Robert W. Service

Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a poet born into a Scottish family while they were living in Preston, England.

Robert Service's Cabin, Dawson City

Robert Service lived for many years in a log cabin on 8th Avenue in Dawson City, Yukon. His relative prosperity allowed him the luxury of affording a telephone. After he left to go to Europe, the Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire (I.O.D.E.) took care of the house for many years, preserving it. Service eventually decided he could not return to Dawson, as it would not be as he remembered it.

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Eventually, the Service cabin was taken over by Parks Canada, which maintains it, including its sod roof, as a tourist attraction. Irish-born actor Tom Byrne created which was presented in the front yard of the cabin, starting in 1976. This was very popular for summer visitors and set the standard for Robert Service recitations.

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A dispute with Parks Canada's onerous lease renewal demands resulted in the elderly Mr. Byrne discontinuing the show at the cabin. The show was moved to a Front Street storefront and since 2004 has been held at the Westmark Hotel in Dawson. A local Dawson entertainer, Johnny Nunan, now recites Service's poetry (including the classic "Cremation of Sam McGee"). from a willow chair while visitors sit on benches on the front lawn Following the presentation, visitors can view Service's home through the windows and front door. The fragility of the house, and the rarity of the artifacts, precludes any possibility of allowing visitors to walk inside the house itself.

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