1953
The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1953
January | |
January 16, 1953 | The Whitehorse Legion elects officers for 1953: President, Earl Gay; First Vice President, R. Chapman; Second Vice-President, H. Cunningham; Sergeant-at-Arms, Bill Smoller. |
January 16, 1953 | Another new type of business starts in Whitehorse when Mr. and Mrs. Pete Petiot open their self-serve laundry. |
January 16, 1953 | Whitehorse City Council prepares a brief acquainting the Government of the needs of a water and sewer system in Whitehorse. |
January 23, 1953 | An earthquake that shook the town of Mayo on January 18th lasted approximately four minutes. Residents were reported to have received quite a scare from the quake. |
January 23, 1953 | George Murray claims in Parliament that the construction of the Alaska Highway by the Army was full of corruption. Between 1942 and 1945 about 14,000 pieces of equipment worth $10 Million were allegedly stolen. |
January 30, 1953 | 19 year old Lena Emma Tzya is chosen to represent the Girl Guides of the Yukon at the Coronation ceremonies in England in spring 1954. |
February | |
February 13, 1953 | The Junior Chamber of Commerce elect on February 9, 1953 Frank Algar as president after the resignation of Charlie Blishen. |
February 20, 1953 | The Yukon Fish and Game Association elect officers for the coming year: President, Frank Mikusch (replacing Ted Pinchin); Vice-President, Lloyd Dunbar; Secretary, Rolf Hougen; Treasurer, Charlie Rosenberg. |
February 27, 1953 | The new Whitehorse Civic Centre officially opens February 18, 1953. In later years, it will be called the Jim Light Arena. The first ticket is purchased by Mayor Gordon Armstrong. |
February 27, 1953 | Simpsons-Sears Ltd. opens a mail order store in Whitehorse on Main Street near Second Avenue. The store is under the management of Mr. and Mrs. V.A. Chapman. |
February 27, 1953 | National Housing loans are now available for the Yukon. |
March | |
March 13, 1953 | The Whitehorse Inn opens an ultramodern restaurant that is declared the finest in Canada's North, one that Yukoners can be proud of. |
March 13, 1953 | Thayer Lindsey, President of Ventures Ltd., told company shareholders in Toronto about his biggest venture: a hydroelectric power development in the Yukon. It would cost two billion dollars and develop as much as five million horsepower to run a great new metallurgical development in the Canadian Northwest. Known as the Frobisher Project, it would flood vast tracts of the Yukon including Whitehorse. |
March 13, 1953 | At the annual meeting of the Yukon Historical Society, the following directorate was named: Patrons, Captain and Mrs. George Black; Honorary President, Honourable J. Aubrey Simmons, M.P.; President, W. D. MacBride; Vice-President, Mrs. Jas Porter; Secretary-Treasurer, C.A. Morrison; Executive, Mrs. E. Steeves and J. J. Elliott. |
March 27, 1953 | On March 19, 1953, a fire damaged the plant and stock of the Dawson News. Publisher W. Samuelson advised the Star he would be back in business in two weeks. |
March 27, 1953 | The administration of the Yukon Territorial Government completes its move from Dawson to Whitehorse. Temporary offices were set up in one of the old school buildings at the north end of Third Avenue. |
April | |
April 3, 1953 | CFWH returns to air next week. When the American Armed Forces radio programs were stopped, action was initiated to obtain CBC programs to supplement locally produced programs. On April 5 or 6th, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation programs will be available for the first time to Whitehorse listeners. CFWH remains a volunteer station. |
April 10, 1953 | Whitehorse officially becomes the Capital of the Yukon. The first meeting of the Territorial Council is held in Whitehorse on April 8 in the courtrooms over the post office. Members from Dawson, Mayo, and Carmacks are in Whitehorse to attend the meeting. |
April 24, 1953 | A week prior, Mr. and Mrs. Richard White proprietors of the Capital Hotel open ten new rooms on the second floor of their hotel. |
May | |
May 8, 1953 | The Whitehorse Board of Trade elects the following officers: President, James Smith; Vice-Ppresident, Rolf Hougen; Secretary, R. J. Rowan; Treasurer, Arthur Jones. |
