1959 Hougen's history

Santa on the Train

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. They are four of the famous eight reindeer that take Santa Claus on his appointed rounds on Christmas Eve. But in the Yukon, when Santa came early, it was not always by sleigh and reindeer.

In the early 1950s, Hougen’s department store was growing and Santa Claus was going to play a big role - at least during the Christmas season. So during the weekends before Christmas, Santa would magically appear at the store where he’d listen to Yukon youngsters express their endless lists of coveted Christmas gifts.

By the mid-fifties, the White Pass train was still very much a part of the Whitehorse scene. So Rolf Hougen decided that Santa should arrive in town in a unique Yukon way - by train. The exciting event began at McRae, where the train – packed with kids it had picked up at the White Pass station in Whitehorse -- picked up Santa Claus, who emerged from the bush.

Then, on the journey from McRae back to town, Santa walked up and down the aisle, chatting with the carefree kids, while handing out candy and small gifts. When the train arrived in Whitehorse, a parade formed at the station featuring the Midnight Sun Pipe Band, air cadets, clowns, elves and kids – all marching in frantic fashion to Hougen's department store. Of course, there were some years when the pipe band could not perform - with Yukon December weather freezing their pipes.

Roy Minter, the creative public relations genius for White Pass, made sure the trains ran on time and that the price was right even though Hougen’s did pay part of the cost of running the train.

One year, it was too cold and the train could not get through. So instead of hiring Rudolph, with his bright red nose, to collect Santa, Hougen's arranged for jolly old St. Nick to be picked up by helicopter and delivered to the parking lot behind the store.

Another time, the helicopter landed on Main Street. The annual event was a highlight of the winter season and the fond memory is deeply ingrained in the minds of youngsters who took part. Over the years, Santa arrived at the department store by many different modes of transport - snowmobile, convertible car, four wheelers, and the like. A couple times he even arrived in a sleigh pulled by real reindeer, thanks to the reindeer farm on the Mayo Road.

Through the years, Santa Claus continued to arrive in Whitehorse in late November or early December, until the 1990s when Santa breakfasts were held at the Hougen's coffee shop. However, the event grew too big, and was eventually hosted by Hougen's in the Travelodge.

A CKRW Yukon Nugget by Les McLaughlin.