True and Fascinating Canadian History
Restoration and Memorial to Dawson City Police Cemetery
by Reg.#21738, Frank Dunn
by Reg.#21738, Frank Dunn
Years ago, I investigated a hit and run accident and the magistrate sentenced the accused to two
months to be served in Dawson City. I had to ask myself, 'What do I do with a trusty prisoner for two months?
The more I thought about the trusty prisoner, the more I thought of a trusty plan. Although I had a hired guard for the prisoner
on the night shift, I had to guard him during the day. I decided I wasn't going to sit outside his cell in the basement -- so we spent
the whole two months refurbishing the grave site.
The owner of the hardware store a Mr. Cailey donated the lumber, paint and fencing, and Henry
Henry and I worked for the whole two months. We had a Chevy station wagon for one of the police
cars and I put a canvas in the back. We then went to nearby creeks and hauled different coloured
gravel for the walkways. We put black gravel for over the graves, white gravel around each grave
and red gravel for the entrance walkway.
I never thought to take a picture of it before we started but it was very much in disrepair
and neglect over the year, previous members had cut trees and mowed the grass. Most of the
gravesites were marked with just tree branches with a board with the name and regimental number.
We had all the records in the files at the Detachment so I made all the headboards with the
details that were available.
Eventually, I sent a copy of the attached photograph off to Ottawa to show them that we had
refurbished the gravesite as their directive was forwarded annually to every Detachment that had
a gravesite.
This alert must have really impressed the people in Ottawa because when I was transferred to
Carcross it resulted in Ottawa requesting the remains be dug up and re-interred in the Dawson City
graveyard. My timing was out because I had located the gravesite near Tagish Post and spent about
a week making new headboards, cleared all the trees out, cut the weeds and grass and planted a few
flowers. It is a major undertaking because it involved a 50 mile ride and camping out for a few
days.
Locating the Tagish Post was a bit of a challenge to begin with because the trees had grown up
along the shore and it meant lots of treks ashore and searching through the woods. When I located
the site it was obvious because of all the garbage that had been left behind. The only building
left was the horse stable that was for only one horse and partly dug into the ground.
I located an old Indian gravesite but no indication of any members had been buried there or any
markers to indicate this. About four miles south of the Tagish Post I found the gravesite. It was
apparent that they had been located after they drowned and got caught up in the fish nets that they
were servicing when their canoe overturned. They had been brought ashore at that point.
The members must have cut down some of the spruce trees and dug the graves. I was able to
locate the site because the small patch of poplar trees that had grown up in the interim and I
decided to check out that area from the Tagish river.
When I got back to the Detachment and opened the mail there was the directive to dig up the
remains and have them transferred to Dawson City.
But, that's another story!
Regards,
Frank Dunn
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