Marilyn Carole Taylor

I am a third generation Yukoner from a pioneering family. Like by parents and grandparents, my roots are firmly set in the Yukon.

My name is Marilyn Carole Taylor and I am the eldest child of Aline Arbour (Cyr) Taylor and William Drury (Bill) Taylor. I was born November 2, 1938, a third-generation Yukoner on both sides, in the Whitehorse hospital that was located where the current YTG building is now.

My father was the eldest son of Isaac and Sarah Drury Taylor (pioneer merchant Taylor & Drury) and spent his whole 89 years in the Yukon.

My mother was the eldest child of Marie-Ange Beaudin Arbour Cyr. My recently widowed grandmother Marie-Ange, my mother Aline (age 6) and her brother Wilbrod (age 4) came north in the summer of 1918 to visit a relative in Kirkman Creek on the Yukon River.

Heading back to Montreal in October on the last White Pass boat of the season from Dawson City, they arrived in Whitehorse where my grandmother attempted to buy tickets on the steamer to Vancouver from Skagway. However, due to illness and able to speak only French, she was unable to buy tickets on the ill-fated Princess Sophia. Fortunately for me, my mother and grandmother did not share the tragic fate that claimed the lives of all on board that ship.

My grandmother chose to remain in Whitehorse and married a Francophone pioneer, Antoine (Tony) Cyr. They had five more children together.

I grew up in Whitehorse living at 412 Main Street in the log house my parents built, which is now called Taylor House (The Commissioner’s Office). I have one younger brother, Vincent.

Our house was a hub of activity—everything from hosting our friends in the neighbourhood, to square dancing, to providing the basement for the United Church Sunday School while the church at 6th & Main was being built.

I have seen the introduction of many modern inventions in my time in Whitehorse. In 1954, there was a polio epidemic and my father installed the first dishwasher called an “electric sink,” in an effort to protect us. One year, I came back from university and my parents had a black and white TV. It was “canned TV” so between the newsreels and cartoons, while they changed the film reels, they would aim the camera at a goldfish bowl, or sometimes out the window at the local activities. I like to amuse my grandchildren by telling them that I was alive before TV, computers and cell phones.

In winter, we would don our skates at home and walk across Main Street to the RCMP rink behind the detachment on 4th Avenue, or we would ski across the river with our lunches to the Ski Bowl, passing the smaller Sugar Bowl on the way, which was just south of the current hospital. There was a Scandinavian group who built two ski jumps, and it was always exciting to watch their competitions when they soared down the large one. When the river no longer froze because of the dam construction, we used to ski up the Two Mile Hill, through Valleyview to a hill called Roundel where there was a T-bar that operated on weekends.

In summer, we used to bike up the Two Mile Hill and ride down with no hands or feet on the bike handles or pedals. We spent a lot of time at our Marsh Lake cabin, swimming, hiking and boating.

My father always had a boat. We used to go down river and up the Takhini River to a lovely little slough, then walk inland towards what is now the Takhini Hot Springs. The first time we did it, someone had carted in a bathtub and hooked up a pipe so the water from the spring would go into the bathtub. What luxury! We regularly took the boat from Marsh Lake through Tagish and up to Ben-My-Cree. I’ve had a cabin on the water at Tagish for close to 50 years, enjoying the area at all seasons, including many Christmases.

When I was about ten, my grandmother Nana Cyr was going to take me on the White Pass train to Carcross where we would go on the paddlewheel Tutshi to Ben-My-Cree, but the train broke down at Cowley Lake and we were unable to complete the journey. I regret that I never made it there while it was still an active destination.

I attended Lambert Street School for grades 1-4, and because it only had two classrooms, I had to move to the Dowel Building for grades 5-8. From there I attended Whitehorse High School for grades 9-12 (currently Whitehorse Elementary School where my four grandchildren all attended). I was active in school activities, was awarded the Governor General’s Academic Medal, and was class valedictorian in Grade 12 where there were eleven students in my class (ten girls and one boy).

