Neil McLean Keobke (1905 – 1993)
Neil Keobke was born at Port Elgin, Ontario.1) The family homesteaded north of Athabasca, then moved to Whitehorse in 1935 and Mayo in 1937. They lived in the Binet House.2)
Neil Keobke was the road foreman at Mayo in 1942. The Canadian government was eager to develop tungsten deposits and geologist Hugh Bostock was asked how scheelite could be brought out from Dublin Gulch. He thought that several tons could be brought out that fall, but it would require building 14 miles of road and a bridge over the McQuesten River. He pointed out that Mr. Jeckell could assemble the needed equipment and Jeckell hired Jim Gibson and some other old time axe men to cut trees for bridge piles and timbers. The bridge was finished by breakup thanks to Jeckell and Bostock’s foresight. Keobke choose the route and designed the whole project including the bridge that had a 40-foot centre span. By June, a well graded and drained road was complete up Haggart Creek on the right limit to beyond Secret Creek. By mid-summer it had reached Dublin Gulch.3)
Keobke and his family moved back to Whitehorse in 1943.4) They moved further south to Chilliwack in 1973.5)