Sam McClimon (d. 1976)

Sam McClimon, born in Ireland, came to the Yukon in 1922. His brother, David McClimon, worked on the riverboats mainly as a longshoreman for White Pass & Yukon Route. Sam worked on the boats as a fireman for three years and then took a job with Yukon Electric and worked for them for twelve years, working nights stoking the old steam boiler that generated electricity for the town. He worked again on the boats from 1937 to 1941 and then had enough money to take over the old Whitehorse Theatre on Third Ave from J. R. Alguire. This building was later operated by the Elks and moved to Sixth Avenue where it became an apartment building. In 1946, Sam bought a half interest in the Capitol Theatre on Second Avenue. The building had uneven steps, and the projector shot its beam of light down the aisle, so anyone standing up to go to the lobby had his/her silhouette projected on the screen. In 1954, Sam built the Yukon Cinema on Wood Street. On opening night, December 4th, people were asked to leave their children at home. The building seated 464 persons, had a candy bar, restrooms upstairs, and a roomy lobby.¹⁾

Sam was an elected member of the first city council in Whitehorse in 1951. Sam and his wife, Gladys May (d. 1971), retired to Victoria to be near their two children, Michael and June [Kelly]. Sam passed away in Victoria and he and his brother, David, are buried in the Whitehorse Grey Mountain Cemetery.²⁾