Strange Things Done: Murder in Yukon History (Volume 40)

by Kenneth S. Coates, William R. Morrison

Yukon History has its fair share of unique characters and fascinating events. Contemporary Yukoners talk about the colourful 5 per cent, quirky individuals who have come to Canadas North to find or reinvent themselves. Northern literature is full of accounts of mad trappers, jilted lovers, miners driven mad by cabin fever, sub-Arctic desperados and victims of racial tensions. In reality, the passions and angers that drove people to murder in the Yukon were more basic and common than popular culture suggests. Strange Things Done explores the inner dynamics of Yukon society through the exploration of these extraordinary events. Klondike lore is full of accounts of the exploits of Dangerous Dan McGrew, Sergeant Preston of the Mounted, and the Mad Trapper of Rat River. The stories vary from outright fabrications to northern fantasies and, on occasion, real-life accounts. Strange Things Done investigates a series of murders in the pre-World War II Yukon, exploring the boundaries between myths and historical events. reconstructed from court evidence and police records, and the broader social and cultural context within which these violent deaths occurred. The murder case studies provide a unique and penetrating perspective on key aspects of Yukon history, such as Native-newcomer relations, mental illness and the folklore about cabin fever, the role of immigrants in northern society, violence in the gold fields, and the role of the police and courts in regulating social behaviour. The investigation of these capital cases also illustrates the fear and paranoia which gripped the territory in the aftermath of a murder, and the society's insistence on quick and retributive justice when offenders were caught and convicted. The Yukon experienced fewer murders than popular literature would suggest, and fewer than most would expect given the region's intense and dramatic history, but those that did occur illustrate the passions, frustrations, angers and human frailties that are present in all societies. reacted also reveals specific and important aspects of territorial society.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2004

About the author

See also Ken S. Coates

Coates, K. 1956-
Coates, K. S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Ken, 1956-
Coates, Ken S. (Kenneth Stephen), 1956-
Coates, Kenneth, 1956-....
Coates, Kenneth S., 1956-
Coates, Kenneth Stephen 1956-

Ken Coates (born in Alberta in 1956 and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon) is a Canadian historian focused on the history of the Canadian North and Aboriginal rights and indigenous claims. Other areas of specialization include Arctic sovereignty;[1] science, technology and society, with an emphasis on Japan; world and comparative history; and post-secondary education.

Reviews

[Debra Komar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read several of the McGill-Queen's University Press offerings in this space and am convinced that the problem is not with the authors, who are academics writing for each other, but with the publishing house. These books get shelved and marketed as "true crime," when the texts themselves are anything but. This book (like "Alice in Shandaland" and Grant's "Murder on Trial") may be about crime, but the arguments being made are about bigger (and frankly, more interesting) social phenomena. The emphasis is on proving the thesis, not storytelling, which is what true crime is all about. As a result, these books don't appeal to the mass reader of true crime, who find the academic themes and tone too distant and off-putting. They also don't quite gel with the scholarly crowd, as they are easily dismissed.

I applaud those who look for larger themes within crime. The stories here are contextualized well. They just aren't told very well.