Edward Arthur Gilbert (d. 1971)
Ed Gilbert was from Lumsden, Saskatchewan. He worked for the Department of Transport in charge of the Laberge Beacon [Wannamaker] from the end of the war until the Klondike Highway was completed to Dawson. Supplies were delivered to him by sternwheeler or sleigh and he communicated with Whitehorse by Morse code at scheduled times. After he acquired a Bren Gun Carrier, he was able to make Whitehorse in five or six hours along a trail that snaked past the Takhini Hot Springs. After the Dawson highway opened, Ed and his wife Mary and daughter Sharon moved into Whitehorse. They lived there until Ed's retirement in 1967.1)
Ed was a ham radio operator and made contact with other hams around the world and with several Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Ed and Mary spent many hours on the radio being the only link between Washington and Alaska after their devastating earthquake. While in Whitehorse, Ed was able to solve a troublesome problem in the navigational fan marker and was able to pass the solution to a technician in Hawaii who was having the same problem. Ed was active in the Fish and Game association, made excellent pancakes for the Sourdough Rendezvous breakfasts and entered the tall story competition. He played several musical instruments and had an impish sense of humour.2)