Wednesday April 30th,2025
The Atlin Whisper
“Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world.”
Margaret Mead Save the Date: May 10
The Whitehorse community choir to perform at the Globe Theatre.
The Museum opens for the Season. Details to follow.
Atlin Historical Society
Atlin Supportive Living Society
Annual General Meeting
Time/Date 1:00 pm Monday May 12th
Place: The Pew on Fulton Ave
Agenda
Elections: Nominations and voting for Chairperson, Vice Chair, Treasurer, Secretary House Use Updates and Clean up/ Snow removal for 2025/ grass cutting Northern Health Updates
Registration of Society done Electronically Meals on Wheels 2025
Memorial House Update and ASLS Vehicle Update
Foot Clinics
Mail and Accounting Information
Items Purchased and to be Purchased Additions?
Adjournment time: 2:30 pm
“Our Voice Wants to be Heard”
We all have a voice, sometimes buried deep, that wants to be heard about right or wrong and just or unjust.
About good ideas we have to propose for improving life.
Speaking up is key to freeing our voice, making our point known. Then, there is a chance we can effect change.
Jeff Salmon
The First Annual Atlin Stews & Brews
took place in conjunction with the Snowmobile Drag Races out at the Atlin Airport on Sunday April 6th.
This friendly stew-making competition was the brainchild of Monica Barrington and Jess Feldman. All servings of the delicious locally-made stews were sold, with all the profits being donated to the Atlin Recreation Centre.
A BIG Thank You from the Rec Centre to the local chefs who crafted their stews, to the snowmobilers and spectators who enjoyed the stews, and especially to organizer extraordinaire Monica Barrington who had the inspiration, and did such a great job !
We are looking forward to the Second Annual Atlin Stews & Brews in 2026 !
Thanks again Monica and Jess
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
Atlin School Student Assistant Teacher On Call
Uncertified Teacher On Call
School District 87, Stikine, serves the students and families within the unceded traditional territories of the Taku River Tlingit, Tāłtān, and Kaska First Nations and we honour these relationships. We also respect and value the relationships with all other First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples who reside in these territories. This land has always been a place of learning and we are thankful to live, work, and learn here. It is with respectful consideration that the programs and services provided to students and staff acknowledge local histories, cultural contributions, and contemporary concerns.
Do you have an interest in working at the Atlin School? If so, you are invited to submit a resume outlining your relevant experience and training. If you would prefer to fill out an application, please contact the Atlin School. This opportunity is for an on-call, as-needed basis to help fill temporary vacancies within our school.
Applicants with exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to work closely with the school, parents and students will be prioritized.
Applicants must be prepared to undergo a criminal record check.
For further information, please contact Ms. Edel Paracuelles, Atlin School Principal, at (250) 651-7525.
Posted: April 16, 2025
We acknowledge that the lands on which we live and work are the unceded territories of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation.
Atlin School
Box 83, Atlin, British Columbia V0W 1A0
Telephone: 1-250-651-7525 Fax: 1-250-651-7741
We are looking for a little help from our generous Atlinite Community. Looking for accommodation for our musicians for the Music Festival coming in July. Let us know what you have available. Some funds will be available for billeting.
Please contact me at: Gen2013.gl@gmail.com Or 514-730-8994
ATLIN GOLDFIELDS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE
By Clive Aspinall, M.Sc., P.Eng. ncaspinall@gmail.com
Atlin Placer Mining 1932-1933 - During the Great Depression Which was Due in Part to Tariffs
The Great Depression began in 1929. In a period of ten weeks, stocks on the New York Stock Exchange lost 50 percent of their value. As stocks continued to fall during the early 1930s, businesses failed, and unemployment rose dramatically. British Columbia was hit hard. The global drop in demand delivered a powerful blow to an economy built primarily on export. Seasonal workers who depended primarily on work in BC forestry, could not find work. By 1930, Vancouver City had become a “Mecca to the Unemployed.”
In the USA, the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 made the Great Depression worse, but it did not cause it. The tariff was a response to other countries' retaliatory tariffs, and it led to a collapse in world trade.
Within four years, the gross value of all products manufactured in British Columbia had nearly halved. Meanwhile, the $600 that the average household took home in 1929 had dropped to $353 by 1933. On top of that, development in the province nearly halted. In 1929, $54.4 million was spent on construction; in 1932, the figure was a sixth of that, $8.6 million (Knowledge.ca).
The 1933 BC Annual Report indicates there were some 42 placer operations taking place on Atlin creeks under various type holdings, such as leases, fractions and “lays”.
The bulk of operations were reported on Spruce Creek with an estimated 19 operations. On Spruce Creek the focus was underground mining driving tunnels in the range of 30 feet below the surface channels to intersect bedrock and “pay”. The Report indicates the Nolan shaft was being sunk in 1933. The operation was in partnership with a Juneau Alaska business, and was down to 43 feet in glacial clay. The Report suggest a further 200 feet would be required to reach bedrock. Cost of sinking the Nolan shaft was reported at $7 per foot.
