A Geyserville Hero Finds Lost Men in Yukon Territory in 1930

(This original news article was loaned to me by Alexander Valley native and old timer, Fred Wasson. It is a long story, but a fascinating account of his brother Everett's adventures as a bush pilot in 1930s Yukon Territory)

Geyserville pilot rescues lost Yukon airmen in 1930

By Lester M. Herring and Ray Anderson

Cloverdale Reveille, October 11, 2000

Young Everett Wasson who grew up on the family ranch in AlexanderValley near the Sonoma County village of Geyserville, left the family home at the age of 20 to become a pilot. A few days later on February 1, 1928 he was issued student pilot's identification card #556 at the Oakland Airport. This was the beginning of a career that brought him fame as an early day bush pilot in the Yukon Territory of Canada.

By August13,1928 his flight log shows a total of 341.20 hours. On August 29 of the same month, he was on his way to Seattle as a passenger on a Fairchild airplane, then on to Whitehorse where he was employed as a pilot for the Treadwell Yukon Mining Company.

For the next two years Wasson was kept busy flying men and equipment for the company. Then on November 3,1930, he was assigned to conduct a search for a pilot with two passengers who were long overdue on a flight in the desolate, winter-time wilds of the Yukon.

Paddie Burke, piloting a pontoon equipped Junkers aircraft, with Robert Martin, prospector,and Emil Kaden, mining engineer, as passengers, had taken off from the town of Atlin on October 10, 1930 on a flight to the Hudson Bay Company post on the Liard River, about 150 miles to the east of Whitehorse, YukonTerritory.

On their retum flight of October11, 1930 they encountered a severe snow storm which forced them to land on the Liard River where theyspent the night. The next day they took off again but were forced back a second time by heavy snow. But this time, their pontoons were damaged beyond any possibility of repair by rocks and ice while taxing to the side of the river.

After six days ofwaiting without rescue, the three struck out cross country for a lake where a food supply had previously been cached. Unsure of their location and with only a meager supply of food, an axe, a rifle with only 12

bullets and inadequate clothing, they braved the earlyYukon winter snowstorm. They trudged for seven days before exhaustion and malnutrition forced them to camp. It was sixteen more days before a Caribou wandered within shooting

range which they were able to kill, providing needed nourishment.

About a week after leaving At1in, the trio were finally reported overdue by Pilot Paddie Burke's wife, and then time was lost before a search was started. Three search parties failed to locate the missing men or the airplane. The third party themselves were lost and never found. Finally Burke's company contacted Wasson's employer to search for the missing flyers. On November 3, 1930, on a flight from Whitehorse to Atlin, Everett Wasson noted in his pilot's log, "PREPARING TO SEARCH FOR BURKE".

Many search flights followed with no results. Finally, after three weeks of searching, and with the

help of Joe Walsh--a long time prospector and one of the most experienced guides in the northwest, Everett Wasson noted in his logbook on Nov. 24th, "FOUND BURKE'S PLANE". But there was no sign of the three men. Finally, after five more flights, he noted, "BURKE'S PARTY FOUND, BURKE DEAD." He had died of hunger and exposure in the harsh Yukon winter.

The survivors were flown by Wasson to Whitehorse. Ten days later he returned to Wolf Lake and brought out the body of Paddy Burke. As a result of Everett Wasson's tenacity, his extreme effort against great odds and his final success, he was accorded much praise and honor not only in the newspapers and magazines of the day, but by the government as well. The dominion government awarded him $1500 and Walsh $500. There were many press reports as the search was in progress, both in this country and in Canada.

On Saturday, January 17,1931, a full page spreading the Vancouver Star newspaper declared "Vancouver Welcomes Pilot Wasson". The following Monday he was scheduled to make a speech before the Canadian Club, entitled "Some aspects of flying in the Yukon."

Dated January17,1931,a letter of congratulations was sent to Wasson signed by Hugo Junkers of the Junkers Aircraft Company, builders of the ill-fated plane. (Fortunately for us, the letter written in German, was translated to English on the back.)

Finally, on the 6th of May, 1935, Everett Louis Wasson was awarded a medal from the Buckingham Palace by his Majesty the King, in appreciation and recognition of his services to the Yukon Territory.

In February 1936, a small lake on the southside of the Simpson range near the headwaters of the Liard River was named "Wasson Lake" in recognition of the first bush pilot in the Yukon and his efforts in the first air-search and rescue mission in Yukon history.

After several more years of doing what he loved best, Everett Wasson retired from flying. He returned to farming in Alexander Valley and died of a heart attack in December 1958 at the young age of 51.