Orval Couch (1914 - 1994)
Orval Couch was living in Timmons, Ontario when he was recruited by a contractor to work as a mechanic on the Alaska Highway. He had a medical problem with his arm and took the job to finance the necessary surgery and support a wife and two kids. The family stayed in Dawson Creek where a house was built for them. He didn't like Dawson Creek and transferred to Whitehorse in 1944. He started work on the road with a GMC 6×6 portable machine shop. Helen and Orval were stationed at Utah Camp Mile 911, near McCrae, which they called “highway headquarters.” When Orval moved to Whitehorse, he had to write a test to get a military driver's license. He joined the First Nation workers all along the highway, running grader and driving trucks and other equipment. The Couchs moved from mile 911 to Swift River maintenance camp in 1945.1)
The Couchs moved to Whitehorse in 1953. Orval retired from the Department of Public Works in 1976 and he and Helen bought a 12-acre farm near the Takhini River Bridge on the North Klondike Highway. The farm, with numerous horses, goats, chickens, and ducks became a favourite with visiting grandchildren and great grandchildren. Orval and Helen Couch were named Mr. and Mrs. for the Sourdough Rendezvous in 1992.2)