Originally the hotel was built in the late 1800’s and began as the ‘Commercial Hotel’ – later named the ‘White Pass Hotel’ and the ‘Windsor Hotel’ – and has served as host to many of the territory’s distinguished founders and notorious ‘bounders’ throughout the past 100 years.
A fire in May 1905 devastated many businesses on Main Street – including the hotel – however, the hotel’s stature as a cornerstone of the community ignited the spirit of Whitehorse residents and reconstruction began the day after the flames were extinguished.
The people of Whitehorse did their best to get it under control with buckets of water but it was hopeless and so they watched it burn. The fire started on May 23, 1905. Damage of the fire was more then $300,000, there were many business affected by the fire, which in today standards would be in the millions. The Towns people were determined to re-build and that took place the following day.
In the early 1900’s a Mr. Viaux was the owner of the White Pass Hotel on to the Windsor Hotel. Mr. Viaux married a young woman from Denmark that came to Whitehorse in World War II at the age of 16. After a few years they divorced and she wanted to be paid for her hard work Mr. Viaux couldn’t afford to pay her and so he gave her the hotel in lieu of, Anna Katrina (Lauridsen) Viaux born February 28, 1867 and passed away in 1957.
It became the Edgewater Hotel in 1966 and in 1967 the Edgewater’s signature restaurant The Cellar Steakhouse & Wine bar was born. It has been Yukon’s fine dinning establishment and a symbol of quality and consistency unsurpassed in the North.
The Edgewater Hotel as we know it today was founded by the Stokes family in 1966 and they went on to own and operate the hotel for the next 44 years.
The world-renowned Cellar Steakhouse and Wine Bar has been delighting Edgewater patrons since 1967 and remains a symbol of unsurpassed quality, service and northern hospitality.
Whitehorse holds a lot of history and the Edgewater Hotel is a large part of that even though it underwent all those fires and the name changes it remains in the same spot with a lot of untold stories. The Edgewater Hotel is growing with the industry but it will always remain Yukon’s favorite landmark.
Today, The Edgewater Hotel effortlessly combines tradition and comfort with contemporary cuisine and superior service.
On behalf of the staff and management of The Edgewater Hotel, thank you for your patronage. We look forward to hosting you again soon.