heritage yukon

Heritage Yukon

Spring/Summer 2020 Newsletter

A young girl views the Kandik Map, on loan from The Bancroft Library, at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. Credit: Douglas Joe

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

I write this as the weather warms up, the hours of sunlight continue to increase each day, and we face a unique and challenging situation as the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the world. While essential workers treat patients, pass legislation for relief measures, ensure

access to food and other necessities, and generally work to keep our society functioning, many of us are working from home, or perhaps are not working at all.

Meanwhile, heritage institutions around the globe have closed their doors to protect both staff and visitors, but in many cases remain busy with

From the Desk of the Executive Director | Lianne Maitland

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS

expanding online offerings, focusing on basics like collections care, working on long-term projects, and more. Nonetheless, they are not immune to the economic difficulties resulting from this pandemic.

National and provincial/territorial sectoral associations, including YHMA, are working together to advocate for relief measures. If you have specific challenges or concerns you would like to share, I encourage you to contact me at 867-667-4704 or [email protected].

In these difficult times, I hope that this newsletter proves to be both entertaining and informative. It includes YHMA highlights from the last six months, as well as some interesting articles and photos from community members that delve into a variety of topics. Enjoy!

Credit: Emma Cumming

loan from the Bancroft Library, University of California Berkeley. Many people worked for many months to make this loan possible, both in the north and at the Bancroft Library. The Bancroft Library even undertook conservation on all the maps in anticipation of the loan, which revealed the chart on which the large Kohklux map was drawn. While the logistics of bringing the large Kohklux map north prevented it from coming up as well, having the two smaller maps in the north again was very exciting.

The maps were escorted north by Bancroft Library curator Theresa Salazar. Upon arriving at the Whitehorse airport, Theresa, with the assistance of

October was a busy time for YHMA, as we geared up for and then hosted the Our Trails Bring Us Together / Haa deiyí wóoshxh haa ła.ât / Ła ̈̀ chʼi tän kwaäga dūjal du conference, which took place from October 24-27, 2019. Nearly two hundred people came together for the weekend to explore the Kohklux and Kandik maps, and many other related topics, to mark the 150th anniversary of the drawing of the Kohklux maps.

A highlight of this project was the arrival in Yukon of the original small Kohklux map and Kandik map, on

Our Trails Bring Us Together / Haa deiyí wóoshxh haa ła.ât / Ła ̈̀ chʼi tän kwaäga dūjal du Conference

Organizing Committee Co-Chair Linda Johnson views a reproduction of the chart on the back of the large Kohklux map. Credit: Douglas Joe

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Elder Gerald Isaac speaks to a group of students about the Kandik Map. Credit: Douglas Joe

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Hines, a retired teacher, and Ellen Johnson led a mapping activity. Linda Johnson and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Elder Gerald Isaac presented the original maps to the students. In total, 84 students participated.

That evening, the conference and exhibition were officially opened at a well-attended public reception, during which attendees were welcomed and invited to view the maps. It was wonderful to see many people who were not attending the full conference come out to the opening.

The following three days were full of many wonderful presentations by over 50 presenters, focusing on everything from the maps themselves, to mapping with Indigenous place names, to trade connections, to GIS, to archival conservation.

On Saturday evening, we hosted a public gala to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Kohklux maps and the coming together of communities with a connection to it and the Kandik map. The gala featured a feast, as well as performances by four groups from territories represented on the maps: Daghaalhaan K’e (Kwanlin Dün First Nation), Dakwäkäda Dancers (Champagne and Aishihik First Nations), Hän Singers (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in), and Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Dancers (Chilkat Indian Village, Alaska). Attendees included conference participants, their family and friends, and other members of the public. It was a fantastic, lively, and uplifting evening!

Many, many people helped to make this event a success. Although there is not enough room here to list them all, we would like to extend our thanks. We

PAGE 3 SPRING/SUMMER 2020

Valery Monahan, Yukon Conservator, transported the maps to Haines Junction and installed them on display at the Da Kų Cultural Centre, where local school children and attendees at Champagne and Aishihik First Nation Kohklux Map Potlatch, October 18-19, could view them. Also on display was a special

travelling exhibition on the Kohklux and Kandik Maps, prepared by YHMA and it partners to mark the anniversary and complement the conference. Consisting of pop-up banners and map reproductions, the exhibition is now available for loan. Rental inquiries may be sent to YHMA at [email protected].

