c/o C. M. & S. Co. Ltd.
Yellowknife, N. W. T.
July 7, 1938
Dear Mother:
I am sorry that this letter is going to be very late but I wish for you a happy birthday. The enclosed pictures will be a sort of birthday present. I had meant to enclose the ordinary pictures (as opposed to enlargements) in my letter to Archie but did not notice the ommission [sic] until the letter was sealed. I expect this letter will arrive just about on Dick’s birthday [July 11] so I extend my wishes to him also. I left home a year ago on his birthday, didn’t I. And it will be some time yet before I am home again I think if the present work keeps up. The Trail office has something up their sleeves as each of us is supposed to turn in a record of the hours we work each day. I can give them eleven hours on three days last week and over twelve hours yesterday.
I had a nice little holiday after supper on Tuesday. I went out with Page in CF-AWG to our two largest exploration camps the Pan, near Gordon Lake and the Mon which is east of pan [sic]. I saw Doug. at the Pan. They have a unique camp there as all the tents (about five) are joined end to end. There are 12 men there. The Mon is a larger camp and has over twenty men. They are sinking a shaft which is down about fifty feet. On the way back we flew over the remains of the Territories Exploration plane which crashed not long ago. Most of the parts have been taken away and about all I could recognize was the engine cowling.
We saw many different little camps and I could not help thinking that if a prospector wanted to keep his whereabouts unknown he would have a very difficult time as the terrain is extremely barren.
We had a dance here a few nights ago in our new warehouse. It was given in honour of Bob Armstrong and his wife who has recently arrived. The surface foreman who is extremely witty made a dandy speech and presented Bob with a rolling pin. A collection had been made and a wire sent out for something from Birks but this has not arrived. Hence the rolling pin.
The mail arrived a few moments ago with your letter. I suppose you are in the throes of the tournament by now. I hope Willy solved the milking problem. It would be an annoying predicament. It is odd how rain always comes for the Vernon tournament. I suppose that will mean perfect weather for ours.
With love from
Tony.
P. S. The aero pictures were taken by Tudor. The crosses mark the camp, the Rycon shaft and the Con shaft & mill