James Adams (1856 – 1938)

James Adams was born in Scotland. He arrived in Victoria, British Columbia in 1882 and worked on the steamer City of Kingston between Tacoma and Victoria until 1899. In that year he came north to work on the sternwheeler Australia between Bennett and Miles Canyon. He was a pantryman on several British Yukon Navigation boats and also cooked at the police barracks.1)

Jimmy Adams was the genial proprietor of the Takhini Roadhouse, a popular resort on the Overland Trail between Whitehorse and Dawon. Four or five autos loaded with young people drove to the roadhouse on a Monday night in August 1920 to enjoy an evening of dancing.2) At some point, he also owned and operated the roadhouse at Yukon Crossing. He was said to have lost one fortune in a hotel venture in Vancouver, and another fortune in a restaurant in Victoria. He was well liked in Whitehorse and his well-attended funeral was conducted by Rev. G.A. Cross.3)

1)
Margaret Crook, Norma L. Felker, and Helen Horback. “Lost Graves.” Whitehorse: City of Whitehorse, 1989: 35.
2)
The Whitehorse Star (Whitehorse), 6 August 1920.
3)
Margaret Crook, Norma L. Felker, and Helen Horback. “Lost Graves.” City of Whitehorse, 1989: 35.