Following their trip to Haines Junction, Theresa and the maps then headed back to Whitehorse, where the maps and exhibition were installed at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC) and remained on display until the close of the conference.

On October 27, two learning events took place in connection with the conference. Ern Bieman of the Canadian Heritage Information Network, one of the conference presenters, taught a digital preservation workshop. 18 attendees, including both independent heritage professionals and employees of a variety of heritage-related institutions, took part, with the Yukon Archives graciously providing the space.

On the same day, four local Grade 4 classes participated in educational workshops focusing on the Kohklux and Kandik maps at the KDCC. Classes rotated through three activities. Rhoda Merkel, who has been running school activities based on the Kohklux maps for many years, led students in a storytelling and art activity. Cathy

Our Trails Bring Us Together / Haa deiyí wóoshxh haa ła.ât / Ła ̈̀ chʼi tän kwaäga dūjal du Conference

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS

Conference attendees view a poster presentation. Credit: Douglas Joe

Organizing Committee member and CAFN citizen Tom Buzzell studies the original small Kohklux map. Credit: Douglas Joe


couldn’t have done it without you! We were lucky to work with such amazing people and organizations.

Partners

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Conference cont’d

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS

From September 27-29, communities across Canada celebrated Culture Days 2019. Here in the Yukon, Whitehorse saw people participating in over 24 activities, including two organized by YHMA.

YHMA joined forces with the Old Log Church Museum to present a talk by John Firth, entitled “The Caribou Hotel and the Fine Art of History Finding the Writer,” at the museum on Friday afternoon. Although the inspiration for the talk was John’s recently released book on the Caribou Hotel (left), he stretched much further back to describe how at many times

over his career as an author, and during the development of his most recent book, history has found him. Archives and interviews of course have their place—a large one—in conducting research, but sometimes the most interesting tidbits come from chance encounters and remarks. The audience was much entertained by John’s humorous but informative talk, and enjoyed some refreshments together afterwards.

Throughout the weekend, members of the public also had the chance to participate in our second annual Heritage Highlights Scavenger Hunt, compiled by our amazing summer student, Elisha Ida, before she returned to school in the fall. Once

Culture Days 2019

again, the scavenger hunt was successful in creating an opportunity for the public to engage with Yukon heritage through a fun, interactive activity that prompted them to get outdoors and find answers all over Whitehorse’s downtown neighbourhood. It was particularly rewarding to hear from participants about how they went out together as a family or group of friends to complete the hunt. Besides searching for answers to trivia questions, participants were also invited to snap a selfie with a favourite piece of art on public display. Selfies featured everything from murals and prints to sculptures and moccasins.

With nearly double the participation of our 2018 scavenger hunt, it was a good thing that Elisha was able to secure some great prize donations for this year, allowing us to award three prize packs. Special thanks go to our sponsors, Angelina’s Toy Boutique, Baked Café, Coast Mountain Sports, Murdoch’s Gem Shop, and Yukon Built.

And finally, congratulations to winners Myrna B., Sandy O., and Sheila S. Great job!

A scavenger hunt participant poses for a selfie with a Richard Shorty print at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre. Credit: Alison Trimble

Daghaalhaan K’e performs at the gala. Credit: Douglas Joe

Jilkaat Kwaan Heritage Center

It was a tough decision to select the winners from amongst the thirty official entries! Ultimately, we decided to divide entries into three age groups so we could give out as many prizes as possible. Congratulations to the following winners, whose entries are shown below in the same configuration:

Ages 5 & Under Ages 6-9 Ages 10 & Up 1st: Grace C. 1st: Madelyne 1st: Mali E. 2nd: Sadie J. 2nd: Elsa B. 2nd: Danna M. 3rd: Wesley Y. 3rd: Samuel B. 3rd: Carter C.

Special thanks to our prize donors, the Old Log Church Museum and Parks Canada, and to Rendezvous and the Boys and Girls Club for enabling us to run the contest at Rendezvous—and to all the participants for joining us in celebrating Heritage Day!


