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The Cremation of Sam McGee

"The Cremation of Sam McGee" is one of the most famous of Robert W. Service's poems. It was published in 1907 in The Songs of a Sourdough (The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses). It concerns the cremation of a prospector who freezes to death in the Yukon Territory of Canada, as told by the man who cremates him. Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... Robert W. Service Robert William Service (January 16, 1874 – September 11, 1958) was a poet and writer. ... The Songs of a Sourdough is a book of poetry published in 1907 by Robert W. Service. ... The crematorium at Haycombe Cemetery, Bath, England. ... Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking. ... This article is about Yukon Territory in Canada. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countriesAtlas  Politics Portal      Canada is a federation which consists of ten provinces that, with three territories, make up the worlds second largest country in total area. ...

The night prior to the death of the title character, who hails from the fictional town of "Plumtree, Tennessee", the narrator realizes that "A pal's last need is a thing to heed" and swears to McGee that he will not fail to cremate him. After McGee dies the following day, he winds up hauling the body clear to the "Marge of Lake Lebarge" before he finds a way to perform the promised cremation. Robert Service based the poem on an experience of his roommate, Dr. Sugden, who found a corpse in the cabin of the steamer Alice May.^[1]

A success upon its initial publication in 1907, an edition of the poem, published in 1986 and illustrated by Ted Harrison, was read widely in Canadian elementary schools. Edward Hardy Ted Harrison is an Canadian artist born in 1926 in Wingate, County Durham, England. ...

The truth behind the fiction

Although the poem was fiction it was based on people and things that Robert Service actually saw in the Yukon. The "Alice May" was based on the derelict sternwheeler the "Olive May" that belonged to the "BL&K" company^[2] and had originally been named for the wife and daughter of "Albert Sperry Kerry Sr.".^[3] Lake Laberge is formed by a widening of the Yukon River just north of Whitehorse and is still in use by kayakers. A paddle steamer, paddleboat, or paddlewheeler is a ship or boat propelled by one or more paddle wheels driven by a steam engine. ... Lake Laberge is a widening of the Yukon River north of Whitehorse. ... The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. ... Whitehorse (IPA: /ʍaɪt. ... Look up kayak in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

For a period, Robert Service lived with Dr. Sugden in Whitehorse who recounted to him about being sent out to tend to a sick prospector. When Dr. Sugden arrived at the prospector's cabin, he found the man dead and frozen stiff. Having no tools to bury him, Dr. Sugden cremated the prospector in the boiler of the Olive May and brought the ashes back to town.

"William Samuel McGee"^{[4] [5]} (b 1868, Lindsay, Ontario - d 1940, Beiseker, Alberta) was primarily a road builder but did induldge in some prospecting. Like others McGee was in San Francisco, California at the time of the Klondike Gold Rush and in 1898 left for the Klondike. Downtown Lindsay in the fall Lindsay (2001 population 16,930) is a community on the Scugog River in the Kawartha Lakes region of southern Ontario, Canada. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor David C. Onley Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 107 Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area... {{Hide = {{{}}}}} Motto: {{Unhide = {{{}}}}} Crossroads to the Future Beiseker, Alberta, Canadas Location. ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... San Francisco redirects here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... A typical gold mining operation, on Bonanza Creek. ... Hunker Creek Valley, Klondike The Klondike or Clondike is a region of the Yukon Territory in northwest Canada, east of the Alaska border. ...

In 1904 Service, who was working in the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce branch in Whitehorse, saw McGee's name on a form. He talked to McGee about using his name and received permission, which is confirmed by correspondence between McGee and his family. In 1907 the publication of the poem, along with the others contained in "The Songs of a Sourdough", made Service famous and McGee the subject of ridicule. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce TSX: CM NYSE: CM, also French: Banque Canadienne Impériale de Commerce, is Canadas fifth largest bank with over 1,100 branches across Canada and over 38,500 employees is primarily marketed as CIBC. CIBC and its subsidiaries Amicus Bank and Presidents...

In 1909 McGee left the Yukon to work building roads in the south including some in the Yellowstone National Park. Eventually, McGee and his wife, moved to live with their daughter outside of Beiseker, Alberta. However, in 1930 McGee returned to the Yukon to try prospecting along the Liard River with no success. He did however return with an urn that he had purchased in Whitehorse. The urns, said to contain the ashes of Sam McGee, were being sold to visitors. Yellowstone redirects here. ... {{Hide = {{{}}}}} Motto: {{Unhide = {{{}}}}} Crossroads to the Future Beiseker, Alberta, Canadas Location. ... For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... The Liard River is a river that flows through the Yukon Territory, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, and in Canada. ...

McGee spent the rest of his life at his daughters farm where he died in 1940 of a heart attack.

There are at least two stories about McGee and Service that have grown over the years. The first takes place in the Yukon prior to them both leaving. McGee is said to have obtained his revenge on Service by taking him on dangerous canoe ride down the Yukon River. It is also claimed that at the time of McGee's death, Service, who was in Canada, tried to attend the funeral. Service, it's said, went to the wrong church but turned up at the cemetery just as McGee was being buried.

Today

In 2005, Christine Hanson, who had been inspired by the Ted Harrison illustrations and was given support by a commission from Celtic Connections International Festival in Glasgow, composed a musical suite for nine musicians to accompany a reading of the poem by well-known Dundonian musician/songwriter, Michael Marra. The premier performance took place, to a backdrop of Ted Harrison illustrations, in January 2005, as an event at that year's Celtic Connections International Festival. Subsequently a studio recording, was made and released in January 2006.^[6] The Celtic Connections festival started in 1994 in Glasgow, Scotland, and has since been held every January. ... For other uses, see Glasgow (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Dundee (disambiguation). ... Michael Marra is a Dundee-born musician. ...

Johnny Cash's reading of the poem was National Public Radio's song of the day on May 9, 2006. The Cremation of Sam McGee was released along with a vast collection of personal archive recordings of Johnny Cash on the 2 disc album, Personal File.^[7] It should be noted that Cash misreads the occasional word and accidentally transposes a few lines. For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ... NPR redirects here. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In the Boy Meets World episode "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not", Mr. Feeny reads the first few lines of the poem to his class. Boy Meets World is an American television sitcom that chronicled the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, who grows up from a pre-pubescent boy to a married man. ... George Feeny is a fictional character from the television show, Boy Meets World, played by William Daniels Throughout the series George tries his best to guide young Cory, Shawn, and their friends as they encounter problems in their lives on their road to adulthood. ...

References

1. ^ Tall Tales & True Stories of the Yukon
2. ^ Explore North - The Sternwheeler Gleaner
3. ^ Tiger Mountain & Grand Ridge
4. ^ Up Here - My Search for Sam McGee by Randy Freeman
5. ^ The REAL Sam McGee by Nancy Millar
6. ^ The Cremation of Sam McGee
7. ^ Beyond the Grave, a Morbid Tale

External links

• Sam McGee's Cabin
• Yukon Archives showing the "Olive May"
• Lake Laberge at Natural Resources Canada
• McGee, Samuel: consultation report from the marge of Lake Lebarge by Jaime A. Smith, MD at Collections Canada