North Honoured by the Dawson Museum and the City of Dawson

by Dan Davidson

Dawson’s Dome Subdivision might just as well be called Literary Heights, with all of the streets named for writers who have made the klondike famous. Dick North has just joined the ranks of London, Service and Berton, with a new street officially christened in his honour during the Discovery Days weekend.

The official opening of the street ended a full day of celebrations organized by the Venerable Ken Snider (retired) on behalf of the Dawson City Museum and Historical Society.

“ The road dedication was the culmination of several years work by the Museum Board to honour Dick North as an author in the writers' area of the Pioneer's Dome Road,” Snider said.

“The City Council allowed a new road to be initiated above Pierre Berton Crescent, and initiated the making and installation of the sign last spring.”

Snider took on the task of organizing a

Larry Bagnell and Dick North at the official opening of Dick North Road. Photo by ken Snider

celebration and entered a marching tribute in the annual parade.

Dick and André North rode in a convertible led by a group of marchers bearing banners depicting covers of North’s four major books on aspects of Yukon history, including Arctic Exodus, The Mad Trapper of Rat River, Trackdown and The Lost Patrol.

Besides being active in these areas, it was North’s obsession with Jack London which was instrumental in authenticating the cabin in the 1960s, moving it to Dawson and later, in establishing the Jack London Interpretative Centre under the aegis of the Klondike Visitors Association.

As in many of his accomplishments, North has always given others credit where it was due, but it remains true that much of his legacy would not have come to pass without his driving curiosity.

In the afternoon there was a small ceremony at the street sign itself.

The Hon. Larry Bagnell came for the unveiling of the sign and afterward, at the Museum, spoke about his association with Dick and his work, including having read manuscripts of Dick's work.

Bagnell said that the history North has recorded is full of almost Shakespearean themes, as the characters often seem to exhibit “the one fatal flaw of the human personality" as is so often the case in the Bard’s tragedies. This, he said, is evident in the stories of the Mad Trapper and the Dawson Patrol.

North, who has been active in all these areas for some 30 years, was presented with a commemorative coin showing a locomotive which was made for the Museum. This was followed by a luncheon and the regular staff enactment of some parts of the tale of the Mad Trapper.

Tom Byrne Honoured for Service to Service

by Dan Davidson

Robert Service’s Cabin was the perfect place to honour the accomplishments of a long time interpreter of the poet's words over the Discovery Days weekend.

It's been a long road for the Irish born Tom Byrne, who grew up with the works of the Klondike bard reverberating in his ears.

Tom Byrne receives his award from Rose Margeson. Photo by Dan Davidson.

Byrne loved to recite the poems, but when he first did so in front of the cabin on 8th Avenue in Dawson, it was not with the thought making it his life's work.

Parks Canada's Rose Margeson explained a little of the background as an introduction to the presentation of a gift.

"In 1979 Tom was living in Inuvik and he was asked if he would mind coming to the Robert Service Cabin and reading a few poems."

That worked out well, so he came back the next season, and every year thereafter, with the exception of 1986, when he took what had become the Robert Service Show to Expo '86 for the summer as part of the Yukon contingent.

He bought his own small cabin in the North end of town and became a summer fixture. Winters in the south he began to tour the school circuit with his presentation, and found himself doing Service year ‘round, an ambassador for both the bard and the place that inspired his work.

"Well, here he is today," Margeson continued, "back at Robert service Cabin, 25 years later. He still has the same passion today as he did in the beginning.

"Not only does he still have the same passion, but he's able to pass on his love of Robert Service's work to the many folks who come to visit him time and time again. Many come back just to hear Tom."

In time his performance became nearly as well known as the poet he had set out to honour, and spread through the creation of audio and video tapes. He became a national item of sorts, and was featured on Wayne Rostad's “On the Road Again" in 1998.

That, ironically, was his last year at the cabin. A contract dispute with Parks took him away from the Bentwood rocker under the umbrella on the front lawn and caused him to mount the show on his own, first in rented quarters on Front Street, and more recently, from within the Westmark Hotel on Fifth Avenue.

There was some bitterness for a while, but Byrne, sharing encouragement with Parks Canada strikers a few weeks after this ceremony took place, says that's all in the past. In the end, he says, things worked out for the best.

On August 12, however, he was glad to be back at his former haunts, and pleased to hear some praise from his former employer.

'I think Robert would be proud to hear Tom speak of him so fondly and with such admiration," Margeson said. "You pass on, Tom, to your visitors, that passion, and they go away wanting more of what we have come to appreciate.

"We would like to thank you for your dedication with this print."

The award was a framed print of the cabin, as rendered by Jim Robb.

"This is like comin' home day, today," said Byrne, settling into the rocker in front of the crowd.

"It's sure nice to be recognized and know I've been appreciated. I'm very grateful. I thank you all, Parks and the KVA, for without Parks Canada and the Klondike Visitors Association, tourism would be niltch and we do need tourism here for sure. They do a wonderful job."

Byrne then settled in for renditions of "The Spell of the Yukon" and "Goodbye Little Cabin", getting his customary wave of applause at the end.

"It seems very appropriate, me sittin' here, to recite this one, 'cause I sort of miss the cabin myself. I spent many, many years here, and I often felt that Robert Service was standin' there behind me.

"I know exactly how he felt when he wrote that little poem to the cabin, 'cause I feel more or less the same way."

Someone was heard to ask Johnny Nunan, one of several Parks employees who does the daily presentations at the cabin during the summer, if he would compare their work to Byrne's.

"Aw," Nunan said with a shrug," you can't compete with a legend."