Heritage Day saw YHMA running a colouring contest at the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Festival, organized with assistance from Boys and Girls Club of Yukon to be part of KidsFest. The contest was also made available online for those who could not participate at Rendezvous.

Kids had the opportunity to colour a fun picture commissioned from Chris Caldwell, inspired by the national Heritage Week theme, “Bringing the past into the future.” They were also asked to identify an activity they enjoyed that their older relatives or other people they know enjoyed when they were their age—answers ranged from eating candy to building a snowman to playing board games. A bonus wordsearch had participants hunting for words related to Rendezvous and the Yukon Quest.

Heritage Day Colouring Contest

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS | COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

The Caribou Hotel: Hauntings, hospitality, a hunter, and the parrot, published in 2019, profiles the history of the eponymous designated Yukon historic site. John has also served as a member of the Yukon Heritage Resources Board.

Helene Dobrowolsky and Rob Ingram (History Makers Award): Both Helene and Rob have been contributing to the field of Yukon heritage since their arrival in the territory in the 1970s. Rob became the Government of Yukon’s first Historic Sites employee in 1979, while Helene became the first Yukon Archives researcher in its present location at Yukon Place. Since 1988, the two have worked together as cultural and heritage resource consultants under the name Midnight Arts. Their work can be found in the nominations of several Yukon historic sites, numerous books on Yukon heritage, management and interpretive plans for Yukon historic sites,

interpretative pamphlets and flyers for heritage places across the territory, online exhibitions, and elsewhere. As an oral history specialist, Helene has trained numerous people in the techniques and ethics of managing and carrying


February 17 saw a busy evening at the Yukon Archives, with over 50 guests coming out to attend the 2019 Annual Yukon Heritage Awards ceremony and celebrate the award recipients.

The date also marked the start of national Heritage Week, with the theme of “Bringing the past into the future.” Following the opening prayer by KDFN Elder Diane Smith and welcoming remarks from Commissioner Angélique Bernard and MLA Paolo

Gallina, speaking on behalf of the Minister Jeanie Dendys, guest speaker Dr. Laura Millar gave a rousing and inspiring address on

archives and records in a digital age, encouraging listeners to start managing their own records to help ensure future archivists are not inundated with unnecessary and extraneous records—for example, deleting that photo you took of a recipe (we know you’ve done it too!).

Congratulations to all the award winners, and special thanks to the Yukon Archives, Historic Sites Unit, and Yukon Council of Archives for making this event possible.

John Firth (Annual Heritage Award): A long-time Yukoner and born storyteller, John combines his passions for writing and Yukon history by capturing stories of interesting people, places, and events and sharing them in an entertaining style that is easy to read and enjoy. He is the author of several books relating to Yukon heritage and has contributed to others. His first book, released in 1990, was Yukon Challenge: the story of the Yukon Quest, later republished as Yukon Quest: The 1000-mile dog sled race through the Yukon and Alaska; in 1999, he was awarded the Yukon Commissioner’s Award in recognition of his work to preserve Yukon dog mushing history and heritage. His most recent book,

2019 Yukon Heritage Awards

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS

Guest speaker Dr. Laura Millar. Credit: Michael Gates.

Helene and Rob receive their award from nominator Carol Ann Gingras (centre). Credit: Michael Gates.

John says a few words after receiving his award. Credit: Michael Gates.

production of a series of radio plays. The plays are based on long-ago and contemporary Gwich’in stories from Old Crow, which speak to the vital relationship between people and land. A total of seven radio plays, three in Gwich’in and four in English, were developed with the active involvement of community members at all stages. The plays are available as podcasts and illustrated script booklets online at vuntutstories.ca and are free to download. This unique project represents an innovative, captivating way of sharing these stories with a wider audience. Using oral traditions with a contemporary twist, the radio plays not only entertain, educate, and enrich, but also help to preserve and revitalize the Gwich’in language.


out oral history projects during numerous workshops and as a guest speaker at Yukon College. Helene and Rob’s contributions continue to grow the collective knowledge and understanding of our territory’s history.

