1956
The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1956
January | |
January 12, 1956 | The Kiwanis Club installs on January 3, 1956 the new executive officers of 1956. The new officers are Jim Norrington, Chuck Beaumont, Jack Willis and Neil Sutherland. |
January 12, 1956 | The Whitehorse Branch of the Canadian Legion elects on January 4, 1956 the new officers: Mrs. I. McCandless is the new president. |
January 26, 1956 | The Christ the King School is officially opened January 14, 1956 by Commissioner F.H. Collins. |
January 26, 1956 → February 2, 1956 |
On January 24, 1956, Gordon Armstrong is re-elected mayor of Whitehorse, defeating Craigie Hood. Aldermen are Gordon Cameron, Bill Drury, Jim Hanna, and Jim Smith. On January 31, 1956, Judge J.E. Gibben declares the civic election void after an affidavit by Gordon Armstrong and H.D. Boyle about the secrecy at the poll. |
February | |
February 23, 1956 | Martha Louise Black celebrates her 90th birthday. Among the congratulators is Mrs. Eisenhower. |
April | |
April 5, 1956 | On April 3, 1956, Commissioner F.H. Collins hosts the Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Vincent Massey at the Officers' Lounge at the Royal Canadian Air Force Station in Whitehorse. |
April 5, 1956 | Governor General Vincent Massey names on April 1956 the Yukon River bridge after Robert Campbell. |
April 5, 1956 | The new owners of the former Hickey Garage in Dawson City, Ted Thomas and Will Crayford, have changed the name to "Klondike Motors". |
April 5, 1956 | The Coat of Arms, Yukon, Canada officially approved by Her Majesty, the Queen. |
April 12, 1956 | Commissioner F .H. Collins announces that effective April 1, the ferry crossings over the Yukon, Pelly and Stewart Rivers on the Whitehorse-Mayo Road and across the Yukon River and Dawson will be free to the public. This means that all roads in the territory are now toll-free. |
April 12,1956 | Members of the Women's Auxiliary to Whitehorse General Hospital said goodbye to their President, Bea Marr. Margaret Healy succeeds her. |
April 19,1956 | Corridors through Alaska Panhandle to give Yukon and northern BC access to Pacific Ocean are proposed in the House of Commons by Yukon MP, Aubrey Simmons. |
April 19, 1956 | Al Olson is named president of Whitehorse Curling succeeding Laurent Cyr. |
April 19, 1956 | New lots for sale on April 23,1956 in the East Bank Subdivision. |
April 19,1956 | Resolution Stirs P. T.A. Ire. A resolution by Dawson City councillor VC Mellor expressed the belief that school timetables were already full and there was no room for religious education. |
May | |
May 3, 1956 | Jim Norrington was named president of the Whitehorse Board of Trade at the group's annual meeting. He succeeds Ernie Theed. |
May 3, 1956 → May 10, 1956 → June 14, 1956 |
White Pass Assumes Tactful Policy In Leasing Land. C.F. Abrams, Executive-president of the White Pass and Yukon Route, announces the company will ask householder occupying company land in Whiskey Flats to sign a lease. The lease to occupy would require nominal rental payments. A week later, BYN officials report that a majority of residents of Whisky Flats agree to sign leases to occupy their homes that are located on company property.On June 14, 1956, the first eviction of the Whiskey Flats is announced for June 18, 1956. |
May 3, 1956 | A group of Alaska Highway lodge keepers form the Yukon Lodge Keepers Association. Mike Nolan of Marsh Lake, president, W.G. Brewster of Haines Junction, vice-president, Clyde Wann of Whitehorse, secretary-treasurer. |
May 10, 1956 | Whitehorse Board of Trade building committee chairman, Bob Campbell, states the building permits in 1955 amounted to $1,256,000. |
May 10, 1956 | Mrs. Fred Cook is named President of the Dawson PTA. |
May 10, 1956 | Nisutlin Bay Bridge officially opens as Commissioner F .H. Collins cuts the ribbon. Reverend Father F.B.Triggs, OMI, blessed the bridge. |
May 10, 1956 | Mrs. William Maule is President of Women's Auxiliary of the Whitehorse Golf and Country Club. |
May 17, 1956 | Dust and Stop Light. City council's Aldermen Drury and Smith were appointed to discuss means of alleviation with territorial engineer regarding dust due to streets being dug up from all the new construction. |
