Barlee, Frederick Ross Strickland, d. 1921

Person

Barlee, Frederick Ross Strickland, d. 1921

Frederick Ross Strickland Barlee left his home in Lakefield, Ontario in August, 1897 to take up a position with the Klondyke Mining, Trading and Transport Corporation Limited of London, England. The company had offices in Victoria and was managed in British Columbia by G.Arthur Strickland, Barlee's cousin. Its aim was to develop trade and transportation along the Teslin route to the Klondyke gold fields. After stopping briefly in Toronto Barlee travelled by C.P.R. to Vancouver, crossed to Victoria and travelled on the S.S. City of Topeka to Wrangell, which he reached on September 16. He and Strickland left on the 18th in two canoes for Glenora and Telegraph Creek. The company intended to open up a transportation route to Dawson via the Stikine River, Teslin Lake and the Hootalinqua River and Barlee and Strickland were going to examine the possibility of building a railway from Glenora to Teslin Lake. Strickland made a short trip, which is not described in this collection, and then returned down river, leaving Barlee in Telegraph Creek for two months. He left Telegraph Creek on December 5 and reached Wrangell on December 22. For the following six months Barlee was at Wrangell and on Cottonwood (Stikine) Island at the mouth of the Stikine River where the company was accumulating equipment and supplies for the construction of the route in the spring. Many gold seekers camped on the island waiting to travel up the river and Barlee helped care for them. After a trip to Victoria in August, 1898, Barlee went back to Glenora where the company had a store and, according to a letter of June 8, 1898, ran pack trains from Glenora to Teslin Lake. The company decided to close the store in Glenora and Barlee, after giving Strickland his frank opinion of the company and its management, agreed to run the store for the company while disposing of its assets. He wintered in Glenora and in his letter of December 7, 1898, describes many of the inhabitants of the town. Barlee left Glenora on March 14, 1899, reaching Teslin on April 6 and Atlin on April 19. He remained in Atlin and in June, met his cousin Darcy Strickland, an Inspector with the NWMP. In July he travelled to Tagish with Strickland and staked a claim on Morse Creek, 16 miles from Bennett. He remained in the vicinity of Tagish until June, 1900, working at odd jobs, prospecting, and working on his claim at Morse Creek. He arrived at Whitehorse on June 28, 1900, where he worked as a bookkeeper and for the Canadian Development Company. In November, 1900, he was transferred to Dawson, as Assistant Superintendent of the Canadian Development Co.'s Royal Mail Service. Barlee left the Yukon in 1901.

KHUGHES 2012-02-10

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