In 1906, a seafaring adventurer named
Berent Hougen hiked the train tracks into
Whitehorse, seeking new opportunities. He
never anticipated that he would return 38
years later with a family or that his youngest
child Rolf would become a major figure in the
Yukon’s economy and culture.
From building up the Hougen’s store into
the territory’s largest retail establishment,
to ventures in radio, television, automotive
businesses and national communications,
Rolf Hougen has done much to modernize
the Yukon and create links to the outside
world. Rolf and his wife Marg support the
Yukon’s lively art scene in many ways and
also document and share the history of the
Yukon. He is an avid photographer, recording
Yukon life with thousands of images from the
1940s on.
This pictorial history celebrates an
extraordinary individual and his family
as well as the town and territory that
made it all possible.