May 17, 1956 | Plans for the projected 12-bed hospital at Mayo are progressing well. Last year the temperature was as low as -48...inside the old hospital! |
May 24,1956 | New Hospital Started; Building Boom Offers Two Hundred Jobs. I2-acre new hospital site, with a $4 million hospital. "Go ahead" to commence federal construction of fifty-eight houses in new subdivision. Concrete poured at Bank of Commerce site. |
May 24,1956 | Timed to coincide with the opening of the Haines Highway, the Lynn Canal Corporation of Haines announces the opening of its modern hotel in the city center. |
May 31, 1956 | CBC Proposes Taking Over Northern Radio. Plans for CBC to broadcast in the Yukon are underway. |
June | |
June 7, 1956 | Commissioner F .H. Collins outlined current developments taking place. This expansion is one of four inter-related projects- subdivision, water and sewer system, the hospital and the bridge. The new subdivision will consist of 200 lots at an average price of $1500 per lot. |
June 7, 1956 | Mr. And Mrs. Bill Clarke presented with ivory Eskimo carvings by more than seventy-five friends at DOT Rec Hall. Bill was a weather observer here for the past six years. He and his wife are moving to Vancouver. |
June 21, 1956 | Nielsen Heads Whitehorse PTA. President- Erik Nielsen elected president, succeeding Erling Anderson. Vice-president is Bob Dunlop. |
June 21, 1956 | Queen of the North To Be Chosen. Through cooperation of Skagway, Haines and Whitehorse, an International Queen of the North will be chosen - Whitehorse's candidate 1956 May Queen, Penny Collins, is sponsored by the Legion. |
June 29, 1956 | Mayo District News and Doings. Final meeting for Mayo PTA. It voted to buy playground equipment. President- Sgt. Ted Allen. First vice-president Mr. J. Van Bibber. |
July | |
July 5, 1956 | A plaque, commemorating the handover of the Alaska Highway from the United States Army to the Canadian Army, is unveiled by Major General G. Walsh, CBE. DSO. CD. It was inscribed: At this site on April 1st, 1946, the United States Army officially handed over the Alaska Highway and associated facilities to the Canadian Army. This plaque is dedicated to those who built and cared for the Alaska Highway by the members of the Northwest Highway System, June 1956." |
July 12, 1956 | Jaycee News Election results from May 17, 1956 - President-Dave Dykeman succeeding Al Prince. |
July 12, 1956 | Power Survey of Yukon River Opened. Three experienced engineers and student trainees have started their 800-mile long engineering reconnaissance of the Yukon River. |
July 12, 1956 | Grand Lady Of The Yukon Dies Leaving Gap In Famous Family. Mrs. T.C. Richards, wife of Thomas Cecil Richards, dies July 9. |
July 19, 1956 | Plans Under Way For New Addition To Civic Center. The Mayor's Committee, consisting of Alderman Jim Hanna, Bill Drury, John Scott, Bill Taylor, Al Bate and Harry Boyle, is going ahead with definite plans to add onto the Civic Center building. Estimated to be ready by summer 1957. |
July 19, 1956 | Father Patrick James Lynch, OMI, leaves for Prairie post. |
July 19, 1956 | Sewer and Water Work Progressing Well Although hampered By Frost. Only fifty services left to do in the new subdivision. |
July 19, 1956 | Alaska-Yukon Lieut. Governor Lloyd Morley Visitor Here. August 2,1956 - First "Strato" Clipper Flight Leaves Whitehorse. First scheduled flight of a Pan American Super" Strato" Clipper leaves Whitehorse, skippered by Captain Kowing - it's the first of its kind to fly into Whitehorse on a regular flight, three times per week, South bound only to Juneau and Seattle. |
August | |
August 2, 1956 | John Diefenbaker, the opposition's chief foreigns affairs spokesman, urges July 22 the Canadian government to ask the United States government to let Canada have access to the sea through the Alaska panhandle. |
August 9,1956 | New Taku Hotel Has Many Modern Features. The finest and most modern hotel in the north officially opens tomorrow; boasting twenty-eight rooms, all with bath and telephone, coffee shop and the Taku Bar. |
August 9, 1956 | City Starts Water Delivery Public Service. In response to many requests, City commences fresh water delivery; those who use the service will be billed monthly. This is not for City profit, but as a service only. |
