In the mid-1960s, the Yukon’s Department of Publicity (now Tourism Yukon) had a brilliant idea:
to get the late Bud Fisher to dress up like a colourful old Yukon prospector and travel around North America as an ambassador for the territory.
He met the press and mayors in major centres. He told great stories and had loads of information about the territory. I believe it was a great success.
We need more creative ideas like the very small Yukon Department of Publicity of the mid-1960s had. At that time, the department head was Jack Gibson. Also working there was a Major Evans (a wonderful gentleman), Bud Fisher and Shirley Whitehouse, who hailed from Dawson City. Shirley and another girl also ran the Yukon pavilion at Montreal Expo in 1967.
These individuals, and perhaps three or four more people, ran our tourism department back then. They did an outstanding job. Today, we need more creative imagination to reach out to the world.
I realize that in recent times we are quite successful in that more Japanese, Chinese and German people are visiting the territory, but we certainly could use more. We might have to build more hotels because of the present mining boom. It’s a possibility.
I think a big potential for future tourism is the fact that we are in the beginning of a new gold rush (our second big gold rush) and I think it will interest the world in our history and might stimulate travel to the Yukon. Let’s hope so.
Anyone with information about this subject, please write Jim Robb: The Colourful Five Per Cent Scrapbook - Can You Identify? c/o the Yukon News, 211 Wood Street, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 2E4, or send an email to the News at editor@yukon-news.com or go through the website, www.yukon-news.com.