First of all, it is remote and challenging. The most common first response I've had when people hear where I'm going is..."you're crazy." Indeed, that is the response I want because I want people to raise the topic of being "crazy" so that I can lead them to consider that just because someone has a mental health challenge doesn't mean they should be derrogatorily referred to as "crazy." We all need to think about our preconceptions when we see someone who is acting in a way we think is not "normal." So rather than talk about someone as being "crazy", let's figure out what makes them act the way they do and refer to them correctly.
But I'm off track...the Dempster....Why else? From about the turn of the last century until the early 1920's, traditionally a troup of RCMP would trek from Dawson City to Ft McPherson (about 500 miles) during the months of December/January to bring mail and dispatches to the northern community. December 1910 , a troup left Ft McPherson for Dawson but never arrived...RCMP archives refer to it as the "Lost Patrol". Near the end of January 1911 (hey...100 years ago this year...how is that for a connection?), the RCMP office in Dawson realized the troup was missing so they sent out a search party under the leadership of Corporal John Dempster. The missing troop was eventually located near the end of March. Two of the party had made the trek back to within about 35 km of their starting point at Ft McPherson...these two were found last having starved to death. The first two members were found in an open camp about half way between the two communities, one starved to death, the other dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The Dempster Highway was named for Corporal John Dempster and roughly follows the trail the Lost Patrol would have been seeking. The suicide...lost hope...is the first tie to my journey.
But I'm off track...the Dempster....Why else? From about the turn of the last century until the early 1920's, traditionally a troup of RCMP would trek from Dawson City to Ft McPherson (about 500 miles) during the months of December/January to bring mail and dispatches to the northern community. December 1910 , a troup left Ft McPherson for Dawson but never arrived...RCMP archives refer to it as the "Lost Patrol". Near the end of January 1911 (hey...100 years ago this year...how is that for a connection?), the RCMP office in Dawson realized the troup was missing so they sent out a search party under the leadership of Corporal John Dempster. The missing troop was eventually located near the end of March. Two of the party had made the trek back to within about 35 km of their starting point at Ft McPherson...these two were found last having starved to death. The first two members were found in an open camp about half way between the two communities, one starved to death, the other dead from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The Dempster Highway was named for Corporal John Dempster and roughly follows the trail the Lost Patrol would have been seeking. The suicide...lost hope...is the first tie to my journey.
RSS Feed