Jack William Fraser (1933 – 2011)
Jack Fraser was born in Edmonton, Alberta. He came to the Yukon in 1951, after graduating from high school, for summer work as a labourer with the army. He soon moved on to the survey crew. He was good at math and returned to Alberta for further training at Calgary Tech and returned to work in the Yukon during the next summer season. He met his future wife Betty [Shakoon] and they spent their first winter at Marsh Lake where Jack learned how to trap, hunt moose, and cut wood.1)
Jack started with the territorial government as a surveyor and worked throughout the Yukon on various road and bridge projects. His work took him to Dawson and he moved his family there permanently in the late 1950s.2) Fraser worked on the new Stewart Crossing to Dawson road in 1957. The old road was barely passable and plans for the new road were pushed forward by Jack's supervisor, Mr. Tate. Fraser stayed with the engineering staff as their representative in Dawson.3) He surveyed through the Klondike dredge piles and the budget was so limited that they jumped from one tailing pile to another. He remembers having lunch and thinking that their lookout over the Tintina Trench would be a nice spot for the highway – and it did meet the standards for curve and grade. Fraser is proud that the highway was chip sealed without realignment.4)
Fraser started writing day books shortly after moving to the Yukon. The pages were filled with work-related stuff at first and then filled out with all kinds of information. He never used a calculator but did all his math in long hand. In the early 1970s, the field work tapered off and he started spending more time in the office. His attention turned to prospecting and staking claims and in 1975 he gave up his secure government job to go mining.5) He staked a claim on Lindow Creek, a tributary to Bear Creek, and dug some shafts that filled up with water. He kept those claims but moved to Paradise Hill where he shovelled dirt into the back of his ¾ ton truck and took it down the hill to sluice. He and Al Close became partners, and they bought a D4 and slowly built up their operation. They eventually moved up to Temperance Hill and son Ian joined them as a third partner. Soon Fraserville was established at Mile 8 on the Hunker Road. (“In Loving Memory, Jack William Fraser April 26, 1933 to February 2, 2011.” pamphlet.) The years had ups and downs and were probably the best of Jack’s life as he worked with his family doing what he liked. He was always considerate of the environment and justified his mining activity as making ponds and meadows for the birds and wildlife. Betty died in 1991 but Jack and Ian continued to mine until 1998. Jack then turned to golfing, curling, writing, and drawing. Gardening remained a passion for him. He was a dedicated member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers and a volunteer at the Dawson Discovery Days activities. He was a well-known Bingo caller and usually put on the turkey shoot at the annual curling bonspiel. 6)
He was a member of the Renewable Resources Council. He had a wealth of information on the land around Dawson and kept detailed records of his observations. One time, he presented them to an appreciative gathering of international professional biologists. He convinced the government to establish the first family group trapline, combining he and his wife’s traplines and including every member of his family. One of his legacies is the biannual Dawson Fur Show held in Dawson in March.7)