August 16, 1956 | IH Men Visit Here. Reps from the International Harvest Company visit Whitehorse on a tour of the Yukon; they will also visit Keno Hill and Cassiar transport facilities. |
August 16, 1956 | Sophie and Ernie New Proprietors of the 98 Hotel. Sophie Yawny and Ernie Armitage have leased the 98 Hotel and bar. |
August 16, 1956 | New RCMP Inspector Has 26 Years Service. For the next three years, J .T. Parsons will be the Yukon's RCMP Inspector with forty-two men under his supervision. Inspector Parsons and his family come from Victoria, BC. |
August 16, 1956 | Dalyce Smith, former Miss Canada from Whitehorse, is married on August 13, 1956 in Haines. |
August 16, 1956 | Government OK's Hydro Power Plant. Aubrey Simmons, M.P. at Ottawa, sends the Star office a wire stating: Proposal that Northwest Territories Power Commission erect at hydroelectric power plant at Whitehorse Rapids on Yukon River has been approved by Government. |
August 23,1956 | I.D.C. Members From World Over Visit Whitehorse. Representing all countries of the Commonwealth, members of the Imperial Defense College arrived for a short inspection of the Yukon as part of their familiarization tour of Canada. |
August 23,1956 | Dam Will Require Fast Work For '58. Preliminary work is scheduled to commence this fall and completed by fall 1958. lt is proposed to install a second generating unit at Mayo with estimated completion set for late 1957. New plant in Whitehorse will produce sufficient power to permit production of steam for heating and process purposes in the new hospital and for the DND. |
August 23,1956 | CFWH Moves To New Site - Radio Station CFWH moves to Air Base in the former Roman Catholic Chapel. Change in location is needed to have technicians more easily available, who already work at the Telecommunications Centre just across the road from the station at the Air Base. |
August 30, 1956 | Three Million Gallon Capacity Reservoir Well Underway. Completed reservoir will be 20 feet high, 135 feet wide and 203 feet long, due to be finished in October. Marwell Construction Company and Proctor Construction Ltd are working on it. |
August 30,1956 | Partners Build New Hotel In Spare Time. The Alpine Hotel at 204 Rogers Street is an experiment for both Whitehorse and its owner, Max Fuerstner and Sargio Clinaz who started building 13 months ago and only work on it in their spare time. Fuerstner is employed at Taylor & Drury and Clinzz is at the Post Office. The building is arranged like a hotel, has a community kitchen and laundry facilities, and also boasts hot water heating with baseboard radiators( an innovation for northern hotels). |
September | |
September 6, 1956 | Red Cross To Form Local Unit Sponsored by locals, plans to form local branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society are commencing. Judge J. E. Gibben will act as Chairman for the first meeting, which will be addressed by Red Cross officials from Vancouver. |
September 13, 1956 | Firth Anniversary Happy Occasion For Many Friends Of Family Firm. Many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Howard Firth gathered at the Whitehorse lnn Ballroom in honor of the Golden Anniversary of T.A. Firth & Son. The general insurance firm was originally established in Dawson in 1906. |
September 27,1956 | Bank of Commerce Moves This Week After Many Years At Former Stand. After occupying its premises across Main Street for more than fifty years, the Whitehorse Branch of the Canadian Bank of Commerce is moving, and it will be officially opened by Commissioner F .H. Collins. The most notable figure associated with the Whitehorse branch was Robert Service who worked here and at Dawson City from December 1904 to 1909. |
October | |
October 4,1956 | Services Held For D.W. Ballentine Colourful Figure. D.W. Ballentine was buried in Dawson at the Pioneer Cemetery. where his wife. Elizabeth Jane, is buried Ballentine, whose story is in many ways the story of the Klondike, is a man described as a tremendous granite slab of a man who packed a record load of 250 pounds up the 45-degrees lopes of the Chilkoot in '98. |
October 4,1956 | St. John Classes To Start On Ninth. St. John Ambulance Association will start fall classes in first aid at the high school. Local branch President Gordon Riggins. Secretary- Mrs. Kay Johannes. |
