Lucille Hall Hunter

Lucille Hall Hunter was an intrepid pioneer who lived a long and productive life in the Yukon.

Lucille Hunter was nineteen when she left the United States with her husband, Charles, to go to the Klondike in 1897. The African-American couple traveled to the Yukon through the rigorous Stikine Trail overland from Telegraph Creek to Teslin Lake in the fall and very cold winter of 1897 and 1898.  It is hard to imagine the hardships they would have experienced on an over 900-kilometer trip from Telegraph Creek in the dark and cold weather to their destination of Dawson City. They travelled by dog-team. There would have been few cabins or services available on the route for shelter, safety, or resources.

During their journey, their daughter was born in the small settlement at the southern end of Teslin Lake. They named her Marie Elizabeth Teslin Hunter and called her “Teslin”. Following their daughter’s birth, they continued to Dawson City and staked three claims on Bonanza Creek in February, 1898. Arriving in the winter meant they avoided the rush of prospectors who arrived later in the spring of 1898.

In addition to mining their claims, they also worked at other employment. For example, they operated a restaurant at Grand Forks. Grand Forks, a thriving community during the Gold Rush, was located at the junction of Eldorado and Bonanza Creeks. Lucille also worked as a nanny.

Their daughter, Teslin, attended school in Seattle, Washington. She married Carl Sorensen, a Danish fisherman. In 1920, they had a son named Carl Leo, called “Buster”.

After his wife’s death in 1925, Mr. Sorensen returned to Denmark. Lucille brought Buster to Dawson where they raised him on their mining claims. (Note that some resources

used Jorgensen as Teslin’s husband’s last name. This paper used Buster’s last name on his military record.)

When the rush for gold ended in the Dawson area, the Hunter family moved to the Mayo area and mined silver claims. Lucille is reported to have walked the hundreds of kilometers between Dawson City and Mayo to maintain their claims in both mining districts.

Charles Hunter died in 1939 at the age of 70. 

By the early 1940’s, mining activity in Dawson and Mayo had slowed. Construction of the Alaska Highway, as part of World War II efforts, brought an influx of military and support people to Whitehorse. Lucille and Buster moved to Whitehorse and operated a small laundry service on Wood Street. Lucille also took in ironing and babysat. Buster helped her with the laundry business until he joined the Canadian military where he served in Europe.

After the war, he married Margaret Thora May and raised a family in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

Lucille was described as a very independent person. Throughout her life she remained involved and interested in the community and the world. Many long-term Whitehorse residents remembered her living alone in a small cabin at the end of 8th Avenue and Strickland Street. Even though her eyesight had seriously deteriorated, she remained in her home until a fire required her to move. Lucille died in Whitehorse General Hospital on June 10, 1972.

Lucille was made an honorary member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP) in recognition of her commitment to mining. She was one of the few female members ever recognized by the YOOP.

Lucille Hunter is buried in the Grey Mountain Cemetery in Whitehorse. The simple gravestone that marks her grave states her name, year of birth and death, Stikine Trail, and the symbol of the YOOP.