Thomas Whelan

Thomas Whelan was born in London, England. Captain Whelan was the master of the steamer Anglian in 1899.¹⁾ In 1902, Edward Menard and Captain Thomas Whelan obtained acreages on the right limit of the Pelly River, across from the large White Pass & Yukon Route roadhouse operated by Alex Shaver.²⁾ [The Menard acreage became the Pelly River Ranch.] Captain Whalen's roadhouse is listed among those operating in January 1901. It was 159 miles from Dawson on the Winter Trail. In 1902, Thomas Whelan petitioned the government to put in a cable ferry at Pelly Crossing by his roadhouse.³⁾

In 1907 Whelan was the captain of the sternwheeler Victorian.⁴⁾ That summer the material and machinery for a large dredge was assembled in Whitehorse for delivery to the mouth of the Forty Mile River. The Victorian was to drop off the 500 tons on her trip back down the river. It was good load for the boat and a barge. It was the close of the season and the only pilot was too ill to work. Captain Whelan decided to make the trip alone and that involved forty-eight hours on watch. Progress was slow because of the lateness of the year and the low water.⁵⁾