Arctic & Northern Biographies
Dr. G. M. Faulkner
At this point, I am just gathering notes about Dr. Faulkner as I find them, with the hope of writing a proper biography some day. Finding his grave at Chicken, Alaska, was my introduction to him.
A report from Klondike-bound Dr. Faulkner was printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, MO) on August 14, 1897:
From Chilkoot Pass Dr. G. M. Faulkner of this city writes he is in charge of an outfit and fifteen men, fifteen horses and fourteen tons of provisions. This party took two double sets of block and tackle to help them drag goods up the last pitch on the Chilkoot Pass and the doctor writes that the tackle has already been of great practical advantage. The letter says:
"It has been raining hard and lots of the men feel blue. A great many will turn back. I estimate that forty will return on the next boat. I fear we have not enough provisions. The much talked of White Pass, by way of Skagua, is a fraud."
In The Klondike Nugget (Dawson, N.W.T.) of Tuesday, July 12, 1898:
George P. Hunt, of Seattle, died at the hospital on the evening of the 10th inst. Mr. Hunt arrived in Dawson last fall in company with Dr. Faulkner and party. During the winter he worked in the mines and also located a claim on the disputed part of Dominion, title to which is still in dispute. About six weeks ago he was attacked with dysentery, as a result of which he died as above stated. Everything possible was done by his friends to relieve him but without avail. The funeral occurred on the 12th inst. from the hospital.
In 1909, Dr. Faulkner was a member of the Dawson curling team that won the Brackman-Kerr Trophy. From left to right in the photo are G. A. McPeake (skip); R. A. McClusky (lead); Dr. Faulkner (second); and Alex McCarter .
In July 1916, Dr. Faulkner, then the acting United States consul at Dawson, went on a tour of farms in the Dawson area with local farmer William "Chicken Billy" Anstett and travel writer Frank G. Carpenter. Carpenter wrote a lengthy article, including details about Dr. Faulkner's dairy farm at Dawson, that was syndicated widely.
In the book "Polar Winds: A Century of Flying the North", author Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail describes the Yukon visits of the four de Havilland DH4-Bs of the First Alaska Air Expedition in August 1920. In Dawson, 4,000 people gathered on August 17th to welcome the first two aircraft. A landing strip had been built on Dr. Faulkner's farm, and a photo of one of the aircraft taking off from that strip is in the book.
Dr. G. M. Faulkner died on September 5, 1924, and was buried in the cemetery at Chicken, Alaska.
