Fonds yuk-836 - Taylor and Drury Limited fonds

Taylor and Drury Ltd. (T&D) was established in Discovery, British Columbia (near Atlin) in 1898 as a retail business to supply stampeders with essential equipment and supplies. Founded by Isaac Taylor and William S. Drury, the store was moved to Bennett, B.C. in 1899. From a partnership, T&D became a family business when Isaac Taylor married William S. Drury's sister, Sarah. In 1901, Taylor and Drury moved their headquarters to Whitehorse, Yukon, a rail and river transportation centre. As time went on and the stampede lessened they recognized the need to supply First Nations people, trappers and prospectors. From their Whitehorse location, the company was able to expand its business throughout the Territory. From 1901 to 1947 T&D established another 16 stores or trading posts - Hootalinqua, Little Salmon, Ross River (known as Pelly in the early records), Champagne, Selkirk, Teslin, Carmacks, Mayo, Pelly Banks, Keno, Kluane Lake, Stewart River, Coffee Creek, Sheldon Lake, Pelly Lakes and Minto. The length of time each post operated varied, the longest being Whitehorse from 1900 to 1974. There were as many as 10 operating at one time. In 1909, T&D purchased the steamer "Kluahne" to supply the branches that were located on the Yukon River. Mining activity near Mayo and Keno Hill prompted T&D to open stores in these growing communities in 1919. A second smaller boat, the "Thistle" was purchased to supply these new posts located on tributaries of the Yukon River. The mining industry and the fur industry supplied the majority of T&D's clientele. In Whitehorse, the customer base for the main branch had shifted from supplying stampeders to supplying First Nations people, from supplying trappers and prospectors to supplying shipyards. During the construction of the Alaska Highway, T&D Whitehorse benefitted by supplying food to the civilian contractors. In 1969, T&D expanded its department store in Whitehorse when it bought the building next to it that had belonged to the Northern Commercial Company (NCCo.). The Mayo Branch was operated purely as an extension of the Whitehorse store. T&D Mayo did not directly pay for its own stock (accounts payable), nor did it extract profits for itself other than what was needed to cover immediate expenses, such as wages and payments to trappers for furs. All surplus cash on hand at the Mayo branch was simply remitted to Whitehorse in the form of bank drafts, usually $500 or $1000 at a time. Whitehorse used this money to pay for stock that was destined for Mayo and retained the remainder as profit. The Mayo store did pay directly for freight charges on supplies sent from Whitehorse to Mayo, but these charges were deducted from the remittances. The end of the Taylor and Drury era began in 1972 when economic conditions forced the closure of the Mayo and Carmacks stores. The Whitehorse store closed in 1974.