Pierre Berton sculpture unveiled in Whitehorse

Pierre Berton, who always had an eye for a good story, now has a central viewpoint inhisstoried birthplace Whitehorse.

A bronze bust of the late historian, writerand broadcaster was unveiled Tuesday on Main Street in the city's downtown. It was commissioned by local entrepreneur Rolf Hougen and his family.

"As far as Canada, and much of the English-speaking world, he just put the Yukon on the map," Hougen said at the unveiling ceremony.

A plaque below the bust describes Bertonas a "brilliant storyteller; and his vivid writing style brings the past alive."

Local sculptor Harreson Tanner spent about six months working on the bust, a project he called a "huge honour."

"The difficult thing is to look at about a thousand photographs, twodimensional photographs, and try to get a piece of every one," Tanner said.

One piece that could not be overlooked Berton's signature bowtie.

Roots in the Klondike

Berton was born in Whitehorse in 1920. The following year, his family moved north to Dawson City where they lived until Berton was 12, then moved to B.C.

The Bertonfamily residencein Dawson is now home to the Berton House Writer's Retreat program.

Bertonoften wrote about his own early years in the Klondike region, when some of the original 1898stampeders (such as his father)still haunted the streets and saloons, and abandoned gold dredges served as playgrounds.He later penned acolourful history that helped promote the gold rush as a singular event in Canadian history (Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, 18961899).You need nevergo far in Yukon to find a copy for sale.

Berton returned to Yukon in the 1970s with his family to raft down the Yukon River and explore his roots in the territory. A book about that trip, Drifting Home, was also a hit.

TheBertonbustnow joins two others already on Whitehorse's Main Streetthat commemorate writers with similarly strong Yukon connections Jack Londonand Robert Service.

Hougencommissioned all three sculptures,and said he's thinking about a couple more. He wouldn't say of whom.