Ralph Blanchard Sr. 
	
Ralph Blanchard was a woodcutter on the Yukon River above Fort Selkirk. He had a cabin at Fort Selkirk and his main wood camp was at Hells Gate. In 1940, the main industry at Fort Selkirk was woodcutting. Most of the wood was used on the Yukon River paddle wheelers owned by White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) although a fair quantity was shipped to Dawson. About seventy-five percent of the local economy was derived from wood cutting and the Fort Selkirk store sold mostly groceries because of it. Sixty-two percent of twelve thousand dollars in groceries (thirty percent of total sales) came from two men: Blanchard, of Ft. Selkirk, and [the recently deceased John] Sipkus of Dawson. Blanchard had the WP&YR contract for all wood cut in the vicinity and he sub-let to other local men.((HBCA, Fur Trade Dept. Report on Yukon Territory, unclassified. 30 January 1940.))