Michael Gates

In 1978 in Dawson City, Yukon as workmen were clearing the former site of a hockey rink in preparation for a new building, an backhoe unearthed from the permafrost hundreds of containers of silent movies. The cans were damp, rusty, dirty and some were sprung open with film unraveling into the permafrost. The resulting treasure trove turned out to contain many films for which there was no other print in any archive and in some cases the existence of the film was unknown. Lillian Russell's show more only film role was in one can as were some copies of Theda Bara's work that were thought to all have been lost.

Finding some organization to finance the preservation and eventual storage and distribution of salvaged films was quickly solved with the participation of the National Library and Archives and the National Film, Television and Sound Archives in Ottawa.

To explain why and how these films were in Dawson City in the first place, Gates gives a lengthy history of the Klondike Gold Rush right up to the present and the need of miners and support people for entertainment during the long severe winters. The why of how all these films had been put in the permafrost was solved when a participant to the dumping explained it was too expensive to ship them back south and they were consider refuse as they had been seen many times so they were used as back fill when filling in a swimming pool. show less

This is a superior production given the resources of the author. Mr. Gates has used the archives available to him to construct a picture of the effort this small portion of Canada put into their imperial commitment. The prose is workmanlike, and a very large number of bases are covered. My own experience of the area is limited, but my wife, Mayo and Whitehorse based for several decades says it is good information, and benefits from the biographies of Joe Boyle and Martha Black. The show more photographs are useful, and the mapping adequate. show less

A fascinating era of history and a more or less comprehensive look at the events specifically at Forty Mile and Circle. Well written account from many original sources.