The Wolverine Express
Shayne - very pleased to see your message as we were wondering what happened to that truck. I can tell you a bit of it's history but not much of substance. It was located at Kutcho Creek mining camp since at least the early 1970's and was only hauled out to Dease in 2005. I just missed seeing it the autumn of 2006 and we heard it went to the lower mainland around that time.
Kutcho camp is about 60 miles east and slightly south of Dease Lake on the south branch of the creek, just south of where Andrea Creek flows into it from the east. If you're interested you can find the Kutcho airstrip on the "Atlin" VFR navigation chart (aeronautical).
I've tried to attach a picture of this vehicle taken around 1974 by Ray Sande, owner/operator of BC Yukon Air Service of Watson Lake (Yukon) and Dease, from the pilot's door of one of our Otters. Unfortunately it's not clear enough to read the red painted script on the rh side but at least one of them reads "Wolverine Express". Due to my marginal computer skills this picture may not show up but if it does you can see that the C8 was being used by Hal Komish at that time to haul freight from the airstrip to his Jade concession.
I flew into Kutcho the summer of 2006 with a friend looking for the truck but we were too late, as the word was that it was taken out by some "hunters" from the lower mainland the year before. A few weeks later my friend (Bruce McNaughton of Dease Lake) spotted the truck in a yard in town but by the time I had driven down from Watson Lake it was gone again.
And now you have it .......... which is great news as we were afraid it would come to grief. In 2006 we were told at Kutcho that the truck was running recently so the engine may only be seized through ring lock. If the oil looks OK (not mixed with antifreeze etc.) it might be wise to remove the plugs and pour in kerosene (Marvel Mystery Oil is better) to try to loosen the pistons up before you condemn it out of hand.
Of the two people in the snapshot, Hal has passed away but his son Barry is somewhere down in southern BC and you may be able to find him through Google, if you'd like to know how it came to be at Kutcho Creek.
Regards,
Dave Hilchie
Cumberland BC and Watson Lake, Yukon
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