The Northerner. Number 82 Autumn 2011

Transcription

1 The Northerner Number 82 Autumn 2011 Newsletter of the Northern Canada Study Group NWT Yukon Labrador Early Manitoba, Northern Ontario, & BC A Study Group of the Postal History Society of Canada Editor: Gray Scrimgeour, # Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. V8V 2P1 Phone: address: gray@scrimgeour.ca Treasurer and Mailing: Ian Mowat, 790 Cuaulta Crescent, Victoria, BC V9C 3H3 address: c/o Robin E. Mowat: robinmowat@shaw.ca Member #51 supplied the picture post card of the Queen of Yukon II at Lake Bennett, Carcross a Gowen, Sutton card. This was the third plane owned by the Yukon Airways & Exploration Co. Ltd. It crashed on November 2, Ken Ellison found this news item in the Vernon News of November 5, 1903, Page 1: Dawson, Y.T. October 29, John Burbee, Assistant Postmaster of Bonanza has been arrested on a charge of stealing letters. It is said that 2,000 letters have been missing from the mails during the last few months. Burbee, who came from St. John's [sic], N.B., was considered a young man of exemplary character. Response to Item 1898 S.D. Johnston, Prince Rupert, B.C. Don Stewart reports that S.D. Johnston was an insurance agent in Prince Rupert. ** PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT EDITORIAL COMMENT ON THE LAST PAGE. **

2 2546 The Northerner Response to Page S.S. Tees. Member 62 sent this scan of the S.S. Tees, and wonders whether this is the same ship mentioned on pages 2553 and 2554 as going from Skagway to Victoria in His card is a Leonard Frank, Alberni collotype (unused). The answer is yes. The 165-foot Tees was built in She was in the fleet sold by Canadian Pacific Navigation to the CPR in She was replaced on the West Coast of Vancouver Island route by the Princess Macquinna in She was sold by the CPR in 1923, and became the Salvage Queen. Item Yukon River Mail Boat. Member #39 supplied this scan of a real photo post card (unused Cyko) entitled Launching boat to cross Yukon with mail Oct. 24 th. A Shade Photo. I can t find a photographer named Shade in Camera Workers. Could this be in Alaska?

3 The Northerner 2547 Item Two Manitoba Post Offices: Sandy Lake and Dauphin. Member 39 also contributed these two real photo cards of Manitoba post offices. The upper card shows Sandy Lake, Manitoba (NW of Minnedosa). The card is Bates 14. The card was used but has no date. The photo shows Bridgeman s store, with the post office door at the right. A. Bridgeman, postmaster when the office opened on September 1, 1907, kept the job for over 18 years. The lower card (No. 11) shows the General Post Office, Dauphin, Man. It was published by The Board of Trade, Dauphin, Man. Its message says, Mail is carried over Rural Route 2 or 3 times a week (I m not sure which) within ½ a mile of our place. Started 1 st of Aug People get this service for 4.50 a year. We have a Lock Box and we can get our mail any time of day between opening and shutting of the Post Office door. Only 2.00 a year. I did not know there could be a charge for rural delivery. I ve always heard the term Rural Free Delivery.

4 2548 The Northerner Item Hudson s Bay Store, Winnipeg. Member #41 owns this wonderful cover advertising the Hudson s Bay Co. store in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg mailing date is not clear, but the cover reached Montreal on April 25, It is the only such cover he has seen, although he has seen one of the Vancouver store. Does anyone have any information about these HBC covers? Item Rounthwaite, Manitoba 1881 Registered: Manuscript Postmark. Member #88 sent this scan of a registered cover front bearing a manuscript Rounthwaite, Manitoba postmark dated July 6, This post office had just opened on May 1, 1881, and its first broken circle dater had not yet been received (it was proofed in Ottawa on July 2 nd ). Manuscript postmarks from western Canada are rare.

