Evelyn Mae (Babe) Richards

Babe Richard’s deep roots in the Yukon can be traced back to the Klondike Gold Rush on 1898. Her maternal grandfather, Frank Bigger, had established a trading post at Dyea during the height of the stampede. He arranged for his daughter’s family to come north from Missouri, and that is how a four-year-old Bernadine Piper (Babe’s future mother) arrived in Dyea, Alaska, in 1902.

Soon after, a move was made to White Horse (as it was called then) via the newly operating White Pass Railway. Frank Bigger then opened a store on Front Street in the same building that later became known as the Sewell House, one of Whitehorse’s historical buildings.

The settlement of White Horse in those years, 1900-1920, saw the beginnings of a permanent town take shape. As the new terminus for the White Pass Railroad, and the sternwheelers on the Yukon River were being built, many opportunities were open for disenchanted gold seekers and others. The NWMP established a post. Many hastily constructed buildings became stores, a butcher shop, saloons, hotels, churches, a school, a post office, a telegraph office, and homes. Some of the less permanent of the few hundred citizens still lived in tents.

This is the White Horse that Bernadine Piper (Babe’s future mother) grew up in. In the year of 1918, at the age of twenty she married T.C. Richards. T.C. had come to the Yukon in 1915 as manager of the Burns Meat Company, and stayed on to become one of the most influential citizens of the growing town.

The T.C. Richards then proceeded to have a family of three children: two boys and a girl.

The first born was Cecil, then Bob, and finally Evelyn Mae in 1924. The family lore says that little brother Bob shortened baby to babe, and thus she became known as Babe for life. Much has been written about how this little girl became the apple of her father’s eyes. He called her his princess and treated her accordingly.

Babe attended the Lambert Street School (as had her mother before her). Here she made many lifelong friends. A very special friend was Gudrun Erickson (later Sparling), daughter of the Regina Hotel Ericksons. They became friends as toddlers and the friendship lasted their lifetimes.

Growing up in Whitehorse during the 30s and 40s, Babe was witness to unprecedented growth, change, and many firsts. The greatest of these changes was the completion of the Alaska Highway in 1945. During the mid 40s, the isolated village was inundated with 100s of military men, and construction workers. Whitehorse was now linked to the south and neighbouring Alaska, by road. Also, about this time, mid-forties, an airport had been built and Babe was among many other Whitehorse residents to witness the first passenger plane to land in Whitehorse.

However, the paddle wheelers continued to be of major importance as a source of travel and transportation on the Yukon River well into the 50s. A picture exists of Babe, her mother, and the famous Klondike Kate on board the “Klondike”, on a trip from Dawson City in 1941.

In 1937, T.C. Richards had become the owner of the Whitehorse Inn. (Local folklore tells that he won it, or a substantial down payment of it, in a poker game.) All through her early teens, Babe worked for her father, in various roles, helping to run the business.

At the age of thirteen in 1937, Babe learned to drive her father’s Model T Ford car, one of the very few cars in Whitehorse at the time. She also often rowed across the Yukon River to visit her Pop and Granny Langholtz. This was twenty years before the bridge was built. Some years later she operated a D8 Cat to push a road through to the family lot on Army Beach at Marsh Lake. A summer home was built there, and it became a happy getaway spot for the Richards family and friends. In later years, Babe’s son Charlie built a log house there, and it remained in the family for many years.

Babe finished her last couple of years of high school at Croften House in Vancouver, graduating in 1942. There was some thought of going back “outside” to take a nurse’s training, but then tragedy struck the Richards family. In July of 1942, twenty-three-year-old Cecil drowned in Ear lake leaving the family devasted. Babe gave up all thoughts of leaving, and stayed on to help her parents.

In the early 40s, T.C. Richards had constructed a large log home for his family on the corner of 3rd and Steele Street. Babe’s mother, Bernadine, furnished it with a flair for luxury and style, complete with stone fireplaces, good rugs, and fine furniture. No doubt it was the grandest home in Whitehorse at the time. It became “the place” for social gatherings. And Bernadine loved playing the role of hostess. Now eighty years later the house has been designated a Heritage Building and houses several government offices.

