Where Did Whitehorse Get Its Name?

Originally called White Horse, the name came from the foam in nearby rapids on the Yukon River which looked similar to the manes on white horses. Whitehorse was incorporated as a city in 1950, and replaced Dawson as the capital of the Yukon in 1953.

Why is it called Whitehorse?

Whitehorse, perhaps so named because the whitecaps of the rapids on the Whitehorse River resembled the manes of white horses, was founded during the Klondike Gold Rush (1897–98) as a staging and distribution centre; it was the head of river navigation and became the northern terminus of the White Pass and Yukon Route ( ...

When did Yukon change its name?

The name of the territory was changed to simply "Yukon" in 2003, from "Yukon Territory" under the Yukon Party's government — though many people continued to call it "the Yukon."