Burns Building

The Burns Meat Company came to the Yukon in 1898, when it was contracted to deliver beef to miners during the gold rush. Cattle were sent by boat from Vancouver, then driven inland, slaughtered and floated to Dawson on the Yukon River.

P.A. Burns & Co. constructed their first building on Main Street and a slaughterhouse in the Moccasin Flats area following the completion of the W.P. & Y.R. railway in 1900. The Main Street building was destroyed in a 1905 fire and a second building was completed a few months later and was used as a retail store only. Animals were delivered to the slaughterhouse, on the hoof, via a railroad spur line. By the 1920’s meat arrived already slaughtered and frozen, transported by refrigerated rail cars. The Whitehorse abattoir ceased operations.

The upper floor of the building was used, at one time, as the Moose Lodge meeting room. It was sold in 1969 and converted for use as office and retail space.

T.C. Richards came to work for P.A. Burns & Co. around 1920 as a labourer in the slaughterhouse. Shortly after, in 1921, he was promoted to manager of retail operations.

Gordon Armstrong became retail manager after T.C. Richards. Armstrong became mayor of Whitehorse in 1950.