Harold Marion “Bud” Holbrook (1911 - 1950)
Bud Holbrook was born in Redding, California to Blanche and Edward Holbrook.1) Bud’s father and his uncle, Ed and Frank Holbrook, arrived in the Yukon via Fairbanks in 1929. They leased a dredge on Miller Creek in 1933 and father, son, and uncle operated it as the Holbrook Dredging Company.2)
In 1934, Bud Holbrook and Bud Harbottle worked in Whitehorse for Clyde Wann’s Skagway Airways as young apprentices. They changed skis on the company’s Buhl Air Sedan and rebuilt two wrecked Ryans with Alf Walker. They also took flying lessons from Lawrence Muehleissen when the pilot was in town.3)
In 1938, Bud injured his right hand doing repair work on the Holbrook dredge. He was holding a running cable, and his hand was caught in the block. The flesh was torn off his second finger and it was amputated on Bud’s arrival at the hospital.4) The Holbrook Dredging Company was under receivership in 1939.5) Bud was managing the dredge at Clear Creek in 1948.6) In March 1950, Bud was superintendent for Yukon Gold Placers Ltd. at Thistle Creek.7)
Bud was killed in August 1950 when his private plane, a Fairchild Cornell CF-FDO, crashed at Thistle Creek.8) Bud Holbrook’s wife, Alice Mae Mary, nee Samuelson (1912 – 1990), was born in Dawson. Their daughter Donna Holbrook died in 2014.9)