Lillian Nakamura Maguire (Helen Couch Volunteer of the Year Award): As a founding member of Hidden Histories Society Yukon, Lillian has, to date, dedicated eighteen years to the organization and its

mandate to foster and increase the understanding of ethno-cultural history in the Yukon. Through the contributions of Lillian and others, Hidden Histories conducts research, produces displays, and coordinates events that enlarge the representation of diverse individuals and communities in the documentation and interpretation of Yukon history. Lillian has also served as Vice President of the National Association of Japanese Canadians, a board member of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, and a founding member of the Japanese-Canadian Association of the Yukon. She is a talented playwright, writer, and poet in her own right, exploring themes such as human rights, intercultural relations, and her own family history.

Lillian’s dedication to documenting, exploring, and sharing diverse stories has enriched both Hidden Histories Society Yukon, and the field of Yukon heritage as a whole.

Gwaandak Theatre and Vuntut Gwitchin Government (Innovation, Education, and Community Engagement Award): Gwaandak Theatre and Vuntut Gwitchin Government’s multi-year, community-based project, Ndoo Tr’eedyaa Gogwaandak (Forward Together): Vuntut Gwitchin Stories, celebrates Gwich’in storytelling tradition and Indigenous language revitalization through the

Heritage Awards cont’d

YHMA NEWS & EVENTS | COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

The 2019 Yukon Heritage Award recipients and dignitaries (L-R): Commissioner Angélique Bernard, Patti Flather and Leonard Linklater (Gwaandak Theatre), Lillian Nakamura Maguire, Helene Dobrowolsky, Rob Ingram, John Firth, MLA Paolo Gallina. Credit: Michael Gates.

Vuntut Gwitchin Government representative Megan Williams (Heritage Manager) and Gwaandak Theatre co-founders Leonard Linklater and Patti Flather display the script booklets and recording from the Ndoo Tr’eedyaa Gogwaandak project. Credit: Michael Gates.

Lillian Nakamura Maguire shows off her Viola Davidson shirt, perfect for Black History Month. Credit: Michael Gates.

Whitehorse. Charlie Baxter’s widow, Lucy Baxter, leased the seven-acre ranch to the American Army with the provision that the property would be maintained in, or restored to, its original condition. The lease encompassed seven acres in Lot 7 including a five-room log house with a basement, a barn, and twenty-seven double fox pens. The property was used to create a camp for contractors working on war-time projects. Baxter’s Ranch was cleared of trees and prefabricated barracks and buildings were erected.10 Quonset Huts were described in a building inventory as Butler buildings, reflecting the name of the supplier. The Quonset Hut was modelled on the World War One Nissen Hut, redesigned to be more versatile and lighter to ship. The last major redesign of the Quonset Hut came about 1943 and the Ray Street Quonset appears to conform to its twenty-foot wide footprint.11

When the Canadian government took over the lease in 1944, Mrs. Baxter was concerned with the considerable damage to the buildings and the land. The ranch house had been surrounded by a good garden that raised green feed before the American military covered it with gravel. It appears that the Canadians shelved the problem until December 1946 when some of the buildings located on Lot 7 were turned over to the Baxter Estate in lieu of property restoration.12 It is probable that the old log ranch house was destroyed between 1944 and 1946. Mrs. Baxter described it as ruined in 1944 and the 1946 property inventory does not include a log building. The frame house currently sitting next to the Quonset Hut on Ray Street partially sits on a concrete slab and was used as a laundry and wash house by the military contractors.

In 1947 Ed Barker and Irwin Ray pooled their resources and purchased the Baxter Ranch. They and some other partners established Tourist Services, a grocery store, motel and cocktail lounge. Bruce Sung, who was leasing the Tourist Services restaurant, bought out the partners in 1954. He made a deal with Poole Construction in 1957 to build a modern supermarket on the property. Poole was building the Whitehorse Rapids Dam at the time.13 The construction company received food and lodging in return for work on the Tourist Services’ complex. Sung also catered for United Keno Hill Mines, in the current Municipal Services Building,


Two buildings on Ray Street behind the Yukon Inn are about to be torn down or moved. The frame house, the little Quonset-style building next door, and the property they sit on, have a long history in Whitehorse.

