Walter Barnes (1873 – 1918)
Walter Barnes was born in Wiltshire, England. He moved to Vancouver in 1890 with his brother Allen. He arrived in Atlin in 1898 and moved on to Dawson two years later. He prospected and mined on various creeks while his brother Fred was the chief owner and operator of the hydraulic properties on Lovett Gulch. Walter took over the operation when Fred died. Brother Allen was working at Lovett in 1913. In 1918, Walter and Allen bought tickets for Vancouver on the Princess Sophia. Walter took a well-loved horse, Billy, on the boat thinking to put him to pasture in the south. Both brothers and the horse drowned when the Sophia sank in the Lynn Canal. Walter was a member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers. He was survived by his wife and four stepsons living in Deroche, Nicomen Island near Vancouver.1)