Long-lost handwritten diary of 'The Father of the Yukon' found

The diary of one of Yukon's most famous historic figures has been found, 50 years after it was presumed to have been destroyed in a Dawson City fire.

Captain Jack McQuesten, nicknamed the "The Father of the Yukon," was an early pioneer who helped establish trading posts crucial to the gold seekers flocking north in the late 1800s.

McQuesten's diary is now in the Yukon Archives, after a chance discovery in Dawson.

Jennifer Roberts, with Yukon Archives, sayslong-time Dawson resident Ralph Troberg found the book, along with other artifacts, while going through old boxes from his late father.

"The donor didn't actually know what he had. I don't think Ralph would mind me saying he came in with things in gunny-sacks and boxes and bags; one of the more chaotic donations I have received in recent years," says Roberts.

"I was just going through and trying to sort out what the heck is this, that we finally determined that this was the original hand-written diary of Jack McQuesten."

The diary is a recollection of McQuesten's life, detailing his years in the Yukon from 1871 to 1885. It was published as a book in 1952 by the Yukon Order of Pioneers,butRoberts said the discovery of the original is significant because it was not edited.

'Golden RuleMcQuesten'

McQuesten was born in 1836 in New Hampshire. At a young age, he travelled up the Pacific Coast working as a prospector, and later for the Hudson's Bay Company.

He arrived in the Yukon in 1871, where he would spend the next 25 yearstrading, mining, prospecting and exploring. During that time, he helped set up trading posts along the Yukon River, including a trading post at Fort Reliance, about 10 kilometres from what would become Dawson City.

McQuesten became known for his generosity when dealing with travelers, helping outfit them with warm clothing, food and suppliesall on credit;waiving pay until they had found gold.

He was the first president of the Yukon Order of Pioneers, and received another nickname, "Golden Rule McQuesten," after suggesting the group's motto be"do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Before the recent rediscovery, McQuesten's diary was believed to have been destroyed when the Yukon Order of Pioneers Building in Dawson City burned down in 1967.