In the early 1900s, Charlie Baxter and his wife Lucy moved from California to Whitehorse and established a small ranch at the bottom of Two Mile Hill.1 This was considered to be a long way out of town at the time.2 Baxter became one of the best-known hunting guides in the Yukon thanks to his superior advertising.3 He guided hunters in the White River area starting around 1910. In 1918 he took a party into the Kluane region.4 In the 1920s, Baxter’s trips would start from Whitehorse and end up in the McCarthy region of Alaska. The trips lasted two or three months and were very expensive.5 In the fall of 1925 Baxter bought ten pairs of foxes and the equipment to start a fur farm.6

He was still growing hay and irrigated his fields with a pipe from what is now called Spook Creek.7 Les McLaughlin remembered he and his friends renting horses at the ranch and riding down to the Yukon River on a sunny summer day.8 Baxter Gulch and Baxter Street are named for Charlie Baxter and the Baxter ranch. Charlie Baxter was living on Wood Street by 1923-24.9

During the Second World War, thousands of military personnel and civilian workers flooded into

Two pieces of Whitehorse history will soon disappear | Sally Robinson

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS

The Baxter property in 1948. Yukon Archives, James Y.C. Quong fonds, 2006/140 #2-3-24

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

and rented out some small cabins where the Yukon Inn is now.14

About 1970, Jerry Thick ran a bicycle repair shop in the Quonset Hut and the house next door was used as a bunkhouse. The Hull family bought the repair business in 1971 and purchased the buildings and property eight or nine years later. By that time the house was used for storage of coke bottles and dispensing machines. Red Hull and his son Rick jacked up the larger building and replaced the rotten sills. Mr. Hull says that bicycles would be lined up for repair after a weekend and he was working fifteen hours a day, seven days a week when he finally sold the business.15

In the 1990s, Gerry and Lynda Peters bought the property and renovated the buildings in 1994 to use as a day care. Gerry found the date 1947 stamped on a timber frame in the Quonset.16

Thanks to everyone who helped me with the history of the property and thanks to Yukon Historic Sites for sharing the archival material.

Endnotes

1. Robert McCandless, Yukon Wildlife, A Social History, University of Alberta Press, 1985: 52. 2. “From Ranch to Modern Motor Hotel.” Highlights of History from The Whitehorse Star on ExploreNorth, 2020 website: http://www.explorenorth.com/yukon/hotels/tourist_services-19691014.html. 3. Robert McCandless, Yukon Wildlife, A Social History, University of Alberta Press, 1985: 52. 4. Allen A. Wright, "Kluane" draft manuscript. Yukon Archives, MSS #83/21, pages 166, 173-4. 5. Yukon Archives, John D. Scott manuscript, “A Life in the Yukon.” 1992: 25. 6. Helene Dobrowolsky and Linda Johnson, Whitehorse: An Illustrated History. Vancouver: Figure 1 Publishing, 2013: 129. 7. Pat Ellis, "Where have all the army buildings gone?” Whitehorse Star, 19 October 2007. 8. Les McLaughlin, CKRW Yukon Nuggets. “Street name origins in downtown Whitehorse, Yukon. ExploreNorth 2020 website: http://www.explorenorth.com/yukon/whitehorse-street_names-downtown.html#baxter. 9. Yukon Archives, John Scott fonds 89/31 #2.) 10. Yukon Archives, Gov 1614, f 466h. 11. http://www.quonsethuts.org/huts/ 12. Yukon Archives, Gov 1614, f 466h. 13. Linda Johnson ed., At the Heart of Gold: The Yukon Commissioner’s Office 1898-2010. Legislative Assembly of the Yukon, 2012: 96-103. 14. Carole Bookless, “Benchmarks and Landmarks: A Study of the Architecture of the Capitol City 1900 – 2000.” Yukon Historic Sites, December 2001: 89. 15. Conversations with the Hulls, father and son. 16. Conversation with Gerry Peters.

Two pieces… cont’d


Carol van Besouw of Calgary sent us these wonderful photos of the Yukon in 1960. She and her family lived on the Whitehorse air force base from 1960-63. Photos courtesy of the Carruthers family.

Captured in Photos: 1960 Yukon

SS Keno at dry dock, Whitehorse, not long before its move to Dawson.

Sears catalogue sales, Whitehorse.

Watson Lake Signpost Forest, 1960.