I then attended the University of British Columbia. The airfare from Vancouver to Whitehorse was $75.00 one-way and the flights were on Canadian Pacific Airline’s DC6B milk run. It took eight hours for a one-way trip; therefore we only came home at Christmas and after final exams in April. To this day, I appreciate the fact that flights from Whitehorse to Vancouver or Edmonton are only two-and-a-half hours!

During my university years, I would return to Whitehorse in the summers where I would enjoy seeing my friends and family. I would work in the Taylor & Drury office (located at Main & Front Street) and in the Taylor & Drury Motors office on Lambert Street. T&D’s was a local hub and people from all over the territory came in for supplies and to catch up on the news.

In 1962, I received a Bachelor of Education Secondary degree with majors in Commerce and History and returned to Whitehorse, joining the first FH Collins teaching staff. While I never attended FH as a student, my Whitehorse High graduating class picture hung first on the wall of all the FH graduating classes at the old FHC, and now the new FHC. My teaching responsibilities were Social Studies, Business Education and setting up the first Business Education lab.

FH Collins’ opening was delayed until January, 1963, so we shared Whitehorse Elementary School for the fall semester of 1962. High school classes were held from 8 a.m. to noon and in the afternoons the elementary classes met. On the FH staff were two of my former teachers, Doris Stenbraten and Lillias Farley, and also Jack Hulland who was the Superintendent of Schools when I started grade 1. We loved it when he travelled from the capital of the Yukon, which at that time was Dawson City, as he would give us the remainder of the day off following his visit. He gave the toast to the bride at my wedding. To this day I appreciate the support they extended to a new teacher, and the close friendships I developed with them.

Following two successful years of teaching in Whitehorse, I received my Yukon Permanent Teacher’s Certificate. (Several teachers received this but in hindsight many people are not aware of its existence.) The creation of this certificate by the Yukon government was deemed necessary for those teachers who came directly to the territory upon receiving their university Education degree and the two-year interim teaching certificate from the province of their university. If two successful years were not completed in the province it would not issue a permanent certificate, and would not recognize successful teaching years completed in the Yukon.

In 1964, I married Chuck Halliday and we moved to Chilliwack where he was posted with the CIBC. I taught at the senior high school there for a couple of years. When the Canadian Pacific Flight 21 crashed near 100 Mile House, the T&D Motors Accountant/Office Manager, Harold Riley, was killed. Chuck and I were always interested in returning to Whitehorse so we moved back so that he could take over the role.

Soon after, we had our two children, Keith and Lea Halliday. While we raised our children, I volunteered at their schools and helped out with their after-school activities, participated in Kiwanis Club and Chamber of Commerce activities, bridge club, Eastern Star, and was active behind the scenes at T&D Motors/Taylor Chevrolet. (In 1970, T&D Motors, located on 2nd Avenue between Lambert and Hanson Streets changed its name to Taylor Chevrolet Oldsmobile.) Prior to the dealership, Isaac and Sarah Taylor, my grandparents, had a house on the corner of 2nd & Hanson. This is now the Yukon Visitors Information Center.

In 1983, I resumed my teaching career in the Business Department at (Old) Yukon College, moving to the new campus in 1988. I taught Accounting (my first love), Business Math, Word Processing, and accounting-related computer business applications. In 1986, I received my Masters of Education degree, specializing in adult business education from the University of Western Washington.

Following nineteen very rewarding years at the College, I retired in 2001. I always enjoyed seeing my students fulfill their career goals, and still enjoy running into them on the streets of Whitehorse and learning about their latest accomplishments and their families.

Retirement has been very busy and completely enjoyable. I enjoy gardening, golfing, playing cards with my friends, needlepointing, and being an avid armchair curling fan. My partner and I enjoy traveling, going to the cabin at Tagish, a winter holiday to Hawaii, and visiting with family. I am also interested in preserving Yukon history, supporting MacBride Museum and serving as a director on the Friends of the Archives Board.

I am proud that my two children and four grandchildren call “the Yukon” home. I am a third generation Yukoner from a pioneering family. Like my parents and grandparents, my roots are firmly set in the Yukon. I’ve been in my house in Riverdale for the last 53 years and love living here. Family and friends, a continuing interest in education, and the Yukon continue to be the three most important things in my life.