5 The Northerner 2549 Item Indian House Lake, Quebec Member #3 writes that this is one of those items he thought he would never see, but it recently turned up on ebay. Indian House Lake is a long narrow water body close to the headwaters of the George River, near the Quebec-Labrador boundary (see map 1). This area was used extensively by the Innu and was first explored by the Moravians in the 1800s. The Hudson s Bay Company operated Fort Trial on Indian House Lake. Map 1. Indian House Lake, Quebec Radio and Weather Station The US military constructed a number of facilities in northern Canada during World War II to support trans-atlantic transport. This included a large air base at Goose Bay, Labrador. To support these operations, the United States Air Force requested permission to establish a radio and weather station at Seal Lake, Quebec (about 180 km east of Richmond Gulf) in 1943 but later changed the location to Indian House Lake (56 14 N W). The facilities were to be built starting about July 16, 1944 for operation by September 1 of that year. Living quarters, radio transmitter and weather observation building, storehouse, hydrogen generating building for weather balloons, and a generator were to be built. PBY Catalina flying boat aircraft were used to haul supplies, likely from Goose Bay. The Quebec provincial government issued a land reservation for 101 acres to cover the site on August 1, The station went into operation about September 10, 1944 with enough equipment and supplies on hand for one year s operation. Eight enlisted men operated the site and were part of the 135 th Army Airways Communications System, North Atlantic Division, Air Transport Command. The station appears to have closed in December 1945 but was reopened in August The Canadian government began to take over US weather stations in the north in 1947 and planned to assume control over the Indian House Lake station in which would then be operated by the Department of Transport. In 1958, the station was operated by five employees who were posted there for one-year stints. The site continued in operation until January 1, 1965.

6 2550 The Northerner This card was sent by a Canadian ham radio operator stationed at Indian House Lake. A label was placed over his home QSL radio card and the station circular hand stamp was placed over top with the new call sign VE2PB typed over top. The card notes a radio contact made on July 2, The card was carried out when the operator finished his placement at Indian House Lake and placed in the mail upon his return to London, Ontario on September 20, 1950.

7 The Northerner 2551 Item A Gallery of Yukon Picture Post Cards. Member 37 has, over a few months, supplied scans of quite a few Yukon cards that we have not shown previously. The first is a real photo of a gold dredge, with the title Klondike River / 1914 and the name Walt R. Next is a printed card published by Landahl s Emprium, titled A Yukon Flower Exhibit at the A. B. Hall, in Dawson. Feb the 15 and 16 th (No. 1). Photo by J. Doody.

8 2552 The Northerner The next card is a real photo of a street scene in Whitehorse, Y.T. No identity of the photographer. The card below, Yukon Automobiles, was published by Warwick Bros. & Rutter.

9 The Northerner 2553 This card (Crossing Klondike River, Dawson) was published by the Portland Post Card company and printed in Germany. Klondyke River flooding the Flats, Y.T. (below) was published by Zaccarelli s Fruit, Book and Stationery Store, and printed by Valentine.

10 2554 The Northerner The next card is entitled A Klondyke Bottle Window. It was published by Smith s Book Store, Dawson and is numbered 42. This real photo has an AZO stamp box, with squares in the corner (1924 to about 1949). Place Stamps Here but the letterings is like the pre-1907 illustration in the ID chart. The Log Church at White Horse, Yukon Territory.

11 The Northerner 2555 Smith s Book Store No. 60 shows St. Andrews Church, Dawson, Y.T. Can. The card was mailed at Whitehorse on March 23, Here is a real photo from Dawson. It shows Pierre Berton s mother and father (on the left).

12 2556 The Northerner The next two divided-back cards were published by Criss s Drug and Stationery Store, Dawson, Y.T. They were printed in Britain. Judging by the six-digit numbers in the lower right, I d say the printer was Valentine. The upper card is Looking up Bonanza Creek from Dome Road showing tailing piles, Dawson, Y.T. The lower card is Snowshoeing in the Klondyke Dawson, Y.T.

13 The Northerner 2557 This card has an undivided back. It was mailed at Dawson (duplex) on November 14, It s a Landahl card entitled A Cold Day in Dawson, Y.T. The heavy fog making it at time impossible to see across the street. This photoview was taken at Carcross. A message on the back says, This was a caribou crossing years ago, hence the name of the hotel. It s a Dedman photo.

14 2558 The Northerner Both these cards were published by Zaccarelli s Book Store, and both were printed in Great Britain. They are: No First Herd of Sheep to arrive in Dawson, Y.T. and No Bird s Eye View of Klondyke Island and Part of Dawson City, Y.T.

15 The Northerner 2559 Here is another Zaccarelli card: Summer Work on 249, Lower Dominion Creek, Y.T. This printed card is entitled, A Typical Freight Team on the Gold Bearing Creeks.

