Once the heady days of the 1898 Klondike gold rush were over in Dawson and the other northern outposts, many sourdoughs began to drift south to Vancouver and other western communities of Canada and the US. Friendships had long been cemented simply by being part of that great northern experience. The Yukon Order of Pioneers, founded in December, 1894, was a Yukon based fraternity of men with bonds forged in the north. There were lodges of the “YOOP” in several communities of the Yukon and Alaska, with Dawson having the first, Lodge No. 1.
Eighty-eight Pioneers who had moved to Vancouver chartered Lodge No. 5 of the Yukon Order of Pioneers on August 19, 1921. As a male only organization, YOOP Lodge No. 5 could not cater to the social interests of both men and women.
By 1922 the Vancouver Lodge was defunct. However, the ex-members and their friends and family still enjoyed social gatherings rooted in their shared northern heritage. Without any formal structure, these Yukoners met to enjoy various social events with many of the men who had been prominent in the YOOP being the “movers and shakers” at those functions.
On March 6, 1928, seventeen men and women met at the Piccadilly Café, 581 Granville Street, Vancouver, with the express purpose of forming a new social organization which was named the Yukoners Association. Apparently, there had been a Banquet and Dance at the Ambassador Café on February 28, 1928 at which there had been 190 in attendance. Though the records are not clear, it appears that this event was what prompted the inaugural meeting of the Yukoners at the Piccadilly Café. At that meeting, ten people were nominated and acclaimed to form the executive of the new association. (Clarence Craig, who crossed the great divide on December 16, 2004, was a member of that executive.)
The next meeting on March 20, 1928 is of particular interest as the charter of YOOP Lodge No. 5 was handed to the Yukoners Association to hold in trust, thereby formally acknowledging the close association of the two organizations. In 1931 the relationship was further reinforced when the YOOP Grand Lodge of Dawson confirmed the arrangement.
There does not appear to be any record of when the Yukoners Association became the Vancouver Yukoners’ Association. The club grew steadily and by 1931 there were 186 paid up members. Today we have about 250 paid members. The number of people active in the Association is somewhat understated as spouses of members often choose not to purchase a membership.
The Association’s raison d’etre has remained, as it started over 90 years ago; to provide a social outlet for people who have strong northern ties. To this end the Annual Reunion Weekend and the five annual luncheons draw members and friends together further reinforcing relationships that began in the Yukon, Alaska and northern British Columbia.
For those wanting a more complete rendition of the history of the Vancouver Yukoners’ Association (to 1974) please go to the following links:
Vancouver Yukoners’ Association History – Part 1
https://www.vancouver-yukoners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Vancouver-Yukoners-Assoc.-History-1.pdf
Vancouver Yukoner’s Association History – Part 2
https://www.vancouver-yukoners.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Vancouver-Yukoners-Assoc.-History-2.pdf