Who, What, or Where is Beringia?
Updated June 2022
As I travel around the world, I often stop to see the many museums I encounter. Most towns have a local history museum, and they are usually worth visiting if you have time. A few places have great museums that should not be missed if you are in the area. Whitehorse, in the Yukon of northern Canada, has two great museums. While driving to Alaska from the lower 48 or southern Canada, stop and visit the Beringia museum and the Yukon Transportation Museum. Both are right on the Alaska highway and easy to find.
Beringia was a land mass that covered present-day eastern Siberia, the Bering Sea (between Russia and Alaska), Alaska, and part of the Yukon in Canada. At the time of Beringia, the remainder of Canada was buried under a major ice age. It was cold but not covered in a solid block of ice. It escaped the ice age.
Strange animals lived in Beringia that no longer exist. These include the Wholly Mammoth and giant forms of present-day Beaver, Tiger, Antelope and Bison.
It is believed that humans crossed from Asia to North America during this time. Some creatures went the other way. You might be surprised that camels lived in Alaska and northern Canada. During the time of Beringia, the camels crossed from North America to Asia.
The museum collection includes skeletons of Mammoth and other animals from Beringia.
This is a unique and fascinating museum; you will miss out on something special if you don’t stop and see it.
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