John “Scotia Mac” McDonald
John McDonald was born in the United Kingdom.1) Captain McDonald arrived at Carcross from Salmon Arm, British Columbia in May 1924. He, with pilot Bert Janes, purser Bob Pelton, and steward P. Page arrived to put the steamer Tutshi into shape for navigation early in June. The golfing season in Carcross had opened a week before and some keen contests had already taken place with Captain McDonald Purser Pelton, from Port Kells, introducing some fancy shots acquired outside. They gave several exhibition games. As soon as the beach is sufficiently dry for the placing of flags, Carcross will have two very fair gold courses.2)
An agreement was drawn up for the crew of the MS Neecheah, with J. McDonald, Master, on 4 July 1942. By 1943, A. G. Courquin was the Master.3)
In 1944, Scotia Mac was the Sibilla's captain. He would rather have been running the Tutshi which was his boat until the war put it out of service, its last run in late 1941. Ron Willis remembered that Scotia Mac wasn't easy to work for. Coming into shore to tie up he would have Ron jump into waist-deep cold water with a line in hand to moor the boat and barge. Mac also kept a tight rein on his crew at Carcross, never letting them wander too far, because the ocean-going Princess Patricia or the Princess Louise might arrive at Skagway, and the freight destined for the Sibilla's run would have to be delivered to Taku Landing or Ben-My-Chree. There was a building at Taku where Captain McDonald sometimes stayed overnight while the crew stayed on board.4)