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 George Gilbert, well-known for
decades throughout the Yukon's mining industry and a resident of
Whitehorse for over 40 years, died February 14 at Whitehorse
General Hospital. He was 82.
George moved to Whitehorse in 1967, having been appointed
Newmont Mining's resident geologist for the Yukon. He later
transferred to the federal government's mining section, retiring
in 1989 as Chief Placer Inspector.
Born in Vancouver in 1925, George grew up in the mining town of
Wells, BC, having moved with his family to this new community in
1934, the it was established. He took to the outdoors from an
early age - hiking and camping, hunting and fishing, climbing
and prospecting. After finishing school, he joined the Air Force
during the latter stages of Word War Two, serving for two years.
Returning to the Wells-Barkerville area of BC in 1946, he worked
at various mining and guiding jobs before joining Caribou Gold
Quartz fulltime. He remained with this mining firm for 20 years,
eventually attaining the position of manager. Through the 1940s
and the 1950s, he spent many of his weekends and vacations
tramping through the Caribou Mountains, or hand-mining and
prospecting, or building camps and cabins around the
world-renowned Bowron Lake canoe circuit in the days before it
became a provincial park.
His notes and photos from this era later became the basis for a
book of his stories published in 2000 under the title "Kicked by
a Dead Moose". The collection includes Yukon tales as well as
stories from his days in BC.
His voracious appetite for reading resulted in a wide knowledge
of an incredible range of subjects, history being his favourite.
He was also highly-skilled and inventive in his home woodworking
shop, turning out everything from furniture and lapidary
products, to canoe paddles and other outdoor equipment.
His mapping of the Bowron chain provided the basis for the
current parks branch maps of the area.
A compendium of Uncle "G"s phrases:
See You Later! |
