Mundessa Chief Boss (~1830 – 1925)

Mundessa was the hereditary chief for Lake Laberge and the surrounding area Ta’an Kwach’an in the late 1800s. He was related to Hutchi Chief and Copper Chief. He and his group hunted and fished in and around Lake Laberge, Big Salmon, Grey Mountain, the M’Clintock Valley, and Kusawa Lake.¹⁾

One winter Mundessa and his son, Jim Boss, walked from Lake Laberge to Klukwan, on the Alaska coast. They were on a trading mission, selling furs and moose skins for oil, shells and European trade items. By the time of the gold rush, Mondessa's son was chief. Chief Jim Boss built a roadhouse at Lake Laberge when his father was still alive. Mundessa was probably at a fish camp at the site of the present Robert Service campground when he died.²⁾ He is buried at Lur Deyel (Thirty-one Mile), at the mouth of Little River. Other graves there include Johnny Jackson, Johnny Ned (Stella Jim's father), George Ned, Jimmy Smith, and Jimmy Kudawat.³⁾