For years, the Jacquot and Birckell families in France had heard the stories of their ancestors who had travelled to Canada and helped found Burwash Landing.

The stories were of a distant land where their great-great uncles began a new life and raised their own families.

All those yarns became more real thanks to local French teacher Yann Herry, who organized an overseas voyage for the families to meet their Canadian cousins and see the mark they made on the territory.

Last year, with a small delegation, including students and Glenn Hart, the territory's minister responsible for French Language Services, Herry visited France to see those communities associated with the Yukon.

He played host to the visitors from Rombach-le-Franc, the former home of the Jacquot brothers (Eugene and Louis) and Paul Birckell, who helped found Burwash Landing.

Gathered at the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport Tuesday to board their first flight as they journeyed back to France, the visitors recalled a busy previous 12 days of learning about their family's past and taking in the Yukon.

"It was very moving and beautiful to meet their relatives," Herry said as he interpreted for Roger Jacquot.

Like his wife and many others who spoke, Jacquot said he had never expected such a warm welcome from the family members he didn't know.

What amazed Dominique Berthier was the mark the family had made on the territory as the group traipsed across bridges and trails blazed by the Jacquot brothers more than 100 years ago.

"It's real. It's concrete," Herry said as he continued to interpret in English.

While the Jacquots helped establish Burwash Landing as a community, they had been in Canada for a few years before that, first travelling from their home province of Alsace (annexed by Germany in 1871) to Quebec so they wouldn't have to join the German army.

After two years, they made their way west, eventually hiking over the Chilkoot Trail into the Yukon, arriving in Dawson at the height of the Gold Rush in 1898. Like many, they prospected on the side, but made their livings as cooks.

In 1904, the brothers followed the call of the gold to Kluane Lake.

"These many-talented brothers became farmers, carpenters, blacksmiths, veterinarians, merchants and prospectors.

They started a trading post at Burwash Landing and became big game suppliers," notes Herry's book, La francophonie Northern Portraits, which profiles individuals from France who helped establish the territory.

The Jacquot name also became associated with transport as the brothers provided transportation across the lake and built a shelter at Silver City and a landing at Christmas Bay, at the start of the trail to Whitehorse.

"Over the years, they travelled that trail on foot, by dog team, by horses harnessed to a wagon, and finally with a Model T Ford," notes the book. "The path became part of the route of the Alaska Highway in 1942."

Birckell and Francois Bee, who were from the same region, eventually joined the Jacquots in Burwash with three of the four men marrying first nations women.

After meeting their Canadian relatives, many of the Jacquot and Birckell families from France noticed some physical similarities in their faces.

Along with visiting the family, the Jacquot and Birckell families took in the scenery around the territory along with Skagway, including a trip on the White Pass and Yukon Route rail.

As Roger noted, with Herry interpreting the comments, he never suspected the Yukon would be so vast.

"That was amazing for them," Herry said.

More than one of the visitors was hoping to return to the territory in the future; Berthier stating she would like to bring her kids, while another man spoke of his hope of hiking the Chilkoot Trail.

What appears to be the beginnings of an exchange between Whitehorse and Rombach-le-Franc has been a long time coming.

As the community's mayor, Jean-Luc Frechard said, for the last 10 years he's been looking at the possibility of an exchange, but hadn't had any contact with anyone in Canada on it until Herry got in touch with him.

Along with family connections much of his community shares with the territory, the region of Alsace is not much different from the Yukon, with its rivers and an economy largely dependent on mining, tourism and forestry.

The visit was as much a chance for the French contingent to meet their families as it was for those on last year's trip to renew old friendships.

"It's been nice to see them again," said Alex Dunham, a student from Herry's class who went on last year's trip.

For Dunham, the journey last year not only gave him an opportunity to experience a new culture, meet new people and use his French skills on a full-time basis while he was there, but also helped him as he prepares for a career as a chef.

There he got a taste of French cuisine, something he would like to pursue in his career.

"That's actually a point of interest for me to go to France to study that a bit more and enhance that," he said. "Hopefully, I can go to France after I've gotten my Red Seal."

After bidding farewell to the delegation from France, Hart said he'd like to explore the possibility of it becoming a regular exchange between the two regions.

"I think it's great for the cultural exchange, especially for families," he said, noting the Yukoners who opened their doors to welcome the French visitors.

"Last year, it was excellent to go with the kids from the school to visit the areas of France. So it's an area we could look at, and I think it's important to foster that."

He noted he was happy to host one of the families who visited and was also pleased with the improvement to his own skills in the French language. He frequently reads parts of ministerial statements in French to the legislature.

Before departing, many in the group expressed their thanks to Herry and their other hosts over the 12-day period.