16 2560 The Northerner Item Front Street, Dawson. Member #7 sent this scan of this colourful Portland Post Card Company #90679 entitled Front Street, Dawson. Speaking of Yukon Post Cards During late February, Ken Elder contacted me about pioneer Yukon post cards. More than two decades ago, Ken started working on a book about Yukon post cards. He is now with the help of Mike Smith completing the project. I have been watching for years for his book. I m sure many of us will find it of interest and value. Late last year, I found a reference citation in David Mattison s Camera Workers to what looked like Ken s publication. The reference was to: Alaska Yukon postcards: an historical review, Ken L. Elder and John H. Grainger, Tongass Publishing, Ketchikan (1986). I searched online for this book and found that it had 264 pages and was published in 1986 by Tongass Publishing Company of Ketchikan, Alaska. This company does not have a web site. I presume that John Grainger, Ken s co-author, published this book. The Tables of Contents shows: Alaska postcards, / by John H. Grainger Yukon postcards, / by Ken L. Elder. The book is No. 205 in the series of Alaska Historical Commission studies in history. Its Dewey Decimal number is 979.8/03 and its Library of Congress code is F905.E Eric Knapp says that there is a copy in his public library in Anchorage. The odd thing is that Ken Elder had not heard of the book. Does anyone know how one can buy a copy?

17 The Northerner 2561 Item APO 949 Camp McRae. Member #16 sent this scan of an APO 949 cover from the short lived exercise "SWEETBRIAR" held in the Yukon from February 13 to February 23, 1950 at Camp McCrae, 8 miles southwest of Whitehorse. Advance Service Support Units arrived in August of 1949 and the Camp closed on March 24, This was the only use of an APO in the Yukon since the construction of the Alaska Highway in This marks the earliest use of this cancel and only the third reported cover with the APO postmark. Cover dates are now reported from December 19, 1949 (upper illustration) through February 9, Readers are advised to check their APO 949 covers for this postmark because at this writing it was only in use from Camp McCrae. Member 16 thanks Kevin O'Reilly for his previous research on the subject, which provided much of the information discussed here. Item Odanah, N.W.T Member #88 sent in the next four Manitoba-area scans. Shown at the top of the next page is a registered mailed to Winnipeg at Odanah, N.W.T. on February 24, There also is a Brandon transit postmark of the same day. This is only the fourth Odanah postmark I have recorded. The post office was open for less than six years.

18 2562 The Northerner Here is a registered dated August 28, 1882 with the second Brandon hammer. This registered has a nice Minnedosa corner card.

19 The Northerner 2563 Member 88 sent the scan at the bottom of the last page not for the postal history but because of its local history story. Jermyn and Gillis were amongst the first settlers to arrive at Little Saskatchewan, and are part of the pioneer story of Minnedosa dating back to Jermyn was in competition with J.S. Armitage for selling lots for business sites, with Jermyn offering lots on the west side of Main Street, and Armitage wheeling and dealing on the other. Gillis became the first MLA for the area. He laments that there isn't even a faint or partial postmark to be seen, and it s difficult to ascertain whether this dates back to the John Tanner era of Minnedosa mail or DeMamby, the second post master. John Tanner only had one arm and lost the mail service due to complaints about sloppy service. It is too bad that more care wasn't taken to preserve the "mystery postmark" on the LL corner of this cover front. Checking with the images of the N.W.T. CANADA proof strikes in the hand book, there aren't too many post office candidates that might start with a "G" and end with a "Y". With a little more to work with, that might have been a nice, early reporting for Grand Valley N.W.T. CANADA. [Indeed, it is the earliest reported strike for Grand Valley, N.W.T. And I think I have a faint or damaged strike that s not even this nice. kgs]

