By George, it's a real mystery whose timepiece this was

For such a small pocket watch, it sure holds a lot of mystery.

And Matt Smithhopes that Yukoners might help lift a century of fog from his unusual thrift store find.

"It's really cool," Smithsaid from his home in Chico,California.

He found the watchabout a decade ago, when he wandered into a thrift store in Chico. He's a self-described history buff and collector, so the antiquetimepiece immediately caught his eye.

"I saw this little watch in one of the cases there, and I took a look at it and it had a fairly good heftto it so I knew it wasprobably gold. I paid him 60 bucks, and walked out," he recalls.

It wasn't until later that Smithopened the back of the watch and found a curious inscription.

"To George," it reads,"from Passengers aboard Steamer Selkirkof the Yukon River for his 4. Birthday Sept. 27 1912."

Smith was intrigued who was George? Why were a group of riverboatpassengers giving hima fancy birthday gift? And how did his giftwind up in Chico, and still in working order,a century later?

"This watch is in perfect condition, so I know my four-year-olds probably would have just beaten the crap out of it," Smithsaid.

"Obviously it's really never been used there'snot a mark on it, the crystal's perfect, the gold is perfect, it's lovely."

The watch was made by the U.S.-basedWalthamWatch Company, and Smithused the serial number to date it to1865. Only 300 of that model were made, he said, and it's now estimated to be worth about $3,000.

"It was considered one of the better watches at the time," he said.

"I mean, what would band [the Selkirk passengers]together to buy a little four-year-old a beautiful little watch like this, unless he was the son of someone important?"

He had a hard time finding much detailed information on the Selkirkor its passengers, though. The sternwheelerwas one of several that routinely plied the Yukon River between Whitehorse and Dawson City a century ago. It was wrecked after hitting a rock in 1920.

"It's hard to find even photographs of it," he said.

Smith was stumped. He tucked the watch away. Time went on.

Crowd-sourcing clues

When Smithrecently found a popular Facebook page about Yukon history, he decided to cast a line.

He posted pictures of the watch and asked whetheranybody could shed somelighton his treasureor its formerowner, George.

"I'm just kind of curious whatever happened to the guy," Smithsaid.

The online response was immediate though not decisive.

Some people sharedinformation about the Selkirk, and Yukon's other historic riverboats and their crew.

One enterprising sleuthfound 1911 census data from Yukon, listing a couple of three-year-old Georges (Long and McCarthney) didone of them turnfour on Sept. 27, 1912?

But others wondered whether the period inscribed in "4.Birthday" was actually a space saver, and that George may have been turning40, not four.

However old he was then, it's safe to assume that George stopped tickingyears ago.But Smithhopes he can somehow find somedescendants.

"What I'd like to do, in effect, if there's George's family around, I'd love to give it to them," he said.

"I'm a history guy and I'm kind of a sentimentalist, too and I like seeing things where they belong."