By Anne Cott – Winnipeg, Man.
I boarded the train in the small community of Eldersley, Sask. in late August, 1947 and headed for Dawson City, YT., to teach Grades 5 and 6. The train would only take me as far as Dawson Creek, B.C.
I spent the weekend with old family friends and Monday morning, I stepped aboard the bus that would take me as far as Whitehorse. The bus travelled 300 miles (480 km) each day and stopped for the night because there was only one driver.
Arriving in Whitehorse, I learned the last riverboat had already left. My only option was to go by plane, however, the plane already had a full load of passengers.
The only alternative was that I could go on a small plane taking a load of meat to Mayo, a mining town to the northeast on Thursday. I could stay there overnight and take the Friday plane from there to Dawson City. It would be my first plane ride.
When I boarded, I found every passenger seat but one held a huge white sack of meat. I took the only unoccupied seat and off we went. We flew low over the country and I truly enjoyed the scenery.
As we were coming in to land, I heard the pilot say to the co-pilot: “It’s such a nice day, let’s try landing by instruments.” They covered the windshield and we landed safely.
Back to Whitehorse
Landing in Mayo, the plane was met by an RCMP officer. The pilot introduced me and explained my circumstance. The officer introduced me to the Mayo schoolteacher and she looked after me. She even took me to a local lady’s house to play bridge.
The next morning we awoke to heavy rain, but the Whitehorse plane still arrived. The weather hadn’t improved by the afternoon and the decision was made to fly us all back to Whitehorse. A nice young girl, Shirley Whitehouse, sat with me and we even shared a hotel room. I learned she was to be one of my pupils.
Back in Whitehorse, I was getting short of money and decided to go to the bank for a loan. I’d never done that in my life. Shy and nervous, I asked to see the bank manager. Informing him of my situation, I explained I would have a cheque waiting for me in Dawson City to pay the loan back. I detected a smile from him as I replied $10 to his question, “How much do you want?”
“You’d better take $15.” He said.
More Mounties greeted us as we got off the plane at Dawson City. A taxi drove us into what would be my hometown for the next two years. My friend Thelma Woods greeted me. We were sharing a cabin. Then we went for a walk “over town”.
Fingerprinted by the Mounties
Being a small community, everyone knew I was arriving and they also knew my name. It was “hello, Miss Woods. Hello, Miss Edmunds” as we walked the town and a happy two years began for me.
In the summer of 1948, I stayed there rather than return home. Jamie Mellor, who worked in the post office, asked me to work for him during my summer holidays and I agreed to.
My Mountie friend took me to the local RCMP detachment to fingerprint me. I never forgot the look on the lone prisoner’s face. He probably thought I may be joining him.
It was a busy time at the post office. Not only did the gold bricks go by registered mail, but the locals ordered their year’s supplies by mail so they could come in by boat.
In 1949, I went to Whitehorse to teach. While there, I met a young man who’d been overseas during the war and who was now teaching there too. We fell in love and married in The Old Log Church, which now is a museum.
Many more adventures over our next 53 years followed.
