Century-old cheques found in Dawson City's historic CIBC building

You might think everything of historic interest hasalready been found in Dawson City, a community that's been mining its past almost since the Klondike gold rush endedmore than century ago.

But you'd be wrong.

Contractors doing work on the old CIBC building in Dawson recently founda stack of cancelled cheques, dated from 1899 to 1903,behind a wall.

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"These are pretty old," mayor Wayne Potoroka said. "Ididn't want to touch them too much because they appear pretty brittle."

The Dawson City Canadian Bank of Commerce branch opened in 1898 amid the prospecting frenzy of the gold rush. The bank leased the building from the town, but that lease ran out in 1999. The building has sat vacant since the 1980s.

Two years ago, the Town of Dawson City settled a dispute over ownership of the building, paying $170,000 to former owner Mike Palma. Soon after,the town began restoration work.

One of the building'smajor claims to fame is that poet Robert Service, the so-called "Bard of the Yukon"who composedThe Cremation of SamMcGee,worked therein 1908.

"The gold standard for bank drafts would be one signed by Robert Service, there's no doubt about it," Potoroka said."I'm not sure if there's one in the stack."

Potoroka says the old cheques will likely be turned over to a local museumto study and preserve.

The mayor is intrigued by the recent findsbut saidthat living in Dawson City, one gets used to such discoveries.

"I know some people in town who have renovated historic and heritage buildings in the past have found some really neat stuff, either stuffed under the floorboards or behind the walls," Potoroka said.

"I've learned not to be too shocked by this sort of thing."