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Yukon Nuggets

1951

The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1951

 
January
January 5, 1951 The Federal government awards contracts for the construction of 50 army duplex homes in Whitehorse.
January 5, 1951 The University of Alaska announces that all students from the Yukon Territory are exempt from payment of non-resident tuition fees.
January 19, 1951 The Whitehorse Branch of the Canadian Legion elects new officers: President, R.C. Watson; First Vice-President, D.W. Davis; Second Vice-President, G. Hoyem; Secretary-Treasurer, A.M. Borland.  Members elected to the executive are: Mrs. J. Warren, J. Macdonald, M. Wilson, Sergeant-at-Arms, W. Smoler, Trustees: R.G. Lee, W.M. Emery, E. L. Gay.
February
February 2, 1951 Passing a complete traffic by-law, the city council bans u-turns on Main Street and First Avenue.
February 9, 1951 A vast radar screen under United States- Canadian supervision is constructed in the Yukon for protection against Russian air raids and surprise attacks.
February 16, 1951 E.M. Lawrence of Iowa wins the Yukon Brewery Name Contest for suggesting the name "Arctic" for Yukon Beer to be brewed in Whitehorse.
February 16, 1951 The City Council decides to narrow First Avenue from a 100ft. to 80 ft. rather than move buildings that are jutting out.
February 23, 1951 Yukeno Mines, Ltd. becomes on February 22, 1951 the owner of the second largest acreage under one company in the Keno Hill silver-lead-zinc camp.
March
March 2, 1951 Ernest Lortie is elected Alderman to fill the vacancy caused by Alderman George Ryder's death. (see also December 22, 1951)
March 12, 1951 The federal government officially announces that the Territorial Government will move from Dawson City to Whitehorse. The Whitehorse Star issues a special edition.
March 22, 1951 The U.S. is now in favour of the construction of a highway between Skagway and Whitehorse.
March 30, 1951 W.C. Phelps passes away March 27, 1951 at the age of 83. W.L. Phelps, K.C. has been a resident of Whitehorse since 1900. He was a founder of the Yukon Electrical Company and a member of the first wholly elected Territorial Council.
April
April 13, 1951 An amendment to the Yukon Act passed in the House of Commons put five members, instead of 3, on the Yukon Council.
April 13, 1951 Klondike Mike (Michael Mahoney) passes away at the age of 74 in Santa Monica, California. Mahoney was one of the great Klondike characters, having carried a piano on his back over the Chilkoot Pass. In 1904, he mushed four hundred miles from Fairbanks to Valdez with the frozen body of Alaskan Judge Hume on his sled. The Hume family had asked Klondike Mike to deliver the body to Seattle for burial.
May
May 4, 1951 It is announced in the Whitehorse Star that a Federal Building will be erected on Main Street and 4th Avenue.
May 25, 1951 The Yukon's first cocktail lounge opens at the Regina Hotel May 24, 1951. (see also June 2, 1950)
June
June 1, 1951 The '98 Hotel opens its new modern cocktail lounge with an open house for Whitehorse business people.
June 15, 1951 The annual meeting of the Whitehorse Teachers Association elects new officers: President, Mr. F. Locke: Vice-President, Mrs. Y. Wilson: Secretary, Mrs. Barnett: Treasurer, George Aylwin. Conveners of standing committees are: Social, Mrs. Charlie Taylor, Programme, Mrs. McLean: Membership, Mrs. Laurie Todd: Ways and Means, Jim Norrington, Publicity, Miss. R. Erickson.
June 15, 1951 Bob Harrison is elected president of the recently formed Junior Chamber of Commerce.
July
July 6, 1951 A branch of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind is formed in Whitehorse. Elected of office of the Whitehorse Branch are: Honorary Chairman, Mr. Justice Gibben: Chairman, William Hamilton: Vice Chairman, Stuart MacPherson: Treasurer, Art Jones: Secretary, Mrs. Gordon Dickson.
August
August 10, 1951 George Black is sworn in as a member of the King's Privy Council. Black was named to the Privy Council in December 1949, but Black's absence from Ottawa did not allow an earlier swearing in ceremony.
September
September 7, 1951 The Capital Hotel opens for business with the completion of the interior of their building at 103 Main Street.
September 14, 1951 Amos Burg, a National Geographic writer and photographer, shoots Miles Canyon and Whitehorse Rapids with Yukoner Bill MacBride.  A year earlier, Captain Guild of the US Army ran the rapids in a rubber raft.
September 14, 1951 A charter was presented to the newly formed Lions Club. Officers of the Lions Club are: President: Robert Campbell: First Vice-President, Leo Lortie, Second Vice-President, Dr. W. E. Doupe: Third Vice-President, Lawrence Seely: Secretary, David Porter: Treasurer, H. E. Boyd: Lion Tamer, Owen Williams: Tail Twister, Harry Johannes. Directors are: Odin Hougen, Matthew Nelson, and Gordon Tubman.
September 21, 1951 Construction of the Taku River highway between Juneau and Atlin is approved unanimously by the Associated Boards of Trade of British Columbia and Southeast Alaska.
October
October 19, 1951 The Whitehorse Rifle and Pistol Club elected the following people at their annual meeting: President, G. I. Cameron: Vice-President, Don Hall: Secretary, Jessie Robertson: Treasurer, Charles Gilbert: Chief Instructor, Ole Rollag: Range Supervisor, A. J. Shorty: Social Convener, Joyce Perry: Publicity, Rolf Hougen.
November
November 16, 1951 The Whitehorse Merchants Hockey Club elect their new executive.  President, T. C. Richards: Vice-President, Pete Petiot:  Secretary-Treasurer, Rolf Hougen.  Other executive members are Ernie Lortie, Al Wise, William Hamilton, and George Aylwin.
November 16, 1951 Mr. Fred Fraser, newly appointed Commissioner for the Yukon, arrived in Whitehorse.  He was appointed Commissioner early in October, succeeding A. H. Gibson who was appointed Police Magistrate at Dawson City.
December
December 3, 1951 The Yukon Ski Club elects the following officers: President, Mr. A. Yeulet, Vice President, James Mutch, Secretary, Miss. D. Fleming, Treasurer, Miss. G. Fick, Publicity Manager, C. Skeleton.
December 21, 1951 The B.P.O. Elks elects the following officers: Exalted ruler, Frank Mikusch, Immediate Past Exalted Ruler, Wendell Williamson: Leading Knight, Leo Lortie: Loyal Knight, Dick Carswell:  Lecturing Knight, George Webber: Secretary-Treasurer, Garton (Jim) Crow: Esquire, Bill Abraham: Inner Guard, Ralph Caruso: Tyler, Wally Blair: Chaplain, Jack Nairn: Historian, Jack Connelly: Trustees, Hugo Seaholm, Jack Elliot, Howard Brunlees.