Giovanni “Joe” Castellarin (1931 - 2002)
Joe Castellarin was born in San Giovanni di Casarsa, Italy. He apprenticed as a carpenter and was in the Italian army for a short time before coming to Canada in 1951. He worked for a construction company in Vancouver before arriving in the Yukon in 1952. He worked in Keno and Elsa before moving to Dawson to work on the dredges. Joe and his brother Primo worked for Yukon Consolidated Gold Corp and then Joe worked at the hospital until about 1960. He then started his own business as a carpenter and taught shop classes at the school. He met Betty Schumacher in Dawson and they were married in 1959.1)
Joe Castellarin began working for Parks Canada in 1971 as Project Manager with the restoration program. At the same time, he and Jim Bierlmeier and Jack Cruden started building log cabins for the Triple J Hotel. Castellarin retired from Parks Canada in 1996 and is remembered for his battle with the beavers in the slough at Bear Creek as they routinely flooded the road into the site. He was one of the original members of the Klondike Visitor's Association and was active, often as chairperson, in the organization for fifty years. In the later years, he was an advisor especially regarding Diamond Tooth Gerties casino. He served as an alderman for the City of Dawson. He was one of the original members of the Yukon Visitors Association/Tourism Industry Association (TIAY) and was on that board for many years. He was active on the Dawson City Museum board, the World Gold Panning Association Committee, and the Yukon Anniversaries Commission. He played soft ball and badminton and was an avid curler. He had Black Mike's cabin (renovated) moved to his yard and it testified to his love of Dawson's history.2) At the time of his death he and his wife Betty were the sole owners of the Triple J Hotel.3)
Joe Castellarin was a well-respected businessman in the Yukon and a mentor to many in the tourism industry. He is remembered for his dedication to the Dawson community.4)