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

I am a researcher of military and Mounted Police history, and as a collector of Canadian militaria I focus on anything related to the Yukon Territory.

Sometime ago I acquired a rare Eric A. Hegg photograph of six Yukon Field Force officers at Fort Selkirk. Unfortunately, the photo is not dated but I assume that it was taken during the summer of 1898. Hegg, as well as Henry J. Woodside, Per Edvard Larss and Joseph E. N. Duclos, took many photos during the Klondike Gold Rush. I can say that this YFF photo has never been seen before in the many books or websites on the subject.

From my research of the YFF, I have positively identified all six officers and have discovered some interesting details on each man. With more genealogical websites coming available on-line more and more information can be found.

I will give a brief sketch of each officer. A more detailed biography will be produced for a later publication.

Major David Douglas Young was born in 1856 in Kennoway, Scotland. Young was appointed as second in command of the YFF. Among his other duties he reviewed and censored dispatches from the attached correspondent Faith Fenton of the Globe newspaper. After his time with the YFF he held various staff positions within the Royal Canadian Regiment. He did not serve overseas during the Anglo Boer War but did temporarily command the RCR as a Brevet Lieutenant Colonel from February to July 1904. Young retired from the military in 1911 having reached the rank of Lieut. Col. He was living in Kingston, Ont. on December 1933 and in January 1938 it was noted in the Regimental magazine, Pro Patria, that he was the oldest living ex-officer of the Regiment. His son, David Douglas Young Jr. served during the Anglo Boer War in South Africa and as well during the First World War with the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force in 1919 in Russia.

Captain Charles St. Aubyn Pearse was born on 16th March 1864 at Llangoed, Anglesey, North Wales. Pearse was the youngest son of Maj. Edward Octavius Pearse, JP, DL and Jane Elizabeth Pearse. At that time they were residing at Bryn Celyn Beaumaris, North Wales. Pearse served with the YFF to the very end when the remaining Yukon Garrison left Dawson in June 1900. Charles

Yukon Field Force Photograph | Tim Popp


Pearse served with the 2nd Contingent of the RCD in the Anglo Boer War and was awarded the Queen’s South Africa medal. Charles died of enteric fever on the 17th October 1900 and is buried at Pretoria, Transvaal. A photo of his grave headstones can be found on the Veteran Affairs web site. Charles had two older brothers who also served with the British forces.

Captain Percival Edward Thacker was born on 28th October 1873 at Bangor Wales and when his family immigrated to Canada, had formal education in Toronto, Ontario. He graduated from Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont. and later was posted to the RCR. He served with the YFF to the very end when the unit left the Klondyke in June 1900. Percival was seconded to the Anglo Boer War in South Africa with the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles earning the Queen’s South Africa medal. After that war he held various staff positions and later served with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) as Commanding Officer. He eventually rose to the rank of Major General during the First World War and was Adjutant General of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Thacker died on 23rd July 1945 and is buried at Royal Oak Cemetery, Victoria, B.C.

Major Edward Worrell Graham Gardiner was born on 7th October 1854 at Cape Town, South Africa. In 1867, Gardiner attended Sandhurst Military College in England at the age of thirteen and upon

Back Row (L-R): Capt. Edward Worrel Graham Gardiner, Maj. Gilbert Lafayette Foster, Lieut. Lionel Gordon Bennet. Front Row (L-R): Maj. David Douglas Young, Capt. Charles. St Aubyn Pearse, Capt. Percival Edward Thacker. Photo author’s collection.

SPRING/SUMMER 2020

graduation served with the British Royal Middlesex Regiment. He served in West Africa during the Ashanti War 1874 and later was made District Commissioner along the Gold Coast of Africa in 1877. In 1880, he resigned his commission, returned to England and married. He rejoined the British forces with the 10th Hussars and was sent to India from 1880 to 1884. Upon his return, he was almost immediately sent back to Africa during the Soudan War and fought during the Battles of El-Teb and Tamai. Gardiner was then seconded to Canada to serve with the Canadian Forces being stationed at Fort Osborne in Winnipeg, Manitoba. During the North West Rebellion, he served with the Canadian militia forces at Yorkton, North West Territories (Saskatchewan). With the end of the rebellion, Gardiner returned to Fort Osborne and became good friends with Major Thomas Dixon Evans. Later while serving with the Yukon Field Force he was made Adjutant for the unit. He was back at Fort Osborne by early 1900 and might have made an effort to serve during the Anglo Boer War. But with his family now five daughters and a son, it was likely time to settle down. He continued to serve in staffing capacity at military district headquarters until his death. On 20th April 1904, Gardiner passed away at Fort Osborne Barracks, he was 49 years old. Gardiner was interned in the St. John’s Cathedral cemetery. His headstone is in a state of disrepair having succumbed to the weather, harsh elements and neglect.

