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George G. Murdoch
George Murdoch arrived in Whitehorse in 1938 by train and then walked to Dawson on the Overland Trail. He worked for the Yukon Consolidated Gold Corp (YCGC) and as a placer miner. He met his wife Gladys in 1943 and they founded the Klondike Nugget and Ivory Shop in 1944. They operated the store until 1955 and then started Murdoch's Gem Shop in Whitehorse.1)
The territorial government asked Murdoch to make gifts for the prime minister, John Diefenbaker, and the Queen during their 1958 visit. The Queen received a gold nugget and ivory rendition of the coat of arms.2)
Murdoch always kept 2,000 ounces of nuggets, at $50 an ounce, for jewelry. In 1968, he retired and sold the store to Bill Weigand and partner Mike Scott. A couple of years later, gold rose to $500 an ounce and that jewelry gold was worth $1 million. Murdoch retired to White Rock British Columbia and continued to make jewelry.3)
Partners Clarence Craig and George Murdoch were involved in placer mining on Black Hills Creek in the 1970s. The property was later successfully mined by Territorial Gold Placers.4)