"This attitude of seeming indifference, or callousness in things national are more than counteracted by demonstrations which allay any suspicions. Here is a case in point. In 1900 the Governor General of Canada, representing the Crown, visited Dawson. A section of the parade was scheduled to pass along First Street, and to make the reception very effective and emphatic, an artistic arch was erected opposite the Monte Carlo. Over the street was constructed a tower, having a triangular gable like that of a house, and on the other side of the central tower supporting the central span, were two smaller towers all covered with greenery. In the triangular area conspicuously displayed were:
A replica of the British Crown
V.R.
The Canadian Coat of Arms
WELCOME
Welcome the Earl of Minto
"That demonstration leaves no doubt as to the loyalties of the Dawsonites when it is added to the fact that the supporting tower on the left side is proudly topped with the Canadian emblem. But let it be noted that topping the right tower is no less than the Stars and Stripes. Did the Earl observe that the American banner was floating over Canadian soil, and did he, as representative of the Queen, inwardly resent or even question the propriety of it? Anyway, that was Dawson."
