For the first time since 2019, the Yukon Historical and Museums Association (YHMA) has honoured those who have contributed to preserving and communicating Yukon’s rich heritage in a public event. More than 50 people attended at the Beringia Centre in person or online March 29. And though mask wearing and social distancing were practised, these precautions did not dampen the celebration.
After introductory remarks by Commissioner Angélique Bernard and Tourism and Culture Minister Ranj Pillai, guest speaker Andrew Gregg gave a presentation he called “The Power of Objects.”
Gregg, a former Yukon resident, is a filmmaker with more than 50 projects under his belt. His most recent film, titled “Skymaster Down,” is about a military flight that disappeared from the skies of the southwest Yukon in 1950. Seven decades later, it has yet to be found.
Gregg gave an inspiring presentation.
“There can be a lot of power in objects and what they tell us about the past,” he said.
A century-old pair of Levi’s jeans from the Klondike goldfields, hand-stitched moccasins thousands of years old from an ice patch, and a Chinese coin unearthed during archaeological work all have meaning, he said, and the meaning changes, depending upon who you are.
He cited the SS Klondike National Historic Site as a prominent feature of the Whitehorse landscape, but for him, it hearkens back to a time when the riverboats ruled the Yukon. The Atlatl darts uncovered from ice patches in the southwest Yukon were another example. “They tell us so much about the people who hunted in the southern Yukon as far back as 9,000 years ago,” he said.
He continued: “A person can spend days sifting through the remains of abandoned cabins, trying to decipher what they meant to their owners.” Then he mentioned an old truck in Sid van der Meer’s Beaver Creek museum, formerly used at the weather station and airstrip at Snag. What caught Gregg’s eye was the RCAF insignia on one of the doors of the truck that testified to its former use.
Andy Hooper moved buildings around Whitehorse using an old truck, a CMP (Canadian Military Pattern) vehicle from World War II . This truck, now housed in the Yukon Transportation Museum, evoked strong feelings for Gregg, whose father was an avid collector of old Second World War vehicles. His father’s collection consisted of 60 of them, including CMPs, three tanks and a Tiger Moth aircraft. Many of the visitors who came to the Greggs’ Ontario farm were so overwhelmed by the power of these objects that they came to tears in their presence.
The USAF C-54 aircraft, the subject of his film, “Skymaster Down,” remains lost, but if even the smallest fragments of the plane are recovered, they will help to solve the mystery of what happened.
“And when we do,” he said, “it will go a long way to giving closure to the Skymaster families.”
These families have been held in suspense for decades over the unresolved fate of this downed aircraft. Even the smallest fragments will evoke powerful feelings for them.
Gregg’s talk was followed by the presentation of the Annual YHMA Heritage Award, given posthumously to the late Art Johns of Carcross. The award was accepted by members of his family. According to the program, “He provided immeasurable assistance to the Yukon Archaeology and Historic Sites programs, leading them to outstanding discoveries that will endure as monuments to Yukon First Nation land use and culture.”
In his tribute to Art Johns, presenter and archaeologist Greg Hare reflected on his long-time relationship with Johns. Hare praised Johns’ willingness and generosity in sharing his profound knowledge of geography and resources. His curiosity was boundless. He was proud of his people’s history and shared his sense of place with all Yukoners, said Hare.
The recipients of the History Makers Award were Mayo residents Bruce Mitford and Beth Hunt for their involvement in the planning and protection of the Lansing Post historic site. Resident at the site from 1979, they fought back Mother Nature and endured flooding over the many decades they lived at the site. According to the program, “These two remarkable individuals have been diligent stewards of this historic site, while writing their own chapter, and generously welcoming all who venture there.”
The YHMA Helen Couch Volunteer of the Year Award went to Kaitlin Normandin. She was recognized for her wide-ranging involvement with many volunteer organizations, including YHMA, the Yukon Heritage Training Fund Adjudication Committee, the Tourism Industry Association of Yukon, the Yukon Council of Archives and Hidden Histories Society of Yukon. In 2021, she was appointed treasurer of the Association of Canadian Archivists.
The Yukon Transportation Museum and Janna Swales received the Innovation, Education and Community Engagement Award for a project titled “Yukon Spin.”
In 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, Swales “recorded several high-quality, first person point-of-view cycling videos on routes all over the territory.”
The museum used these recordings to produce six videos and made them available for streaming. Each video included data about duration, elevation and route, combined with facts about Yukon history.
The final recipients, Jamie Toole and Anne Morgan were recognized with the Heritage Conservation Project of the Year Award for their efforts in stabilizing the historic motor vessel, the MV Sibilla. Following conservation standards and guidelines, they documented the vessel, stabilized the hull, and relocated it to a prominent site on Tagish Avenue in Carcross. This is the second time they have received this award, the first time being for their work to restore the historic Carcross Hotel. This award was sponsored by the Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture.
The awards ceremony was enjoyed by everyone who attended, and is a signal that we are making a gradual return to normal after two long years of putting lives on hold. Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients for the work they have done!
Michael Gates is Yukon’s first Story Laureate. His latest, “Dublin Gulch: A History of the Eagle Gold Mine,” received the Axiom Business Book Award silver medal for corporate history. His next book, “From the Klondike to Hollywood,” is due for release in September. You can contact him at msgates@northwestel.net.