George Donnell

George Donnell was a driver for the White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&YR) stage line in May 1902. Before the Overland Trail was built, the route followed the Yukon River and was very dangerous in the spring. In May 1902, Donnell was driving the mail coach assisted by driver Jack McDonald. They had passengers Jack Sigel, Vincent Campbell and Jack McLean, all employees of the WP&YR stage line. About a mile above Lansdown, the sleigh, horses, men and all went into four feet of water. One of the men went ahead of the stage from Selkirk to Dawson to test the ice. This was done with a seven-foot rod of iron, sharpened at one end. If a dangerous place was suspected, the man would drive the iron into the ice and there were quite a few places that the precaution was well taken. When the men got to Ogilvie, a telegram was sent to Dawson for a team to meet the mail. Because of the anticipated danger, two horses were picked out which, if lost, would not make a great deal of difference to the company. One of the horses had been cut very badly and it was left at the Indian River, and the two horses sent out could not break out of a walk. The men crossed the river to Klondike City with a sigh of relief and then used the new bridge into Dawson where the wet mail was transferred into a wagon and taken to the post office.¹⁾