Calendar
Object
2023.15.2
Calendar
Calendar, beige, with full colour photograph of 1 float plane and 1 docked boat in foreground. In the background there are 2 boats and a barge. Photo is probably taken along the Yukon River at Dawson in the Autumn.
The following tribute was paid to Pat Callison in the Yukon Legislature Tuesday, November 23, 1999
"Mr. Jenkins: On behalf of the Yukon Party caucus, I rise to pay tribute to a long-time Yukoner and friend who passed away on November 13, after a short illness. For many of us, Pat Callison will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the development of aviation in the north. He was born in North Dakota on December 10, 1910, and grew up in the Peace River country, where he began his lifelong career in the transportation industry and learned the meaning of hard work and the rewards of entrepreneurship.
By the age of 15, Pat was using pack dogs to haul supplies and furs to and from his trapline in the rugged Rocky Mountains, and by 1941, he had been engaged in almost every freight and mail-hauling venture in northern B.C. that one could imagine. In fact, much of the equipment and material required for the construction of the Watson Lake airport came up the Stikine River to Telegraph Creek and then overland to Dease Lake on Pat's trucks, then continued down the Dease and Liard rivers to Watson Lake.
Two years prior to this great freight haul through Dease Lake, Pat watched a float plane land in front of Callison's Lodge. By the end of that summer, he was a part owner of the aircraft and Cassiar Airways. By the spring of 1941, Pat had earned his commercial pilot's licence and, for the next year, flew steadily on the wartime Alaska Highway and Canol Road projects. By the fall of 1942, Pat and his family moved to Carcross, where he went to work as a pilot for Northern Airways for the next five years.
With years of experience, and wishing to go on his own, Pat moved to Dawson City and established the first ever air service in the heart of the Klondike. Over the next nine years Callison Flying Service provided charter service out of Dawson serving mineral and early oil exploration in the northern Yukon, as well as the needs of local trappers, prospectors and gold miners.
In 1956, he sold his fixed-wing operation and started Klondike Helicopters, the first Yukon-based helicopter charter service. This he operated from downtown Dawson City until 1960, when he moved the company's head office to Whitehorse. In 1966, Pat sold Klondike Helicopters, and officially retired. Since then, Pat continued to fly partly for pleasure, and partly in conjunction with his many mining activities.
During his 40-year career in aviation, Pat became a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer. He flew a total of 20,000 hours, of which 1,000 was on helicopters.
Pat was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1974 for his outstanding contribution to the development of aviation in the north, and was named Pioneer of the Year by the Yukon Transportation Hall of Fame in 1999.
The Callison industrial subdivision in Dawson City was named after Pat. A great person with a love of the north and a heart of gold, Pat will be remembered for many years to come and will be sadly missed by his friends and family.
On behalf of the Yukon Party, I'd like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to Pat's wife Ethel, his daughters Joan and Fay, his brother and sisters, as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren."
"Mr. Jenkins: On behalf of the Yukon Party caucus, I rise to pay tribute to a long-time Yukoner and friend who passed away on November 13, after a short illness. For many of us, Pat Callison will be remembered for his outstanding contribution to the development of aviation in the north. He was born in North Dakota on December 10, 1910, and grew up in the Peace River country, where he began his lifelong career in the transportation industry and learned the meaning of hard work and the rewards of entrepreneurship.
By the age of 15, Pat was using pack dogs to haul supplies and furs to and from his trapline in the rugged Rocky Mountains, and by 1941, he had been engaged in almost every freight and mail-hauling venture in northern B.C. that one could imagine. In fact, much of the equipment and material required for the construction of the Watson Lake airport came up the Stikine River to Telegraph Creek and then overland to Dease Lake on Pat's trucks, then continued down the Dease and Liard rivers to Watson Lake.
Two years prior to this great freight haul through Dease Lake, Pat watched a float plane land in front of Callison's Lodge. By the end of that summer, he was a part owner of the aircraft and Cassiar Airways. By the spring of 1941, Pat had earned his commercial pilot's licence and, for the next year, flew steadily on the wartime Alaska Highway and Canol Road projects. By the fall of 1942, Pat and his family moved to Carcross, where he went to work as a pilot for Northern Airways for the next five years.
With years of experience, and wishing to go on his own, Pat moved to Dawson City and established the first ever air service in the heart of the Klondike. Over the next nine years Callison Flying Service provided charter service out of Dawson serving mineral and early oil exploration in the northern Yukon, as well as the needs of local trappers, prospectors and gold miners.
In 1956, he sold his fixed-wing operation and started Klondike Helicopters, the first Yukon-based helicopter charter service. This he operated from downtown Dawson City until 1960, when he moved the company's head office to Whitehorse. In 1966, Pat sold Klondike Helicopters, and officially retired. Since then, Pat continued to fly partly for pleasure, and partly in conjunction with his many mining activities.
During his 40-year career in aviation, Pat became a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer. He flew a total of 20,000 hours, of which 1,000 was on helicopters.
Pat was made a member of the Order of Canada in 1974 for his outstanding contribution to the development of aviation in the north, and was named Pioneer of the Year by the Yukon Transportation Hall of Fame in 1999.
The Callison industrial subdivision in Dawson City was named after Pat. A great person with a love of the north and a heart of gold, Pat will be remembered for many years to come and will be sadly missed by his friends and family.
On behalf of the Yukon Party, I'd like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt condolences to Pat's wife Ethel, his daughters Joan and Fay, his brother and sisters, as well as his grandchildren and great grandchildren."