on Clyde Wann of "Wann Road" Porter Creek
Clyde Wann was born in the US in 1900, and spent 1917 to 1924 knocking around Alaska, whereupon he moved to Mayo, Yukon. By 1927 he had earned enough $$ to go into partnership with 2 other guys (James Finnigan and Andrew Cruickshank), and buy an airplane from California, ship it up to the Yukon and launch Yukon's first commercial airline: Yukon Airways and Exploration.
The airplane, called "Queen of the Yukon" was a sister ship to Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St Louis" (the one that made history when it flew across the Atlantic...) The "Queen" was without precedent: so, it had to be insured under the same terms as were sternwheelers.
Whereas a dogteam could take 2 weeks to travel from Dawson to Mayo, this airplane only took a few hours to make the same journey. The Canadian government gave authority to Yukon Airways to impose a surcharge on 'airmail' (a new concept then), and a special stamp was issued. A regular letter cost 3 cents; and AIRMAIL cost 25 cents! Yukon Airways was finally sold to Pacific Western in 1954.
The"Queen of the Yukon", and another successor, also called "Queen of the Yukon" have been laid to rest - with a lot of other bush pilot memories - under the tarmac at the Whitehorse Airport. A replica was made, however, and now hangs from the ceiling of the Yukon Transportation Museum. If you want to know about THAT, you must ask Bob Cameron (who is out of the Territory until the 2d week of September.)
As to Clyde Wann's imprint on the Alaska Highway... more about that at a later date.
The airplane, called "Queen of the Yukon" was a sister ship to Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St Louis" (the one that made history when it flew across the Atlantic...) The "Queen" was without precedent: so, it had to be insured under the same terms as were sternwheelers.
Whereas a dogteam could take 2 weeks to travel from Dawson to Mayo, this airplane only took a few hours to make the same journey. The Canadian government gave authority to Yukon Airways to impose a surcharge on 'airmail' (a new concept then), and a special stamp was issued. A regular letter cost 3 cents; and AIRMAIL cost 25 cents! Yukon Airways was finally sold to Pacific Western in 1954.
The"Queen of the Yukon", and another successor, also called "Queen of the Yukon" have been laid to rest - with a lot of other bush pilot memories - under the tarmac at the Whitehorse Airport. A replica was made, however, and now hangs from the ceiling of the Yukon Transportation Museum. If you want to know about THAT, you must ask Bob Cameron (who is out of the Territory until the 2d week of September.)
As to Clyde Wann's imprint on the Alaska Highway... more about that at a later date.
posted by Mollie at 9:10 PM
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