Major Gilbert Lafayette Foster was born on 29th May 1874 at Kingston, Nova Scotia. CEF, Maj. Gen., CB, Kt. St. J., CM, F.R.C.S., LL.D., Director General Medical Services O.M.F.C. Foster was educated at Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia and graduated with his medical degree from the New York Medical College obtaining his medical degree and master of surgery at the University of New York in 1896. By August 1897 Foster had joined the militia and in 1898 was named as medical officer for the YFF. After leaving the Klondike in 1899, he returned to Canning, Nova Scotia to general practice and likely served with a local militia unit. When the 1st WW was declared, Foster enlisted with the CEF and was made the assistant director of medical services. With several promotions by 1917, Foster was the Director of Medical Services for the entire CEF with the rank of Major General. Upon his return to Canada after the cessation of hostilities in 1918, Foster was put in

Yukon Field Force Photograph cont’d


charge of medical services for the entire Canadian Army being stationed in Ottawa, Ontario. During his career he was awarded many honours from England, France and Canada. He eventually retired from the army in 1921. He went home to Kentville, N.S. to his general practice that he was so accustomed to. When his health began to fail, he settled in Wolfville and died on 17th May 1940. He was buried in his town of birth at Kentville.

Foster had two children from his first marriage. His son, Harry Foster, became a Maj. Gen. during the 2nd WW and later commanded the 4th Canadian Division in France. Maj. Gen. Harry Foster presided over the very first war crimes trial for the 2nd WW dealing with German SS General Kurt Meyer, who was responsible for the murder of 145 Canadian soldiers during the Battle of Normandy.

Lieutenant Lionel Gordon Bennet was born 10th October 1875 at Collingwood, Ontario. Bennet having been privately tutored entered Royal Military College in 1893 and graduated four years later. He was appointed to the YFF and by some accounts was very strict with the enlisted men. When the YFF was reduced by over half, Bennet resigned his commission in November 1899 and began employment with the Gold and Survey Departments of the Department of the Interior in Dawson City. Bennet was employed with this department from 1900 to 1911. Bennet then practiced law and was admitted to the legal bar for the Yukon Territory in July 1912. Although he did not enlist immediately at the outbreak of the war in 1914, Bennet enlisted in the CEF as a private in the Yukon Infantry Company on 22nd September 1916. Because he was former RMC graduate and trained as an artillery officer he was almost immediately released. He re-enlisted on 15th November 1916 and commissioned with the 68th Battalion, Canadian Field Artillery. Bennet did serve in France by September 1918 enough to see some of the heaviest fighting of the war. After demobilizing from the army in April 1920, Bennet settled in Brooklyn, N.S. and took up farming. He was admitted to the bar in Nova Scotia on the 12th January 1922 and practiced law. He died there on 12th February 1947 of congestive heart failure. Bennet was buried at the Maplewood Cemetery, in Windsor, N.S.

If any readers wish to discuss or add any comments about this article, Tim would be happy to hear from them. He can be reached at [email protected].


Yukon Historical & Museums Association

3126 Third Avenue, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 1E7 p: 867-667-4704 | f: 867-667-4506

[email protected] | heritageyukon.ca | @Yukonheritage

Established in 1977, YHMA works to strengthen heritage in the Yukon through leadership, advocacy, and education. Our membership reflects the scope and diversity of the Yukon heritage

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Our newsletter is published twice annually. Copies of previous issues are available at heritageyukon.ca.

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Intake deadlines are April 15, July 15, October 15, and January 15.

Visit heritageyukon.ca, email [email protected], or call 667-4704 for more information.

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