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Johnny Joe was a witness to the Klondike Gold Rush

This photograph is of the late Johnny Joe displaying some of his photographs at his Marsh Lake home.
robb

This photograph is of the late Johnny Joe displaying some of his photographs at his Marsh Lake home.

As a young boy standing on the shore of Marsh Lake, Johnny Joe watched the Klondike stampeders’ boats pass by on their way to the Klondike; this was in 1898.

Johnny Joe, who lived to be more than 100 years old, had many unique experiences in his lifetime. His world vastly changed since his youth.

In another photograph I took of him and his wife Julia many years ago, they were sitting on a bench looking at a visiting mall circus or carnival that had come to Whitehorse. I had the feeling, looking at the two of them studying the strange carnival amusement rides, that what they were seeing confirmed the rapid changes of their lives and times.

That black-and-white photograph told a story in a way; anyhow that’s how it translated to me.

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 email through the News website, www.yukon-news.com.