Dane Gibson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Aug 23/99) - Susan Jackson moved to Yellowknife in 1965 after finishing a year of University in Edmonton.

She wanted to try something different, so she applied for a job at the local bowling alley after reading an ad in the classifieds. A year later she was married, and Yellowknife became her home.

In 1983, Jackson started work on what is widely considered the definitive history of Yellowknife -- Volume 1 of the Yellowknife History Series. It was published in 1990 and there were 2,000 copies sold.

She currently resides in Sechelt, B.C. with her second husband, Martin Brown. She was in Yellowknife earlier this month visiting, and helping with the legwork for Volume 2 of the history series.

YKlife: How did the book project begin?

SJ: It started back in 1983 when Yellowknife was preparing for its 50th anniversary homecoming. A lot of people thought it would be a good idea to have a history book ready for homecoming.

YKlife: So you had a lot of help?

SJ: Well, the idea was to get a committee running and get going but everyone in town was so involved in other committees, so busy, that person after person said they didn't have the time.

YKlife: So, you were on your own after that?

SJ: Actually, I just said to myself that the committee idea wasn't going to work. I just decided to go ahead as the co-ordinator and let everyone contribute where they can and as they can. I just kept it flexible.

YKlife: Was the book ready for homecoming?

SJ: As we got closer, there wasn't enough material so I put out what information I had collected in the hopes that it would jog peoples memories. They could fill in names for the pictures and add stories of their own. I really got a lot of good information that way.

YKlife: If it was published in 1990, it took you seven years to do it. Were you happy with it once it came out?

SJ: It was actually so exciting watching it come together towards the end because all of the stories in it were ones people sent to me. I had so many to choose from -- it was like picking beads out of a basket and threading them together to make a story. All I had to do is pick a bead here and pick a bead there and find out where they fit on the string.

YKlife: Did you cover everything you wanted to in terms of history?

SJ: There were things that weren't included but there is a general overall coverage of almost everything. That's why it was a Volume 1 because I felt if we start with the stories and do what we can with the material that was sent, then future volumes can address what was missed.

YKlife: Why were you so committed to the project? There was obviously an incredible amount of work involved.

SJ: There had been a book written about Yellowknife, by Ray Price, but it was his interpretation of history. I just thought it made more sense that the people who lived it write the stories rather than have a professional writer interpret their stories. That was my commitment, to make sure the book was full of stories people had experienced.

YKlife: Did you meet a lot of the people in the stories?

SJ: First of all, people would send a letter with a little story attached and I would write back and ask them to fill in some information. Most often, they sent photographs too. There were hundreds, actually thousands of photos to choose from. Throughout the process though, I did meet many of the contributors.

YKlife: Was that kind of a life- affirming process -- I mean, reading all those stories and meeting those people?

SJ: I think every person should do a history project, whether its on their own family history or the community they live in. It will actually give your whole life a balance. You see there's life, living, and death. Its all part of it.

YKlife: It did change you then?

SJ: I used to be anxious wondering what it would be like to die. Now, I think about all these people that went through this process and look at their full, rich lives. I feel much more comfortable with just living because people shared their stories with me.

YKlife: Were most of the stories you were getting pretty positive?

SJ: They didn't just share the good stories. A lot of people wrote and told of the heartache. I felt that when I sat down and looked at a story and analyzed a persons life, a lot of people accomplished so much under really sparse conditions.

YKlife: It sounds like you learned so much.

SJ: A lot of the people in the stories who seemed the happiest were ones who really struggled. They didn't have a lot of money or luxury, but they were so enthusiastic about life.

YKlife: What's up for Susan Jackson now?

SJ: I'm actually working at a drug and alcohol counselling agency in Sechelt. I'm the office manager there so I work on the history project as more like a hobby now.

YKlife: Is there someone continuing the Yellowknife illustrated history series?

SJ: The Yellowknife Seniors Society is doing a project. I'm busy boxing and shipping up the material that was sent to me for the first volume.

YKlife: It was awesome meeting you Susan. Lets finish up with a story from the book that touched you the most.

SJ: Every one of them is special to me. They all were emotionally touching in some way.