Sometime in her youth, Babe got the idea firmly entrenched in her mind that she would have an even dozen children. As the daughter of T.C. Richards, she could have chosen a life of relative ease, but that was not to be, nor did she want it to be.

Babe’s twenty-first birthday, in 1945, was celebrated in grand style with a lavish dinner in the Rainbow Room of the Whitehorse Inn. All the who’s who of Whitehorse were in attendance. It was a proud moment for her adoring parents.

Then it seems that Babe got on with her true calling. In 1946, she gave birth to her first child, Cecil Gayle. By the year, 1955, Babe had seven children. This is when the family moved to Upper Liard Lodge on the Alaska Highway. Busy years followed, operating the lodge, and taking care of her ever-increasing family.

In 1956, Babe married John Brown and a move was made to Brown Brothers Sawmill. This was located where the Rancheria River flows into the Liard. Babe loved the rough and ready lifestyle of the sawmill years. However, her happiness that year was marred by the death of her mother, Bernadine, at the young age of fifty-eight.

Then a move was made to Watson Lake to be nearer a school for the children. Here Babe set up housekeeping for her large family, and cooked daily for a crew of around twenty people. This often included the sawmill employees (a new sawmill had been set up nearer to Watson Lake) as well as various students Babe took on as boarders.

T.C. Richards passed away in 1961, five years after his wife, at the relatively young age of seventy-two. This was a very difficult time for Babe, who had been so close to her father.

In 1963, at the age of thirty-nine, Babe gave birth to her tenth and last chid in Watson Lake, a girl she named Anita Christine. She reluctantly gave up on her dream of an even dozen.

1966 brought a move to Dawson Creek, then Fort St. John, B.C., where John Brown’s employment took them. Another blow came in 1967, with the death of Babe’s brother, Bob, leaving her the last surviving member of the Richards family.

In 1972, the family returned home to the Yukon, where Babe would remain for the rest of her years. But she still had a lot of living to do! In 1977, she became co-owner of a dress shop on Main Street in Whitehorse, called Broies Tiends. A very interesting venture, but Babe found waiting for customers to make up their minds, a little tedious.

In 1977, Babe opened a Family Day Care in her Riverdale home. She was back doing what she loved best, working with children, and enjoying their antics. She did this for fifteen years, until bad knees made it too difficult.

From 1955-96, she got knee replacements and a new lease on life. The following paragraph from her obituary gives a good picture of her broad interests and community involvement.

Babe was a tireless volunteer in her community and generously shared her knowledge and experience with numerous charitable organizations including, but not limited to: Yukon Order of Pioneers, Whitehorse Legion, Lion’s Club, Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous Society, and the Golden Age Society. Babe also sat on the Yukon Social Services Appeal Board for many years. She was nominated volunteer of the year in 2001, and was recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. In 2008, Babe was recognized for her contribution to community history with a Lifetime Achievement in Heritage Award (along with her old friend Gudrun). She was an avid knitter all her life and an active member in Knitwits and Angel Hugs.”

In the year of 2004, a very special event was held at the Elk’s Hall in Whitehorse. The occasion was Babe’s 80th birthday. All ten of her children, their spouses, and grandchildren were present as well as a couple of hundred friends.

From her obituary, the following words reveal much about this amazing woman.

She remembered peoples’ birthdays and anniversaries and never failed to call them on their special day each year. Babe moved to Macaulay Lodge in 2013 and soon became the unofficial greeter where she shared countless stories to anyone who would listen.”

Her proudest legacy, though, are her ten children: Cecil-Gayle, Bobbie, Richard, Douglas, Bernelle, Charlie, Mike, John Brown Jr., Nona, and Anita, as well, of course, the many grandchildren, greats, and even great-greats at the time of her passing.

“Bye for now Mom.”