Harry “Shorty” Chambers (1858 – 1929)
Shorty Chambers was a son of Richard and Celia Chambers of Albany, New York.1) He was rumoured to be an outlaw in the western states who headed north when the United States marshals started closing in.2) He came into the Yukon over the Dalton Trail and settled in Whitehorse in April 1899. He operated the Pioneer Livery Stables, the railway depot news stand, and a news service on the White Pass & Yukon Route railway until 1902.3)
In December 1901 [1900?], Chambers gained title to the south half of a First Avenue property. Frederick Trump set up the Arctic Restaurant on the property, after making an arrangement with Captain Patrick Martin who did not own the land. In April 1901, Trump’s ex-partner, Ernest Levin, filed a suit against Trump and Martin, claiming that the partnership property belonged to Trump and Levin. He claimed that Martin had sold the property to Trump in exchange for a share in the restaurant. He was trying to stop Martin from selling his share in the property to someone else, not realizing that Martin had no rights to the property – and neither did Levin. It was not until April 1902 before a judge settled the matter, denying Levin’s claims and ordering him to pay all legal fees and court costs. The lot now sits under part of Horwood Mall.4) In 1902, Harry Chambers served as vice-president of the Whitehorse Board of Trade.5)
Harry Chambers worked as one of Jack Dalton's wranglers. Dalton established a trading post at Champagne in 1902 and left the Yukon shortly after.6) Chambers recognized the potential of the Champagne area as it was a meeting place for Southern Tutchone and the coastal Tlingit traders, and a gathering place for all the local Tutchone groups. He acquired land and established a post with the backing of Louie Levy.7)
Champagne became the supply centre when the Kluane Goldfields rush began in 1904. Shorty started by boarding horses for the White Pass after the Kluane Wagon Road was built, and then started a store with Levy’s backing. Shorty was supposed to pay him off and then own the store. He paid and he paid and after he died his son George kept paying and finally paid him off.8) First Nation people settled in Champagne after the trading post was built. They were mostly from Nesketaheen but there were also frequent visits from Hutchi and Aishihik people. Fur traders settled in Champagne and the Anglican Church started a school for First Nation children in 1912.9)
Harry Chambers and Annie Kershaw of Dalton Post were married in December 1912.10) Chambers operated a fox farm in Champagne Landing in 1915. He had twenty-one cross foxes and six black and silver foxes.11)
Shorty and Annie Chambers were the registered owners of the Krautschneider House in Whitehorse in 1923. They paid the British Yukon Land Company for the house with instalments of firewood. They operated the Pioneer Stables, one of the best in town, and ran teams between Whitehorse and their trading post in Champagne.12) In 1925, a two-storey log house was built for Shorty Chambers at 201 Black Street. The log walls were later covered with siding, but in 1995, the logs were still in good shape. The building was donated to a local non-profit and moved to the city compound until a permanent site could be found. The Chambers House had been vacant for a number of years and used for storage.13) In 2007, the house was moved to Shipyards Park and restored by the Frostbit Music Society.14)
Chambers was in failing health for several years before his death. He had been living in Champagne, but his funeral in Whitehorse was one of the largest in the history of the town, and businesses closed during the service.15)