The Berton House?

The Berton House is named for Pierre Berton, prolific writer and broadcaster. The house was built in 1901 and purchased by Berton's father, Frank, in 1920 for $500. The family lived here for twelve years, when Frank decided to sell the house for $500, which must have seemed a good idea at the time.

 The Bertons moved south, including of course, Pierre and his brothers Richard and Tim. All enjoyed some level of success. Tim went on to make films and Richard became an actor of sorts. Only Pierre achieved the pinnacle of Canadian stardom with his long-standing appearance on CBC's Front Page Challenge.

In 1989 Berton donated $50 000 for the purchase of the house by the Yukon Arts Council with the idea of creating a writer's retreat in Dawson City. The Berton House Writer's Retreat is now administered by the Writers' Trust of Canada, and is awarded to four deserving writers each year, each spending up to three months in the Yukon. Check out more about the retreat and the Writers' Trust at  www.bertonhouse.ca

The living room above, and the writer's office below.

The house is warm and comfortable. The kitchen is well equipped, as is the laundry room, which doubles as the furnace room and the location of strange noises in the night. The bathroom might be ready for a wee upgrade,

and do watch out for that first step out of the tub:

it's a wild one.

The important thing at the Berton House, and in my role as consort to the writer this is doubly important: is to create a comfortable place for the writer, regardless of the room.