Victoria Anna Belle Faulkner

“A pathfinder for women in responsible positions—women who made a career.”

Joyce Hayden in her book, Victoria Faulkner Lady of the North, wrote that Victoria was an exceedingly intelligent, attractive, elegant and very independent woman.

Victoria’s father, John (Jack) Thomas Faulkner came over the Chilkoot in 1898, followed in 1901 by his wife Isabelle McDonald Faulkner and their baby girl, Victoria Anna Belle Faulkner. A baby sister, Mary, was born later.

During those first twelve years in the Klondike, the family lived on Bear Creek, Sulphur Creek and Hunker Creek, where the father mined a “lay” (someone else’s claim for a percentage of the gold).

Victoria attended St. Mary’s School, a little, one-room, log school out on the creeks. She went by dog team in winter and walked in summer. She loved life on the creeks. Over the years, she enjoyed bob-sledding, skating, snowshoeing, sleigh riding, dog sledding and curling.

In 1907, Victoria boarded at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic School in Dawson. She spoke of her wonderful classical education from the sisters. She learned to play the organ, took a business course and learned to speak French.

Her family moved into Dawson in 1913 and they lived in a house on the corner of Turner Street and 7th Avenue.

When she spoke of Dawson she spoke of a very cosmopolitan city of high fashion; it was known as the Paris of the North. She spoke of the refined social life, which included dinner parties, formal balls, teas, at-home socials, and musicals. There was also the impressive Governor’s residence, Carnegie Library, the hospital and schools, theatres and lodges. She spoke of gourmet foods, fine furniture and the latest fashionable clothes. There was a telephone system and local railway from the city to the creeks.

Victoria appeared to ignore, or be unaware of, the influx of thousands of miners and the seamier side of life, which included the gambling halls, prostitution, and dance halls. There was also little mention of the ordinary people who kept the town running.

At this time the dredges began to appear on the creeks and the cost of living was high. Most families had a vegetable garden and there was also a stockyard and cattle drives, which supplied meat and milk.

When the First World War broke out, many young men enlisted and did not return to the Yukon after the war. Also, the sinking of the Princess Sophia depleted the non-Native Dawsonites by another ten percent. Victoria decided to stay on in Dawson even as the population continued to decline.

Victoria graduated from St. Anne’s Academy in Dawson at 19 years of age and went to work for Joe Boyle who owned the Canadian Klondike Company located at Bear Creek. Her first monthly pay check was $50.00.

In 1917, Victoria’s mother died and she became the caretaker for her younger sister and her aging father.

She was hired by the Yukon Government in 1918 as stenographer in the Gold Commissioner’s office and later acted as the secretary.

The federal government in Ottawa seemed to see Dawson as a ghost town and reduced the Yukon Council to three and also reduced the civil service. Victoria was the sole remaining government secretary. She became involved in all aspects of government administration. She typed and filed all of the government’s correspondence. Her power and authority increased as the authority of the Commissioner’s Office increased.

Over the years Victoria spoke of early northern aviation and of her first ride in an open cockpit plane. She also bought a 1934 Ford Coupe and she called it Betsy, the first of many Betsys. Victoria bought a cabin at Rock Creek. These purchases were symbols of freedom and independence. She was aware of the necessity in that time of being very proper because she lived alone much of the time. She was very attractive and her character and reputation were above reproach.

In her free time, Victoria loved to go out to Bear Creek to her cabin where she liked to canoe and fish for grayling. She rarely took a trip outside. She did go to Hawaii in 1929, to the Caribbean and Panama in 1960 and her last grand adventure was to Anchorage to see Pope John Paul ll. She was also very interested in the geology of the Yukon and had several favorite vistas that she would stop at to admire and wonder at the geological movements of the earth.

Victoria worked in the Commissioner’s Office as stenographer and then secretary until 1953. She worked for nine heads of government over the years. She particularly like working for George A. Jeckell, who was Commissioner from 1932-1946.

In the frequent absences of the heads of Government who had to make annual trips to Ottawa, Victoria carried much of the administrative load. She was front person for the government for many years and she performed her role very, very well. She had tremendous integrity. She provided knowledge and stability to the Commissioner’s Office.

There was a movement in the 1940s to move the capital to Whitehorse. There was now an Alaskan Highway through Whitehorse, which made it a more workable capital and more and more federal departments were setting up offices there. The move took place in 1953. Jim Smith said that it was Victoria Faulkner who provided the continuity of government during that tremendous upheaval.

There were some perks with her job. In 1954, she attended a reception at the RCAF Officers’ Lounge in Whitehorse to meet HRH the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1965, Victoria was again invited to a reception for the Right Honourable Vincent Massey. Another delight was acquiring a licence plate with Betsy 002 on it. The 002 was a reference to the number two position that she held. The Commissioner had 001.

Victoria had remarked that the move to Whitehorse and her first year or two there were awful. She called Whitehorse a dust bowl.

At first the government was in an old army building behind Whitehorse Elementary School. All single women were expected to live in army barracks that were also behind the school. She was given a suite in the Pan Am building. She then moved into a house in Riverdale and, after retirement, into a little bachelor apartment in the Beverley Apartments on Alexander Street where she lived until her last days.

Victoria was very worried about records getting lost in the move to Whitehorse. She was an advocate for the building of the

Yukon Archives and kept the records secure until it was built.

In 1960, Victoria was transferred to the Federal Government Historic Sites Branch of the Department of Northern Affairs. She was instructed to begin research on historic buildings in Dawson City. Victoria spent two years researching and interviewing. Her report included about twenty buildings, and two sternwheelers. She also included a brief history of Whitehorse and of Yukon.

Her material is stored in the Yukon Archives. Her report led to the designation of many buildings in Dawson for restoration. The research also helped to promote a thriving tourist industry.

Next, she agreed to help the Chamber of Commerce in Whitehorse to coordinate the

Yukon Northern Resources Conference. She stayed with Northern Resources until 1972 working on a Tourist Information Program.

In 1974, the Yukon Status of Women Council started a movement to create a women-only space. It was to be a safe place for women and their children as well as a place to seek out resources, information and referrals to what may be available to them in the community. Its philosophy was to be “women helping women.”

In 1975, the Women’s Centre opened its doors in the YWCA building with its new name: The Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre. The name was in recognition of Victoria’s strength, leadership, and commitment to the community.

In 1977, a group including Victoria Faulkner, formed the Yukon Historical and Museums Association. She was a board member of the Society.

Victoria was also a member of the newly formed Golden Age Society and was its president when she passed away.

As she grew older she developed Parkinson’s Disease. She never wanted to be less than a strong, independent person and found it difficult to accept help. She passed away August 24, 1981. Her funeral was held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, followed by a reception at the Golden Age Society.

Doug Bell’s tribute:

“Her name will be remembered. and her past contributions will serve as an inspiration to others. She made a great contribution to Yukon, and her long-standing commitment to, and embracement of the North will remain her legacy.”