October 11, 1956 | Mayo Elects Curling Executive Curling Club officers are President- Tom Prangley, Vice-president Jim Boyes, Secretary-treasurer, Mrs. W.R. Gordon. |
October 25,1956 | Fire Destroys Teslin Inn. The Teslin Inn destroyed, loss estimated at $60,000. Owned by Ray Hyde and leased by Gordon Crum, the Inn housed a cocktail lounge, tavern and restaurant as well as 10 rooms. |
November | |
November 1, 1956 | Yukon Coat of Arms For Sale. Replicas of the coat of arms and the armorial bearings are now on sale for $1.00 at the territorial agency’s office. |
November 1, 1956 | Rapids will still Run - Look More Treacherous when power Dam Built. Original plans for Northern Canada Power Commission's dam have been altered, lowering the proposed height of the earth fill structure but still raising the river level at the dam site 53 feet above the river bottom. Water level in Miles Canyon will be raised only12 feet. Hopes the dam would create a virtual lake from the rapids to Marsh Lake will not be realized. |
November 8, 1956 | Fish & Games Elections. Annual Fish and Game Association election results in two former officers being reelected. President Mike Nolan (re-elected). Vice-president Bob Friend. |
November 8, 1956 | New Deal At Civic Centre. To make the Center the place to go, a completely new system will be put into effect this year under a full-time manager, Bert Law. |
November 29,1956 | Oil Plan Outlined Here By Alaska-Yukon. Joe Sparling, president of Alaska-Yukon Refiners and Distributors, and J.C. Rogers, president of investment firm H.C. Flood, outlined the development plans for construction and acquisition of marine terminals, tankage, warehouse and loading facilities. Bulk storage plants are scheduled for Fairbanks, Haines Junction and Whitehorse. |
November 22, 1956 | Elks Name Slate For Coming Year. George Webber was named Exalted Ruler of Whitehorse Elks Lodge in the first election to be held at the new location in the former Bank of Commerce building. Leading Knight - Bro. Earl Stephanson. Loyal Knight - Bro. Stan Huston. |
November 29, 1956 | Public Health Plan For Yukon Accepted By Territorial Council. A five-nurse health scheme for the Yukon approved at fall session of Territorial council. Nurses will serve Whitehorse, Carmacks, Dawson, Mayo, Haines Junction and Watson Lake. |
November 22,1956 | Local Contract Marks Fiftieth Anniversary Of Poole Construction. This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Pool Construction Co. Ltd., who won the contract for construction of the $7,000,000 power project at Whitehorse Rapids. Working with the Edmonton contracting firm will be John. A. Maclsaac. |
November 22,1956 | Old Bank Starts New Life As Drug Company Opens. Yukon Rexall Drugstores opening at old Canadian Bank of Commerce building at Second and Main. Bob Lynn owns Rexall Drugstores the largest self-served drugstore in the north between Dawson Creek and Fairbanks. |
November 22,1956 | Start Work at Power Site. Preliminary work on the dam starts this month by John A. Maclsaac Construction Co. |
November 22,1956 | Residents Astonished At $400,000 Additional Cost Of Water System. Whitehorse sewer and water systems are to cost $350 to $450 thousand dollars more than the quoted $ 1,700,000 price, due to re-design of the system, which took place after contracts had been entered into. |
December | |
December 13, 1956 | Mrs. Albert McMillian, manager of the White Pass hotel in Whitehorse from 1900 to 1910, passes away in Vancouver. |
December 20,1956 | St. Joseph's Opens Dorm. A newly completed men's dormitory is now ready at St. Joseph's Hostel, just across the street from Maryhouse at Sixth and Cook. |
December 20,1956 | Jaycee's Want Lights O n Two-Mile Hill. Whitehorse Junior Chamber of Commerce bill a new campaign as "The Tragedy of Darkness," taking attack on the lack of street lighting facilities on the Two Mile hill. |
December 20, 1956 | New Hospital Nearly Complete. Staff and patients will move in as soon as the Inspection party arrives. |
December 29,1956 | Patients Move Into New Mayo Hospital At -40F. On December 17, patients were moved into the new Mayo Hospital, despite it being -40 outside. The new hospital was recently completed by Humphrie Construction from Vancouver. |