20 2564 The Northerner Item Remington Gus Cover Victoria, Member #41 sent these two scans along with these comments. You sometimes tell us you are near the bottom of the barrel. So, here is something to file away for emergency. Gun covers, especially those issued by BC gun dealers, are scarce, perhaps because there are almost none. Tisdall, of Vancouver, put out a number of these, all very good, but other dealers who did so are few and far between. I have scanned and attached the front and back of one I have bouncing around loose, the dealer being Pichon and Lenfesty of Victoria, mailing something to R.A.Stokes, well known E&N character, I believe, at Duncan. Vic & Wel RPO N Nov I bought it almost 20 years ago, paid a fortune, to me at least. Grist for your tired mill. [Thanks a million. This sure adds a lot of class to the newsletter! kgs Item Maps: Some Early Yukon Routes. Ken Ellison sent these three maps, copied from KLONDIKE / The Chicago Records Book for Goldseekers (1897) Published by the Chicago Record. The first map shows the Yukon gold fields. The second map (taking two pages) shows the Overland Route via the Dyea, Lewes, and Yukon Rivers (i.e., via Chilkoot Pass and Lake Bennett). The third map shows the Stikeen River Routes from Fort Wrangel.

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25 The Northerner 2569 Item Monthly Supplements to the Postal Guides: 1913 to Cimon Morin has just sent the information that the Monthly Supplements to the Postal Guides from 1913 to 1932 are now available online on the Library and Archives Canada web site at: f.php?phpsessid=dtdpj8rumjfs59m9jh7ooevic4 I have just downloaded the first volume (Jan to Dec. 1916), and came across this notice on page 12 of the October 1913 supplement: Yukon Mails. Unrestricted Winter Service. In future all classes of mail matter will be accepted for transmission to the Yukon as freely in winter as in summer, the restrictions hitherto prevailing with regard to the winter service north of White Horse having been removed. The dates for winter mails for the Mackenzie River, N.W.T. post offices are listed in the November 1914 Supplement. They were to leave Edmonton on November 28, December 29, January 20, and February 26. Letters only, and not to exceed one ounce each. Each trip had a slightly different route. The winter schedule is listed in the October 1915 supplement. Other years are listed in later Supplements. Item Ornate HBC Cover, Winnipeg Member #41 owns this wonderful cover advertising the Hudson s Bay Co. store in Winnipeg. The Winnipeg mailing date is not clear, but the cover reached Montreal on April 25, It is the only such cover he has seen, although he has seen one of the Vancouver store. Does anyone have any information about these HBC covers?

26 2570 The Northerner Item APO 474 Canol Project, Peace River, Alberta. Member #3 says that this self-censored, free-franked cover was sent from United States Army Post Office (APO) 474 that served the Canol Project. This office opened at Peace River, Alberta on January 8, 1943 to serve the winter supply and shipping operations that consisted largely of trucking operations. The APO was moved to Fort McMurray, Alberta as the shipping centre for the Canol Project was moved back to the summer water system. APO 474 covers are one of the scarcest locations from Canada but this may be only the third item from Peace River as covers from Fort McMurray are a little easier to find. Item APO 999, Unit 2 Canol Project, Canol or Norman Wells, NWT? Here (next page) is another Canol Project-related cover sent by a prolific writer and philatelist attached to the 46th Station Hospital. By the time he sent this airmail cover, his unit was in place at Canol, NWT to serve the military and civilian personnel involved in the Canol Project. The most interesting part is the return address where the writer added "Unit 2" after the APO 999 in the return address. The location of units of APOs has been an area of confusion and uncertainty for military postal historians. Few original records have ever surfaced or been examined in the US National Archives. APO 999 served the entire Canol Project when it opened in Fort McMurray, Alberta in June or July The APO moved to Edmonton in October 1942 with the close of summer navigation, where it remained until May 1943 when it moved north to Fort Smith, NWT. A couple of other covers are known with a return address of APO Unit 2 and there is one double circle cancel with Unit 2 in the fixed typeface on a facing slip (see other scan). Given the large service area covered by APO 999 it is likely that there were some units, at least 1 and 2. All of the evidence seems to point to Unit 2 being located at either Canol or Norman Wells, NWT.

27 The Northerner 2571 APO 999, Unit 2 November 23, Facing Slip showing the APO 999 Br. / Unit 2 double circle Another cover from Unit 2, APO 999 December 12, 1942.

