I would like to thank the many organizations and individuals who participated in the recent official recognition of the A.J. Goddard shipwreck as a Yukon Historic Site.
Thanks go to the Institute of Nautical Archeology and the Yukon Transportation Museum. As well, co-founders Doug Davidge and John Pollack and researcher Lindsey Thomas deserve special recognition for their efforts to bring the Goddard back to us all.
I would also like to recognize the work of the volunteers and Yukon government employees involved in the project for helping to preserve a significant part of Yukon’s history and making it available for all Yukoners to share in and enjoy.
It was in October 1901 that the ship went down in stormy waters on Lake Laberge. Three of the crew were lost.
In 2008, the Goddard was found with her boiler, paddlewheel and engines all virtually preserved as they were in 1901, due to the cold water of the lake. Smaller artifacts were also found, including cooking utensils, blacksmithing tools and even gramophone records.
While other sternwheelers have been found in western Canada, the A.J. Goddard is the most completely preserved “pocket sternwheeler” from the Klondike Gold Rush era found to date. According to many experts who have seen the ship in the icy depths, it is like looking through a window directly into Yukon’s past.
Once again, thanks to everyone involved in the A.J. Goddard project. Together, you have made a significant contribution to the preservation of Yukon’s diverse and exciting history.
Mike Nixon
Minister of Tourism
and Culture