Yukon who is who

John Irving (1854 - 1936)

John Irving was born at sea on the ship Robert D. Carter, captained by his father William Irving. The family moved from Portland, Washington to New Westminster, British Columbia in 1859 where William established his holdings in shipping, eventually gaining a controlling interest in the British Columbia and Victoria Steam Navigation Company. He sold the company in 1862 to form the Pioneer Line Company (PCNC) operating vessels on the Fraser River, and in the 1870s it was also active on the Stikine River. William died in 1872 when John was 17, and John, his mother and his uncle, took over the business. In early 1873 he was captain of the steamer Onward on the lower Fraser and earned a reputation as a shrewd businessman and an expert pilot. In 1883, the Pioneer Line merged with Hudson’s Bay Co. (HBC) coastal shipping operations to form the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company with William Charles of the HBC as chairman. Irving, captain of the Yosmite, was named manager of the new firm with spending authority to $500,000. He directed the purchase of new coastal steamers, including the luxurious Islander in 1888. The company was the largest shipper in the region and organized tourist excursions to the coast of Alaska. Irving formed the Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company in 1890 and controlled the company with two investors. The company was sold in 1896/97 to Canadian Pacific Railway and became the British Columbia Lake and River Service.¹⁾

During the winter of 1897/98, the Canadian Pacific Navigation Company (CPNC) ran weekly to southern Alaska plus runs to coastal British Columbia and its islands. In 1898, Irving had Alexander Watson in St. Michael, Alaska outfit the sternwheeler Yukoner for the CPNC. Irving took the steamer, with freight and passengers, up the Yukon River to Dawson and back and then sold the vessel in St. Michael.²⁾ Irving’s trip up river set a record for speed.

The next year Irving founded the John Irving Navigation Company and operated sternwheelers on the Yukon River and on Tagish and Atlin lakes in British Columbia. He commissioned James Carroll to build the steamer Ruth at Lake Bennett and sold her in 1899. He supervised the construction of the Gleaner at Bennett. She was launched in May 1899 and went immediately into service on the run between Bennett City and Miles Canyon. The sternwheeler Scotia was assembled on Atlin Lake and Irving was able to offer single ticket service between Bennett and Atlin. There were other operators on the lakes, but Irving owned the Atlin wharf, so he had an advantage. There were complaints about high rates, slow service and overloading on the Irving boats, and the company was apparently operating without a qualified engineer and insufficient life jackets. In March 1899, Irving started construction on the Taku Tram between Tagish and Atlin lakes, and he bought the Duchess locomotive to pull a short train. Work was halted because the Atlin Short Line Railway, operating wagon road on the site, had the rights to build the railway. In June 1899, White Pass & Yukon Route resolved the problem by forming the British Navigation Company division and buying the assets of both companies.³⁾ In 1894 and July 1898, Irving was elected as a Conservative member of the British Columbia Legislative Assembly for the Cassiar riding.⁴⁾

The CPNC owned and operated steamship Islander was a luxury liner built for the Inside Passage to Alaska and launched in 1888. The liner was well liked by wealthy travellers. She left Skagway on 14 August 1901 with 107 passengers, 61 crew members, and shipments of gold valued over $6 million in 1901 dollars. She was holed en route to Victoria and sank very quickly with a loss of 40 lives. Two of those drowned were the wife and daughter of Yukon Commissioner James Hamilton Ross. Salvage efforts recovered $75,000 worth of gold nuggets and dust.⁵⁾

Irving’s sternwheeler Reaper was built in 1900 and sold to the Canadian Development Company who renamed it the Zealandian. It was acquired by White Pass & Yukon Route in 1901 and last used in 1904.⁶⁾ Irving sold his shipping interests and the rest of its aging fleet of ships and boats in 1901.⁷⁾

Irving had mining interests in the Yukon that outlasted his shipping activities. He staked The Arctic Chief claim in the Whitehorse Copper Belt in 1899. He found backers for the Arctic Chief and Best Chance mines in 1906 and formed the Arctic Chief Copper Mines Company with headquarters in Spokane, Washington.⁸⁾ The company shipped 83 tons of ore in 1907.⁹⁾ In 1909, the company owned and mined the Arctic Chief, the Best Chance, the Whitehorse, and Golden Gate claims in the same area.¹⁰⁾ Irving was still a principal owner of the company in 1912 and he travelled to Whitehorse that year after a four-year absence.¹¹⁾

Irving’s fortune declined and during 1911/12 he worked as a real estate agent. He lost, or gave away, much of his wealth.¹²⁾