28 2572 The Northerner Item Fort Good Hope, NWT. Member 3 says that the Northern Store in Fort Good Hope, NWT, also containing the post office, burned down under suspicious circumstances on December 14, Some of the mail and all of the equipment was lost. A temporary post office was soon set up in another location and began using the circular date stamp shown on these covers. The date stamp was sent from the Canada Post Area Office for NWT/Northern Alberta in Yellowknife as an emergency date stamp. It remains in use after more than two years. Item Baker Lake, NWT Cover Member #3 writes that a correspondence from Reverend William John Rundell James (born 1900) recently came on the market. James was an Anglican missionary who served at Baker Lake, NWT from 1930 to The mission was started in 1927 and James finished it in Here is a photo of James at work in Baker Lake in George Hunter/National Film Board of Canada/Library and Archives Canada/PA

29 The Northerner 2573 This cover was mailed by James to a nurse he met at the Toronto General Hospital in October 1946 after he suffered frostbite to his hands. The year 1946 was important for Baker Lake as it served as a stopover and resupply base for Exercise Musk Ox, a well known winter overland military expedition from Churchill, Manitoba to Edmonton via the Arctic. A weather and radio station with an airstrip was set up at Baker Lake, dramatically improving transportation and postal service. A post office opened at Baker Lake on February 20, This cover dated April 6, 1951 is the earliest reported date for the C1 circle date stamp and shows the monthly air service via Churchill, Manitoba.

30 2574 The Northerner Item s Canol, NWT Photoview Cards. Member #3 owns these two glossy photoview cards featuring the Canol Project. The top card shows part of the Canol camp while the bottom card shows a scene somewhere on the NWT side. Does anyone have any other cards from this series?

31 The Northerner 2575 Item Eastern Arctic Patrol. Member #3 s post card shown was mailed towards the end of the 1945 Eastern Arctic Patrol, likely by a crew member. The message reads, Arriving Wednesday. On standby for two weeks. No fishing trip I'm afraid. Am well. Your son, Gould. The post card was mailed the day before the Nascopie arrived at Father Point, where it was put off, and finally at Montreal on September 26, Item Eastern Arctic Patrol Circle Date Stamp LKU. This cut down cover is double-rated (5 first ounce, 3 each additional ounce) and appears to be a commercial item. It was mailed aboard the Eastern Arctic Patrol ship C.D. Howe on its last voyage with a post office on board. On September 12, 1962, the ship was at Breevort Island, NWT, where a DEW Line communications site RES-X-1 was located. This cover has the latest reported use of the Eastern Arctic Patrol circle date stamp B1.RES-X-1 operated from about March 1957 to June 1975.

32 2576 The Northerner Item Dundas Harbour, NWT. Here from Member #3 is an interesting cover mailed at Dundas Harbour, NWT, where there was an RCMP detachment with a post office. On August 8, 1947, the USS Edisto stopped at Dundas Harbour as part of Task Force 68 that was commissioned to establish a High Arctic weather station at Winter Harbour (later relocated to Resolute Bay) and to resupply Eureka. Mail from Dundas Harbour on non-eastern Arctic Patrol dates is hard to find. This cover to Belgium was shortpaid by 1, thus was 2 or 6 centimes postage due upon delivery but there is no indication of the postage due paid. An Editorial Comment or Two. March 4, 2012 Please note the date March 4, 2012 when I completed this Autumn 2011 issue of The Northerner. To maximize the use of high postage costs, I do not complete an issue until there are 32 pages. In mid February, I had only 14 pages of material. Since then, several faithful contributors helped fill up 2011 with excellent submissions. Ian and I started this newsletter in March 1994, with the expectation that we would have a few dozen members and produce a few dozen issues. Now, 2576 pages later and at times over 100 members, we can say that the newsletter was a success. For the first few years, all members regularly contributed material. Now, the majority of members seem to be just subscribers, not full members. Take away a few contributors, and we d have no newsletter at all. Recently, several of us have discussed the future of the study group. There are the general questions: Is there sustained interest and continued support for the newsletter? and Should The Northerner continue? And there are some specific considerations and options. Should The Northerner become an electronic only newsletter? It could then be sporadic or small, with no printing or distribution costs, no deadlines, and no dues, and no worries. Or could it continue as is? Or just fold? Do members still see a need for the Study Group? Are there others willing to take on a leadership role in editing and mailing, to stimulate renewal? Are members willing to submit more material, on a continuing basis? Should we look at perhaps a couple of issues a year? Any other ideas? Ian and I have decided that until some decisions regarding the future are made we will not ask for dues for Meanwhile, I have just started Issue # 83. Scans at 300 dpi very welcome, along with short write-ups. Please send your answers and suggestions to Gray Scrimgeour: gray@scrimgeour.ca. Thanks.