Fred Brown Sr., Mbayata (1933 – 2018)
Fred Brown was born near the old Aishihik Village to parents Jessie Johnathan and Alfred Brown. The family travelled from Aishihik to Hutshi, Champagne, and Klukshu to harvest food for the winter. Fred acquired a speed bike when he was eleven and he used it to travel from Champagne to Whitehorse after the highway came through. Fred and cousin Billy Sam rode horses to a gathering in Carmacks and Fred met Audrey during a baseball game. They were married in 1956 in Burwash Landing, settled at Otter Falls in 1957, and raised children Alfred, Freda, and Bun Bun (Fred Brown Jr.). Fred Sr. had a trap line and fish camps along the Aishihik Road and spent a lot of time there with the family and grandkids.1)
Fred was a jack of all trades. He was a cook’s helper on the paddlewheelers, a heavy equipment operator on the Alaska Highway. He worked at a sawmill outside Watson Lake, at the Whitehorse General Hospital, and at the Aishihik Dam. He worked for outfitter Alex Davis and Vic Hotte as a horse wrangler and guide and started his own business, Otter Falls Wilderness Adventures, and made friends all over Europe and the world.2)