Fabien Salois (d. 2007)
Fabien Salois started working at the Westminster Hotel in Dawson as a partner with his uncle Curly Salois in 1950. Fabien and his new bride, Eileen, bought the hotel in 1956.1) They ran the hotel, beer parlour and cocktail lounge until the early 1990s.2)
Fabien carried on his uncle’s tradition of helping his customers. When workers at Yukon Consolidated Gold Corp were left with little money to get through the winter, Fabien would support them until they got their first pay cheque in the next year. One prospector did not pay his tab, pleading insanity, but the next year he arrived at the hotel with huge rock full of silver and lead which he gave to Salois to cover his bill. Salois kept the rock, inviting his customers to try and lift it. The Salois have had many famous, or near famous, guests. John Diefenbaker stayed in the Salois’ Occidental Hotel next door, and his press corp was housed at the Westminster. John Turner’s mother stayed at the Westminster when she was married to Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. Art Webster made his first speech as a new NDP MLA there.3)
Fabien Salois was mayor of Dawson from 1969 to 1971.4) In August 1970, Salois ran in a territorial byelection in 1970 but lost out to Mike Stutter.5)
Fabien Salois is buried in Saint-François-Xavier-de-Brompton, Le Val-Saint-François, Quebec.