The capital of the Yukon (and home to about 70% of the territory’s residents) Whitehorse is located on the banks of the wild Yukon River, and lies within the shadow of the imposing Coast Mountains.

It’s one of the most beautiful capital cities, rightfully referred to as the ‘wilderness capital’. Whitehorse, which developed during the Klondike Gold Rush as a transportation hub, gets its name from the White Horse rapids (lost to the Whitehorse dam in 1958). The Yukon is part of the boreal forest ecosystem, with the Subalpine fir (aka Rocky Mountain fir) recognized as the territorial tree. It’s a medium sized tree that grows up to 60′ with a trunk diameter of up to 3′.

Our scroll saw pattern incorporates the Yukon coat of arms at the top (minus the Malamute that normally surmounts the shield) with a vista of the Coast Mountain range and the City of Whitehorse at the bottom. The cross at the top of the shield, which pays homage to our historical link to England, sits astride a heraldic pattern that represents the Yukon’s fur resource base. The lower part of the shield represents the Yukon’s mountains. The circles (which would be gold, not black) represent the Yukon’s mineral resource base and its link to the Klondike Gold Rush. The two wavy lines in the middle represent the Yukon’s great rivers.

Scroll cutting tips

Photo-enlarge the pattern to the size you want. Cover your substrate (such as 1/4″ Baltic birch ply) with masking tape, and then spray glue the pattern to the substrate. Using a #5 13 tpi blade, cut out the shaded areas on the template. Start cutting out the smallest areas first, moving on to the next larger areas. Once the pattern is cut out remove the masking tape, lightly sand as required, and then apply your chosen finish.