A native of Darnstadt, Germany, Louis Weinrich was quick to heed the call of Klondike gold. He was in the valley of the Yukon River before the beginning of January 1899, according to his August 11, 1911 application to become a member of the Yukon Order of Pioneers (YOOP). In 1901, Marie Ferguson listed him in her Ferguson's Directory as a miner in the Dawson City area. More evidence of his presence in the gold fields comes to us from other sources: Louis and his wife Gustie Monthé were from "The Forks" or Grand Forks, the boom town at the confluence of the Eldorado and Bonanza Creeks, about 12 miles southwest of Dawson City, Yukon Territory.

    Miss A. Monthé is recorded in Polk's Directory as a "waiter" for Fred Tiemeyer in the settlement of Bonanza (a commonly-used name for Grand Forks) in 1907-08. Louis declared them both to be from Grand Forks on March 9, 1908 when he obtained a marriage license in Dawson City. Two months later, on May 12, 1908, there was a delightful notice in the Dawson Daily News, which reads:

FORKS COUPLE MARRIED HERE

    Miss Gustie Monthe and Louis Weinrich of Grand Forks were married in this city yesterday by Rev. A. G. Sinclair, pastor of the Presbyterian church. The couple surprised many of their friends by being hitched with the diamond loop before it was known that Cupid was plying his little game. The groom is a native of Darnstadt, Germany. The bride also is a native of Germany.

    Gold diggers came and left. The Weinrichs stayed on. There are several entries in Polk's Directories stating that Louis Weinrich was working as a butcher or meat cutter for Barton Brothers in Dawson City from 1909 to about 1915. They had at least two homes in Dawson City - in 1911-12 they were on 8th Avenue near Harper, and in 1915-16 at 412B 6th Avenue. Louis and Gustie Weinrich were early Yukon pioneers, and true Yukon Sourdoughs.

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Sources:

• YOOP application: Yukon Archives, YOOP Records - COR 224 #82/454, f.9
• Marriage license application: Yukon Archives, Government Records, GOV 1686, #729
• Dawson Daily News: on microfilm at the Yukon Archives
• Polk's and Ferguson's Directories: photocopies at Yukon Archives

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