May 15, 1953 | Monsieur Francois de Laboulaye, French Embassy Consular, was entertained at a luncheon Monday by the Territorial Government, City of Whitehorse, and the Board of Trade. Monsieur Laboulaye is making a tour of Western Canada to get acquainted with the people of the West and to tell the people what France is doing in the international field. |
May 15, 1953 | Fire destroys Cole Brothers garage at Keno. In a matter of minutes the whole group of buildings was ablaze, and so hot that nothing was saved. Approximately $75,000 of damage was done. The diesel electric light plant also caught fire. As a result Keno will be without light or power until they can repair the plant. |
May 15, 1953 | White Pass & Yukon Route announce that lots on Seventh and Eighth Avenue will go on sale. |
May 15, 1953 | Alex van Bibber announces his Annual Champagne Rodeo for June 2, 1953. |
May 22, 1953 | A Masonic Lodge is opened in Mayo on May 18, 1853. |
May 29, 1953 | At a meeting of sponsors of the Whitehorse Junior Fastball League on May 27, Rolf Hougen is elected President, Bud Harrison is elected Vice-President, and Dick Carswell is elected the Secretary-Treasurer. |
May 29, 1953 | Schools are closed as a precautionary measure to combat the spread of polio in Whitehorse. |
June | |
June 12, 1953 | Dawson is without ferry service a smaller substitute ferry arrives with considerable delay. |
June 12, 1953 | The Paddle Wheeler Tutshi makes its first trip of the season from Carcross to Ben My Chree. |
June 26, 1953 | The first cocktail lounge opens in Mayo June 22, 1953 when the Chateau Mayo opened the doors and revealed a new modern lounge. The Chateau Mayo was purchased from Barker-Ray interests by Joseph Alexander Work and Dale Robertson early this year. |
June 26, 1953 | The Strawberry Festival in Haines is cancelled due to the high number of polio cases. |
June 26, 1953 → July 24, 1953 |
A rich source of uranium is discovered in Atlin. A road leading to the place of the uranium discovery is started by Conwest Exploration Co. on July 24, 1953. |
July | |
July 3, 1953 → July 10, 1953 |
J. Aubrey Simmons is the candidate for the Liberal for the upcoming federal elections. George Black is nominated by the Progressive-Conservative Party. The Social Credit Party of the Yukon nominates on July 10, 1953 Gordon Lee. |
July 31, 1953 | July 26, 1953, at 5 a.m. thousands of tons of sand crash down from the cliff at the west end of Main Street. No injuries are reported, but the area is declared "danger zone". |
August | |
August 14, 1953 | Aubrey Simmons (Liberal Party) wins the Yukon election, defeating Lee (Social Credit) and Black (Progressive Conservative). |
August 28, 1953 | The Yukon Mining Company Ltd. elects their directors for the ensuing year: W.A. Green, Harold Koffman, A.R. Blake, J.E. Grasser, Kenneth Gamey, Ronald L. Price, Erik H. Nielsen. |
September | |
September 21, 1953 | W.M.S. Drury Sr., pioneer merchant, dies at age eighty-three. |
September 26, 1953 | A fire of undetermined origin destroyed the R.C.A.F. Ski Chalet on September 19, 1953. |
October | |
October 2, 1953 | George Black receives from the Secretary of State a medal issued in honour of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth on June 2, 1953. |
October 9, 1953 | The Whitehorse Board of Trade holds its third "Radio Week" Campaign in aid of CFWH, November 16 to November 21, 1953. |
October 9, 1953 | The Whitehorse Star is moving into the new office building situated on Main Street immediately east of the old office. |
October 30, 1953 | Mayo residents petition the Yukon Territorial Council for a new hospital building because of the miserable state of the current building. |
November | |
November 6, 1953 | As of November 9, 1953, CFWH resumes continuous broadcasting throughout the day. |
November 27, 1953 | Hougen's Ltd. announces the purchase of the building and contents of George L. Meikle, a Whitehorse electrical appliance store. The department will be incorporated into the Hougen's main store and the Meikle Building sold. |
December | |
December 11, 1953 | "Grandma" Maggie Boeren passes away at the age of 109. |
December 11, 1953 | Mabel A. Simmons, mother of Aubrey Simmons, passes away at the age 79. |
December 18, 1953 | Jack Connelly is installed as exalted ruler of Elks Lodge. |
December 31, 1953 | For the first time in the Yukon's history three dimensional movies are shown - in Carcross. |