Few people in the Whitehorse area now, looking at the new Tourists Services Motor Hotel, know that it's situated on what 25 years ago was a ranch.
It was owned by Charlie Baxter, a pioneer of the area, who in those pre war days was considered to live WAY out of town!
With the coming of the Second World War and construction of the Alaska Highway, the Baxter property was taken over by the American army as a post engineers' headquarters and several army buildings were erected on the site, some of which still remain today.
The first Tourists Services company went into business in September of 1947 with partners Ed Barker, Jack Elliott and Irvin Ray of Whitehorse and the Kelly Douglas representative of those days from outside, Wardy Forrest.
There was a fair amount of scoffing at the time. People considered the location too remote from the centre of Whitehorse. Fourth Avenue, for years only gravelled, was rough, pot-holed and cast a pall of dust fifty feet high along its length. Or when it rained, drivers bumped along at ten miles an hour splashing water everywhere.
At the start, the army bunkhouses were used as suites and then some individual log cabins were added in 1950. Others followed in 1955, The first grocery store was in the army building now used as the Tourists Services tavern.
Jim Smith was the first manager of Tourists Services, a position he held until 1966 when he was appointed commissioner of the Yukon.During those years the business grew and prospered, adding cocktail lounge and dining room.
The grocery store expanded into a supermarket and made two moves, each time into larger premises as the years went by, and eventually was taken over by the Kelly Douglas interests.
In 1955 Sung Management of Vancouver bought Tourists Services, and it is this group which has built the new motor hotel and plans additions to the complex with new dining facilities and licenced premises next year.
WILL HOLD 200 PEOPLE
The new Tourists Services Motor Hotel is a two storey building which has 47 units holding 187 people or more if necessary. It was built by Humphrey Construction Ltd. of Whitehorse and sub contractors from designs by architect George Furnadjieff of West Vancouver. Interior decorating was done by the Control Division of Eaton's of Canada.
General Manager James Wong said that the "invisible doorman" is on duty 24 hours a day at the new motor hotel. The traveller can drive on hard top up to the protected entrance under the canopy, unload his luggage, and stride in as the doors open automatically to his footsteps.
The lobby is done in red and black decor, keyed with a modernistic painting, and the desk counter top is moss green, a color which is used throughout the hotel for desk vanities in the single units and for low boy vanities and games tables in doubles. Wall to wall carpeting covers all the floors except for the terrazzo tile in the lobby and tile in the bathrooms.
TV IN EACH ROOM
There are single and double rooms, all with baths and showers, individually thermostatically-controlled. Each has cable television and in the bathrooms each has heat lamp and vent.
There is one deluxe unit on the second floor, commanding a view of the distant mountains. It is spacious and furnished with two double beds, bed-couch and matching chairs in a burnt orange color, coffee and end tables and Italian-style lamps.
All the rooms along the northside have their drapes, bedspreads and upholstering in a warm orange color, while those on the south have the cooler blue tones, All have white ceramic lamps.
It's a matter of a few feet to get to the existing Tourists Services restaurant, dining room, cocktail lounge and tavern. But come next summer, they too are scheduled to be replaced with new premises along Fourth Avenue.
Manager is long-time Tourists Services employee, Mrs. Rose Sampson and her assistant is Mrs. Pearl Dunlop.
They and Mr. Wong will be pleased to show visitors the new motor hotel after the official opening Wednesday [October 15].