At the O’Donnel River, about 40 km south of Atlin, 6 underground operations were active, some of which had drift access via shaft or portals. Wilson Creek was being explored by 2 companies while at least 1 hydraulicking operation is reported on McKee Creek. On Pine Creek there were 5 operations, including hydraulicking and underground. On Ruby Creek, 3 underground operations are reported. On Otter Creek, Compagnie Francaise des Mines d’Or du Canada was hydraulicking with 19 men. On Birch Creek there were 2 reported operations, on Boulder and Cracker Creek 1 operation each.
Hard rock mining operations at Atlin-Ruffner Mine and Imperial Mine covered in previous “Atlin Whisper” issues were still of interest during this period, as well as other Atlin gold hard rock prospects. At Engineer Gold Mine, 32 kilometres west of Atlin on east side Tagish Lake, selective gold-silver mining was underway, worked by Reginald Brook.
Amid the Great Depression, thanks to Atlin Gold Fields, Atlin probably had no unemployment during years 1932-1933. The Annual Report for the BC Minister of Mines for 1933 states Atlin placer gold production in 1933 was 11,299 oz compared to 8,043 oz gold in 1932.
Atlin’s 1933 and 1932 placer gold production in US Dollars would be worth US$36.5 million and US $26.0 million respectively at today’s gold price. In Canadian Dollars, this would be CDN $50.6 million, and CDN $36.0 million.
If, in 2025, Atlin gold mining had 90 miners working on Atlin Creeks as were here in 2016, rather than the estimated 11 as at present, Atlin community would be booming!
LANDFILL
SPRING/SUMMER HOURS
*Effective –Saturday April 26th, 2025*
SATURDAY-MONDAY
CLOSED ON ALL BC STATUTORY HOLIDAYS
Victoria Day - Closed Monday, May 19th ….…. Open May 17, 18, 20
BC Day - Closed Monday, Aug 4th …...…. Open Aug 2, 3, 5
Labour Day - Closed Monday, Sept 1st ……... Open Aug 30, 31 & Sept 2,
Thanksgiving Day - Closed Monday, Oct 13th ... Open Oct 11, 12, 14
HOURS 11 AM - 4 PM
Operated by the Atlin Community Improvement District
Sunday May 18, 2025
2pm
Globe Theatre
The Atlin Historical Society is pleased to invite you to the book signing & launch of Atlin’s latest book!
Come and join both authors for a brief talk. They will share images and stories from the making of the book.
Tales, Trials and Triumphs: Echoes of Atlin, a hardcover book, is a pictorial journey into Atlin’s history full of stunning images. The 304-page book will be available for purchase: $50 + GST. Cash, cheque (payable to AHS) & visa accepted.
Refreshments served. Hope to see you there.
BIG WATER SOCIETY
We are pleased to announce a new counsellor!
Big Water Society is pleased to have Laurie LarkinBoyle, RCC, DVATI, and MEd, as our new mental wellness counsellor for all people in Atlin. This is a FREE professional and confidential service that Big Water Society provides to the community.
Laurie brings a wonderful blend of mental wellness counselling as well as Art Therapy for those that prefer to keep their hands and brain busy. Laurie is available every Wednesday from 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm by phone, video and email.
For more information and to book an appointment: Website: Crocuscreativearttherapy.com
Phone: 431-813-2756
Email: crocuscreative@gmail.com
NORTHERN HOMES REAL ESTATE
Discovery Avenue
Perfect location, at the entrance to town, this 31.4 x 90 ft lot, prepped and ready for development.
Ideal for that business you have been thinking to develop. Take the first step!
$160,000
4th Street
400 sq.ft., one bedroom cabin plus a large workshop on two adjoining 50x100 lots, fully fenced. Quiet location with lots of room for expansion, or keep one lot and sell the other!
$249,000
Surprise Lake Road
6 acres along the Spruce Creek with a fabulous meadow surrounded by the woods and the roaring creek, room for several guest cabins if you chose. Main house is 2 story and a main level cozy self-contained mother-in-law cottage is perfect for guests. So much potential to expand.
$350,000
Lot F Fulton Street
Quiet street with just a short walk to the lake, great views of mountains and water, power in and ready for you to develop as you wish ... or simply park your RV. Vacant lots like this are hard to find ... this one is waiting for you!
$180,000 SOLD … more buyers seeking same!
Seeking True Remote?
Above Jade City on the old Cassiar Highway, in the middle of the gold fields, 0.5 hectares (not surveyed) on the banks of Troutline Creek, License of Occupation, 10-year terms with current term good until 2032. Story and half cabin plus outbuildings. Current holder has had a small farm with goats and chickens. Telephone service. 4.4 km from main highway.
$89,900
First Street
Rare opportunity for good building lot (two adjoining lots being sold as one parcel), just steps away from Atlin Lake, close to center of community, accessed from lane. 50x100’, no records of previous development on the land.
$195,000
4th of July
.78 acres of Crown Land Lease, gated, partly cleared, the perfect spot to keep your RV and recreational necessities there for year around enjoyment. Lease term to 2042.
