James Roderick Myles “Rod” Tait (1928 - 2007)
Rod Tait was born in Calgary, grew up on a farm and went to school in Calgary. When his father died, he went home to take over the farm. He and [Enid] were married and they rented a farm at Westward Ho.1) They had five children and farmed for ten years.2)
In 1964, Tait answered an ad in the Edmonton Journal and came to the Pine Creek (Mile 1019) Experimental Farm near Haines Junction in November. He was the foreman under superintendent Joe Tsukomoto. Thirty employees operated an active, well equipped station. Enid and the family came up on New Year's day 1965 and it was -65 F degrees.3) Their youngest child, Russel, was just three weeks old.4)
The experimental farm was established in 1945 when it was expected that returning soldiers would populate and farm the 1500 miles of the Alaska Highway. The federal government sent up a reconnaissance crew that chose the Pine Creek location. Mr. Abbott became the Officer in Charge. The farm crew cut and milled lumber and built many sheds and houses in the late 1940s and 1950s. They cleared 350 acres, and had it cultivated by 1960. Fencing was done and poultry production was high when Mr. Abbott retired. The new man, Mr. Huff, was interested in livestock, pasture, cattle and hogs so the farm shifted. Huff drowned in Pine Lake with two local men. Hector Hortie, a soil specialist, came from PEI and he was not interested in livestock. In 1965, they had just cleared another 100 acres for pasture and were just beginning experiments with irrigation equipment when the crew went from thirty to eight. Joe Tsukomoto had no advance warning and was very hurt by it.5)
Tait became Officer in Charge, doing the purchasing, sale of products and looking after the farming of which there was very little. Moose Jackson was excellent on the equipment but the best of it went to Beaver Lodge Station and Slave River Lowlands. Soon there was only Tait and Moose left. They were kept for basic maintenance of the place and Tait stayed on until 1970.6)
Rod Tait worked with Parks until 1973 and then moved to the Weigh Scale position. The farm was eventually turned over to Indian and Northern Affairs and then Kluane National Park Reserve. Most of the fields went to Champagne and Aishihik land claims. New Kluane Park headquarters were established in the Haines Junction village in 1978. In 1968, Tait bought eight cows when the Experimental Farm disbanded and attained some grazing lease land. He also applied for six acres of market garden land for a potato patch.7)
Around 1970, the Yardleys decided to sell the Dezadeash Lodge. They built a home in the hay meadow, purchased some farm equipment, and built a large equipment shed and hay barn. After a couple of years, they entered an agreement with Tait where they supplied the equipment and Rod cut and bales the hay to receive a percentage of the yield. He needed the hay for his animals. Soon they were producing 6,000 bales a season. Rod fenced in the meadow to keep out the stray horses.8)
Rod Tait was named Farmer of the Year in 2000 at the North of 60 Agricultural Conference. He had about forty hectares under cultivation just outside Haines Junction and was involved for many years in trials to find the perfect potato for the area’s climate. His results were available at the Yukon Agricultural Unit. Rod sold his potatoes locally and in Whitehorse stores.9) By 2006, Tait had 200 titled acres of his own, with more land cleared ready to be titled.10)
Tait was famous for his potatoes and supplied half the town. More than 400 people came to his funeral where John Deere tractors were the honour guard.11)