Venus Mill was built in 1908 to serve Colonel J. H. Conrad’s Venus no.1 and no.2 mines, located high on the mountain behind the mill. An aerial tramway transported silver ore to the mill with a capacity of 100 tons per day. Gravity and water carried the ore down through several layers of crushers, screens and concentrators. At the bottom, the concentrated ore was bagged for shipment, first by water to Carcross and then by railroad to tidewater at Skagway, Alaska. Although it incorporated the latest technology and operated around the clock, Venus Mill proved uneconomical and was closed within two years. Since my visit direct access to the mill from the Klondike Highway has been blocked off due to avalanche area. The mill can now be accessed via a 0.5 mile walk to the site.
