dawson’s “Lost” Films

It's called the Dawson City Film Find, and Yukon Energy is proud to be participating in a special event tonight in connection with this remarkable discovery.

In the late 1970s, more than 500 reels of 'lost' film were found when construction crews were breaking ground for a new recreation centre. The silent films, produced between 1903 and 1929, had been used as fill to cover in an old outdoor swimming pool back in 1929! They range from one-reelers to serials to news films. Apparently when these reels were originally circulated, Dawson City was the 'end of the line' for them. It was deemed to be too expensive to ship them back to the distributors, so they stayed in Dawson and eventually suffered a fate of being buried in the ground for decades.

The Dawson City Museum recognized the importance of these films, and approached Yukon Energy about providing financial assistance to have some of them restored. We happily agreed, and tonight, three movie 'programs' (each including a variety of segments from the film find) are being shown at the museum, starting at 7 p.m.

For Yukon Energy, this is an extremely worthwhile cause, and one that fits with our values. Whether it's saving old film footage or saving electricity, it's all about valuing what we have and using it wisely.

Yukon Energy representatives will be at the filming this evening, and we invite you to come enjoy these films if you're in the Dawson area. The popcorn's on us!