The fonds consists of 123 photographs, copied from an album, documenting Gertrude (Seidel) Gillis' experiences in the Yukon while working in Whitehorse during the construction of the CANOL (Canadian American Norman Oil Line) project. The photographs, taken around Whitehorse, Carcross, Teslin and Kluane and other areas of the Yukon, include images relating to the building of the CANOL road and refinery: Quonset huts, offices of the United States Engineer Department (USED) and Bechtel-Price Callahan, civilian barracks, army vehicles, and soldiers. Also included are scenes of people skiing, hiking, boating, First Nations families, and homes and stores in the communities. Identified individuals include Gertrude Gillis, Ma Simmons, Gudrun (Goody) Sparling, Ruth "Pete" Jacquot (nee Dickson), Buddy Watson, and possibly Lynch Van Bibber. The fonds also contains copies of four articles published in the Whitehorse Star, in May 2005, about the 60th anniversary of the closure of the Canol oil refinery. Gillis' memoirs of her time with the project during the 1940s are included in the series.
Gillis, Gertrude, ca. 1920-1993