The spooky and expansive story of the historic Caribou Hotel in Carcross is being told for the first time by Yukon author John Firth, with a release party set for this evening.

“There was a number of stories about the hotel that were well-known,” Firth told the Star on Thursday.

“But this research brought out a whole wealth of stories that had never seen the light of day before.”

Firth was inspired to spend three years exhaustively researching the history of the hotel because, in part, he felt historians have mostly ignored the Southern Lakes Region of the Yukon in favour of the Klondike.

Having authored and read several non-fiction books about “people, places, (and) events,” he thought it was “about time somebody wrote a story about a building.”

The product is his sixth non-fiction publication, The Caribou Hotel: Hauntings, hospitality, a hunter, and the parrot, set for release today.

The Caribou, originally called the Yukon Hotel, was opened in 1898 at the start of the Klondike Gold Rush.

Its location in Carcross was once a major hub in the Yukon, even after the gold boom, when it became a marshalling point for the construction of the Alaska Highway in the 1940s. 

“This was the place to be in the Yukon,” Firth said. “It has a rich history.” 

The Caribou Hotel promises to weave a tapestry of stories as vibrant as the characters who once inhabited it: from Dawson Charlie, co-discoverer of the Klondike Gold Rush and early owner of the hotel; to Bessie Gideon, the subsequent operator whose ghost is said to haunt the halls, slamming doors and looking out windows; to legendary big-game outfitter Johnnie Johns, who hosted clients at the hotel in the 1930s.

The most famous of the hotel’s many legendary patrons might be Polly the parrot.

The winged talker lived in the hotel for 54 years, until 1972, and was known to sing opera, drink whiskey and curse at the patrons.

Firth used a combination of historical documentation and local knowledge in his research for the book. 

“Sometimes, the information just comes out of nowhere,” Firth said of his process, describing how he slowly excavated new details through the memories of locals.

Three of Firth’s sources grew up as children in the hotel in the 1930s, one of whom had a close relationship with Johnnie Johns and Polly the parrot. Firth said it was “those kinds of connections” that helped the book come alive.

“This isn’t necessarily just the history of the Caribou Hotel, it’s the whole story of the hotel,” Firth said of his decision to include local narratives and reports of paranormal activity in the book.

Firth worked closely with the Caribou’s current owners, Anne Morgan and Jamie Toole, while researching the Caribou Hotel.

Morgan and Toole purchased the structure with a dream of refurbishing it in 2006, and share Firth’s enthusiasm for its history.

The hotel’s pub is expected to open for business later this month, and Firth said they plan to host a joint celebration of the opening and book launch in September.

It’s hoped that other hotel operations can begin in 2020.

Firth hopes readers will appreciate the snapshot into the past he intended his book to provide.

“It’s important to get these stories while people are still around. People are beginning to tell their stories: White Pass workers, anyone who’s driven the road, the people who worked the mines, all the people on the Klondike Rotary (which cleared the train track of snow). 

“Everybody spent time in the hotel.” 

Yukoners are invited to attend the book’s release party this evening and enjoy a reading by the author as well as a Q&A session with Morgan and Toole.

Firth advises that Bessie will be in attendance and has already signed every copy.

The release party is taking place at the North of Ordinary Experience Centre, on Fourth Avenue at Ogilvie Street, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Those who can’t attend are invited to an additional signing at Mac’s Fireweed Books from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Firth’s books include One Mush: Jamaica’s Dogsled Team, Yukon Sport: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, River Time: Racing the Ghosts of the Klondike Rush, Better Than A Cure: One man’s journey to free the world of Polio (with local resident Ramesh Ferris) and Yukon Quest: The 1000-mile sled dog race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse.