Last weekend we went to Atlin, it was beautiful. Stayed at the Brewer’s Bay Chalet which, although clean and plain has a million dollar view of the lake and snow covered mountains. After walking around town in the rain, we visited the Atlin Cemetery and photographed this curious monument to Harper Reed, gentleman adventurer. Have not been able to find out anything more, if anyone knows, please leave a comment.
Stories and Folklore from Skagway, Alaska
How odd. I was in that cemetery myself in July and I found the same marker and wondered about him myself. I bet there is a very interesting story behind it. If you ever get any more information, please let me know.
Dear Madam, Sir,
I visited Atlin in 1998. All I could find about
T F H Reed is that he was a surveyor, Indian agent and telegraph operator in Telegraph Creek, Atlin and Victoria.
Best regards
A.K Holland
Yes! I will post more if and when I find anything more – Cheers! Marlene
Dear Madam,
I visited Atlin in 1998. All I could find about
T F H Reed is that he was a surveyor, Indian agent and
telegraph operator in Telegraph Creek, Atlin and Victoria.
Best regards
A.K Holland
Thanks A.K. Every little bit helps put the puzzle of the history of this area together!
Hi! Just coming across this post now, 10 years later. I am doing some research involving Harper Reed’s time as an Indian Agent in the Stikine Agency. He seems to have been a really good man, worked very hard to bring fairness to the lives of the First Nations peoples in the area he worked. He advocated for them in many realms, I myself have been reading about his work during the days that traplines were being laid out in northern bc, when white trappers were coming into the area and being given trapline licences in areas originally held by the First nations in the area, without any consultation. Harper Reed wrote many letters to his superiors explaining the unjust nature of the situation, explaining that the native people in the area had used these lands for generations. Seems like a guy that was really ahead of his time.
Hello.
Harper Reed was involved in the Engineer Mine on Tagish Lake. He wrote a brief history of the mine and its curse. I believe it can be found in the BC Archives in Victoria.
I have it in print as it was included in a story printed in the Atlin News Miner May 11/1973 by Diane S Smith my mother. It’s an interesting article but it says little about Reed himself. The article covers the many mishaps and deaths surrounding the mine and Captain James Alexander who died when the Princess Sofia went down in 1918.
Interesting side note Alexander left his parrot Polly at the Caribou Hotel in Carcross where she lived until 1972 when she died at the estimated age of 126.
The provincial Topographic Survey dispatched a field crew to Atlin BC led by the late Douglas Roy BCLS . Harper Reed was Government Agent of the day and was incredibly helpful to Doug in logistics for camos, transport, expediting etc during the field season. On his return to his Victoria office, Doug noted to Gerry Andrews how helpful Harper had been his field operations. Gerry wrote a letter if thanks to Harper and invited him to drop in to his office if he ever came to Victoria. Harper did, and the two became very close friends. Many years later on Harper’s passing, Gerry was now Surveyor General and Harper’s property in the Atlin Townsite was left to him in the estate. Gerry used it in the summer and I visited him there when I was doing BCLS work in the area. In recognition of Harper’s contribution to the Northwest/Stikine area, Gerry built the surveyor’s cairn in the old Atlin Cemetary and placed the brads plaque in his memory. I have lived in Whitehorse for 55 years and every year when I visit Zi dyop by to pay my respects to both Gerry and Harper Reed. I was one of the the las few British Columbia Land Surveyors commissioned and sworn in by Gerry in 1968 before he retired as Surveyor General.
Tim Koepke BCLS CLS PEng OY
Whitehorse, YT
September 18, 2025
tim@klondiker.com 604 816 5367