John Motherwell, War Veteran and Author By Pat Ellis Reprinted with permission from the Whitehorse Star and author Pat Ellis.
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his is the 75th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War.
Victory in Europe fell on May 8, and victory in Japan, Aug. 15, which followed with the dropping of the two atomic bombs, on Japan, Aug. 6 and 9. During the war, Whitehorse became a centre of two enormous wartime projects: building the Alaska Highway and the Canol pipeline and refinery. After the war, the primitive highway was inherited by the Canadian government. For many years, the Canadian Army was involved in maintaining and upgrading the highway using a large civilian workforce. The prosperous little town quickly went on to become the capital of Yukon in 1953.
The anniversary of this momentous victory for Canada and the Allies is somewhat overshadowed by the world pandemic. The number of veterans is dwindling. Fortunately, I was able to contact a Dominion Land Surveyor living in Victoria, with interesting connections with the North. I first met John Motherwell in Victoria after buying his book, Gold Rush Steamboats (published in 2012), in the Royal BC Museum, a few years ago. I soon learned that he had spent almost two years in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war, and also worked on the Alaska Highway while attending university. Upon earning his commission as Dominion Land Surveyor, he lived in Whitehorse for a year in 1956, running his own business. He did surveys at Pelly River, Keno City and a lot of repostings and subdivisions around Whitehorse, and worked in Atlin, Teslin, Upper Liard and Watson Lake.
PREPARED FOR ACTION – John Motherwell is seen in his parachute at High River in October 1944.
A CAMP SCENE – This photo of the Marsh lake camp was taken in August 1949.
There, he met William D. MacBride of the White Pass and Yukon Route. The latter ignited his interest in the little known Bennett Lake and Klondyke Navigation Company, one of the pioneer steamboat companies, predating the WP & YR.
SHOVEL-READY – John Motherwell is shown with his shovel at McClintock River in August 1949.
This turned into a wonderful project of many years, and of actually finding the location of the old shipyard on Bennett Lake. This ship building company was the dream of Francis M. Rattenbury, the famous architect who designed the Parliament building in Victoria. He possessed the foresight and capability to promote the company and to have the small sternwheel river steamboats: Ora, Flora and Nora, built at a remote shipyard on Lake Bennett.
the LINK | December 2020
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