John J. Healy (1840–1908) was an Irish- American

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

in the late 19th century, who also operated in Canada at various times. His pioneering business activities ranged from Montana to Alberta/BC, Canada and to Alaska/Yukon. Originating from a base of operations in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...

, he and Alfred B. Hamilton established a whiskey trading post near present-day Lethbridge,

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

in 1869. The post was originally named after Hamilton, but a second, larger post nearby was given the name of

Fort Whoop-Up Fort Whoop-Up was the nickname (eventually adopted as the official name) given to a whisky trading post, originally Fort Hamilton, near what is now Lethbridge, Alberta. During the late 19th century, the post served as a centre for trading activ ...

. Healy sold the fort to Dave Akers in 1876. He then took up work as the sheriff of Chouteau County in Montana, a newspaper editor and a businessman in

Fort Benton, Montana Fort Benton is a city in and the county seat of Chouteau County, Montana, United States. Established in 1846, Fort Benton is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in Montana. The city's waterfront area, the most important aspect of its 19 ...

. Healy moved to the North, operating a trading post at

Dyea Dyea ( ) is a former town in the U.S. state of Alaska. A few people live on individual small homesteads in the valley; however, it is largely abandoned. It is located at the convergence of the Taiya River and Taiya Inlet on the south side of th ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

.“May 1886 I established a trading-post at a place now called Dyea, … with Edgar Wilson, … who resided at Dyea up to … his death in 1895.”
Healy Dep., May 20, 1903
''Proceedings of the Alaska Boundary Tribunal'', S. Doc. No. 162, 58th Cong. (2nd Sess. 1903), Vol. IV, App. 2, at page 233, ''reprinted in'', Serial 4602. He later moved to

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

Territory to operate a transportation company during the Klondike Gold Rush. Healy died in 1908 as a rich and famous man. He was buried in Seattle, Washington.

Legacy

Healy, Alaska Healy is a census-designated place (CDP) and the borough seat of Denali Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 966 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 1,021 in 2010. History The history of Healy is intertwined with that of ...

and Healy Pass in the Alberta Rockies are named after him.

References

Bibliography

Birth of a Community: Water the Key to DevelopmentHealy's West: The Life and Times of John J. Healy
History of Lethbridge 1908 deaths 1840 births People of the American Old West People of the Klondike Gold Rush Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) People from Fort Benton, Montana American expatriates in Canada {{Lethbridge-stub