LEROYER JOSEPH ACHILLE-PILOTED THE FIRST PLANE IN THE YUKON
The name of Joseph Achille LeRoyer is associated in the history of aviation in the Yukon. Son of C. Eugene LeRoyer, he was born on the 28th of January 1889 at St-Claire, Dorchester County, Quebec. During the First World War, this 26 year old civil engineer enrolled in the Canadian Overseas Expeditionary Force. He was also part of the Royal Canadian Aviation organization. He worked in Canada, in Bermuda, in England, in France and in Siberia. In 1918, he became captain of the Canadian Army Forces. That year, he married Madeleine Vidal.
In June 1920, Captain LeRoyer representing the Canadian Air Board and Capitan H. T. Douglas, from the United States Air-force arrived in Whitehorse to discuss an important military project attempting to show the possibilities of air transportation in the North and its utility. The project consisted of an international flight from Mineola (New York) to Nome (Alaska,) a distance of 10,000 miles (16,000 kms) with 16 stops along the way. The two captains were charged with finding all the possible requirements and arrangements necessary concerning the landings and provisions for the four DH-4 planes. An accord was fast concluded with the Territorial Government and a rudimentary landing runway was readied at the exact spot where the actual Whitehorse airport is today.
Three planes landed in Whitehorse on August 16, 1920. The fourth arrived the next day, on the anniversary of the great gold discovery in the Yukon. The historical flight of these four DH-4s thus marked the beginning of air transport in the Yukon, an industry which would play a major role in the development of the Territory.
Although the article in the "Whitehorse Star" where we found our information here, speaks of H.A. LeRoyer rather than J.A. LeRoyer, everything matched to make us believe that they were truly talking of the Quebecois, Joseph Achille LeRoyer
Ref. L'Empreinte, vol 11, pages 109-110
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