North - By Oscar Green

Notes - This is a personal account as told by Oscar Green in October, 1987. Green worked on the S.S. Distributor Steamboat on the Athabasca, Slave and Mackenzie Rivers in the 1920s and 30s. He went from preparing the steamboats for travel, to loading and unloading them, to fireman, to second mate. He tells many anecdotes about his time on the steamboats. Just before the Depression, he staked claims where there were oil wells near Fort Norman. Soon after, he was offered $30,000 for each of his claims, but he held out for a higher price. By the time he was ready to sell, he couldn't even get one dollar a piece. Once the Depression hit, he went to work for the Hudson's Bay Company, again, showing what a good engine repairman he was. Mr. Green had many experiences with First Nations people and hunting and trapping. This document includes many photos as well as lists of the different steamboats, barges, maps, camps and towns that Green worked on and visited. Mr. Green also worked for the Lanson Hubbard Company, Alberta and Arctic Transportation, and Mackenzie River Transport (44 pages)