SAVARD, LOUIS (321 ENGLISH)
SAVARD, LOUIS, A JACK- LONDON -TYPE OF HERO
Louis Savard came from Escoumins in the province of Quebec. During the 1897-1898 winter, he was a neighbor to the American author, Jack London on the island of Split-Up situated at the junction of the Stewart and Yukon Rivers. The celebrated author was even inspired by this French-Canadian to create the Louis Savoy character in his novel, “Son of the Wolf”.
Savard’s dog, Nig, was also an inspiration for London when he wrote the novel, “Call of the Wild”. According to London, Savard was a quiet, silent man but very congenial and likable as long as no one teased him for his French-Canadian accent. He was very welcoming; his spacious cabin had a fire-place and was the perfect hearth for gatherings of friends.
In 1908, Savard became the proprietor of a 160 acres (65 hectares) situated near the mouth of the Lee Creek, in the region near the Klondike River. When François-Xavier Gosselin, agent for the crown for lands and forests, visited him in 1911, Savard built him a house, a barn, a stable, and even dug him a well. Savard opened up about 2.5 acres (1 hectare) around his buildings, and about twenty acres (8 hectares) for agriculture. During the 1909-and 1910 season, he harvested 18 tons of hay. Finally, he opened a trail of about three miles (5 km) to connect his property to a stopping-place closer by. In 1915-1916, Savard was still a farmer.
In 1934, F-X Savard, from Sudbury (Ontario) wrote to the mayor of Dawson City in order to try to find his brother, Louis, of whom he had not had any news for a certain length of time. “The reply he received was that Louis Savard had died during the year 1934, without leaving a will. The register of all deaths in Dawson City confirmed that Louis Savard had died as a non-married man, a bachelor on January 11, 1934, aged 81.
Ref: L’Empreinte, p.42-43 vol. 2
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