$45,500
Second Street
100x30 foot lot, sloping between the lake and mountain view. Great central location waiting for you. Develop your new home at your own pace.
$135,000
Call Myrna at (250) 775-1019 or Katie Suter at (250) 500-1915 myrnablake1@gmail.com .or myrnablake1@zoleo.com when travelling Go to northernhomesbc.ca for more details.
The Fool
The King is a fool,
The crowd knows it
The court knows it
His wife thinks it
His advisors suspect it
But only the fearless say it
The Fanfare
The bugles blare
The banners unfurl
The crowd goes quiet
And the King emerges high upon his balcony…
But the crowd is thin
As the people are busy
Growing gardens, building houses
Writing books, telling stories
Making dreams, making babies
And attending to affairs of State
The Disclosure
Then one day
Like out of the blue
They release the information
Kept classified for decades…….
And humanity gasps, and people swoon
And some say told you so
Some shrug knowingly and carry on
Some smile feeling somewhat vindicated
Some shift uneasily, clear their throats
And act like they knew it all along
The War
There is a war waging,
It is a war upon consciousness
But do not worry
They cannot kill consciousness
The harder they try
The faster we grow
The Revolution
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will not be planned
The revolution will not be violent
The revolution will not be what you think
The revolution will not be what I think
This revolution cannot be predicted
This revolution will have a life of its own
The
Liberation
Free from the shackles of history
Free from the pains of the past
Free from the bondage of patterns
Free from the constraints of convention
Free from the burden of baggage
This is where humanity grows
This is where humanity thrives
- stephenbadhwar.substack.com
January 2025
39 Lake St, Atlin
Kitchen Hours at the Atlin Mountain Inn are now until June, 2025
Tuesday Lunch: 12-2pm (restaurant)
Saloon opens at 5pm Wed-Saturday
Thurs, Fri & Saturday: Dinner 5:30-8pm
Wednesday is Wing Night, Thursday is Patio BBQ, Friday is Menu, Saturday is Menu plus Burger and beer special.
(Restaurant Dinners Closed until June)
Self-serve coffee in Restaurant 7am to 5pm. Various meals, Submarine Sandwiches, Hamburgers etc. available 24/7 in the lobby Deli vending machine Cash only.
Please note that requests for same day water delivery must be received no later than 11 am of said day. Thank you!
Water delivery and Sewer Removal are available Monday through Friday
Home Heating Fuel, Bulk Fuel Available
Phone 250-651-7463
Email garypumpsltd@gmail.com
Box 147
Atlin BC V0W 1A0
Office hours – Monday to Friday 8 am – noon
Closed all Statutory Holidays
With thanks, Gary McNeil and Jody Smallwood
~Weekly freight truck run on Mondays and freight runs available upon request~
~Weekly freight truck run on Mondays and freight runs available upon request~
Gary Pumps Ltd.
Atlin Christian Centre Affiliated with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada Service and Sunday School Sunday 11 a.m. Come join us! 250-691-0128
Mountain Shack Café Restaurant Fast Fancy Food Great Service 110 Discovery Avenue In Atlin, B.C. EAT IN OR TAKE OUT 250-651-7789
MECHANIC WANTED
MOBILE
WELDING SERVICE AVAILABLE
Contact: Alain Vanier 250-651-0037 Reasonable Rates!
Atlin Community Library
Atlin Community Library has 30 NEW BOOKS ready to be borrowed. The Library is open Friday and Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. We're located in the Courthouse on Second Street between Trainor and Pearl. Not a member of the Library? Come in and sign up. It's free. You can borrow books and tapes for 3 weeks for free. Come on in! It could become a habit. A very good habit.
Smallwood Enterprises Ltd
Looking for a full-time licensed heavy-duty mechanic in Atlin, BC.
Wage is negotiable depending on experience. Accommodation can be provided if needed. Please send resume to bobscontracting2020@gmail.com
The next Whisper is May 14th
We provide Concrete, Drain Rock, Screed gravel, Sand, Topsoil and Septic systems.
We also provide Equipment Rentals, Excavations, Covered Storage, and Snow Removal.
Please call (250) 651-2488 or email bobscontracting2020@gmail.com
Submissions are due no later than Sunday May 11th 6pm
The Purpose of the Atlin Whisper is to encourage, build-up and inform the people of Atlin concerning ongoing community events and happenings. The Whisper is not a political mouthpiece. Compiled and edited by Lynne Phipps. Paper for printing courtesy of Northern Homes Real Estate Printing courtesy of Dani McNeil and the RCMP Atlin. Delivery by Bobbie Whelan and Gary Hill. Classifieds, news, upcoming events Contact 1-867-334-7949 or lynnephippsatlin@gmail.com if you have, pictures or articles you would like to submit.
Please note that submissions should be sent in either WORD or JPEG whenever possible. PDF must first be printed and then scanned back into the computer in order to format it into the paper. This costs in both paper and ink. We know that at times a PDF is the only way, which is okay when necessary, but otherwise, as the Whisper is a FREE community service we appreciate your support in helping to keep the costs down as much as possible. Thank You!