George Chambers (~1905 - 1941)
	
George Chamber was born in Champagne to parents Annie and Harry “Shorty” Chambers.((Ellen Harris, "A History of the Development of Settlements in the Shakwak Area." University of British Columbia. Paper for Education 479. March 1981: 13-14.)) He learned to read and write at the Anglican Church and was able to take over running his father’s store.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) In the 1930s, Taylor & Drury (T&D) established a store at Champagne, run for a time by Roy Churchill.((Ellen Harris, "A History of the Development of Settlements in the Shakwak Area." University of British Columbia. Paper for Education 479. March 1981: 13-14.)) George used to haul freight from Whitehorse for the T&D store as well as his own, because T&D never had horses.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) 
	
Peter Jackson was George Chamber's right-hand man, at least part-time. George always had a couple of people working for him, cutting wood and putting up hay. He had cattle at one time. His father had them first and George kept them for a while and then got rid of them. He also sold the vegetables he grew, especially potatoes, if he didn't have any in the store. But he was usually in the shop. He was a first-class mechanic and could listen to a motor and tell what was wrong with it.((Grace Chambers in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 17, 20-22.)) One time he ordered car parts and put a kind of snowmobile together with big tracks on it and then he turned the horses loose down at the hay ranch. He cut wood for the store and roadhouse and would sell wood to the First Nations people in the area for a dollar a sleigh-load. Chamber's store was built by George, old Nelson, and some others. George and old Carl Patterson put on the back addition to store groceries. It would take George three days to go to Whitehorse with the horses; they would stay a couple of days and then take three days to come back to Champagne. George's wife, Sue, usually ran the store when George was away getting supplies or out with the mail run in the winter.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) 
	
George had a lathe and he made stoves and sold them.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) He would take a whole bunch to Whitehorse and T&D would buy them. Then they would ship them to Fort Selkirk or wherever.((Harold Chambers in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 8, 13, 17.))
	
Chambers had a boat and would go over to Dezadeash Lake where he built a tiny house. He would take groceries and trade them for salmon. Then he would sell them during the winter to the trappers. He would take the horses to Dezadeash and haul fish back from Klukshu and put them in the boat and bring it back to Champagne.((Harold Chambers in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 8, 13, 17.))
	
T&D closed their store in Champagne in 1938 and in return, George promised to buy goods from their store in Whitehorse.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) 

George Chambers died in the spring of 1941 from a ruptured appendix. The army asked permission from George in April that year to put the camp in the town of Champagne. There was another big camp at Mendenhall, a sawmill near Champagne, and another one at Four Mile. The people and soldiers got along as most of the men were away working and just their families were there. The store did a good business.((Helene Dobrowolsky interviewed Sue Van Bibber in 1991 for the Alaska Highway Interpretive Milepost Project. Heritage Branch files 4057-5-8, II.)) George died the year after the highway started to go through the area. His wife, Sue Van Bibber, took over the store with Alec Davis.((Sue Van Bibber in Kathy Van Bibber, "A Glimpse of the beginning: Champagne Business and Social Buildings." Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and YTG Heritage Branch, 1993: 4, 6-7, 11-13.)) The Chambers family continued to operate a business at Champagne until 1962 when the roadhouse burned.((PRP Parks: Research & Planning Inc. //From Trail to Highway.// Victoria: Morriss Printing Company Ltd., 1988: 20-21.))