DAWSON CITY – A celebration of the lives and contributions to Dawson’s heritage by Ed and Star Jones was held July 19 in the Dawson City Museum.
Ed and Star landed in Dawson at the tail end of a misadventure in copper mining in 1962. They passed on through, but were captivated – and returned to spend some 35 summers, and a number of winters, in the Klondike.
They immersed themselves in Klondike history and were involved in many projects, including the renewal of the town’s several graveyards, the restoration of Robert Service’s Cabin, and the Commissioners’ Residence.
In 1963, they bought Sisters’ Island and shared their 42-acre wilderness retreat with thousands of tourists through their “Yukon Queen River Tours” business.
Star was instrumental in operating the first tourist bureau in Dawson City, managed the territorial Social Services Office, and gave tours of the Commissioners Residence. Ed taught high school in both Whitehorse and Dawson City.
Over the years, they built up an extensive collection of Yukon archival material, and in 1998, they donated it to the Dawson City Museum.
This was the foundation for the establishment of the Klondike History Library, a research centre in the museum, which is accessed by researchers worldwide. The museum has a Jones Gallery, named in their honour in 2023.
In 2000, the couple was greatly honoured to receive the Yukon Historical and Museums Heritage Award, and in 2010, they were granted a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ed and Star had a particular interest in the eight cemeteries of Dawson. They developed a database of deaths and burials in the Yukon and spent years painstakingly restoring and documenting thousands of grave markers, personally placing markers on dozens of previously unmarked plots.
The memorial celebration, held in the former Yukon legislative chambers, was attended by more than two dozen people. It was organized by John Richthammer, a family friend and former museum employee who presented an extensive eulogy.
Remembrances were presented by Angharad Wenz (the museum’s executive director), Michael Gates and Kathy Jones-Gates (friends and historians), Tracey Kornblum (who worked with them on the restoration of the Jewish Cemetery), Jim Archibald (a YOOP member) and Dawne Mitchell.
Following the gathering, people moved to the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) Cemetery on Mary McLeod Road for the interment of the matching urns. There was a YOOP graveside ritual and a remembrance speech by Mitchell, a member of the Pioneer Women of the Yukon. The day ended with a reception back at the museum.
While Ed and Star wished to be buried in Dawson, they ended their lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where a service was held on June 7, 2023.
