A woman from Cambridge Bay, NU (Cathy Aitok) has contacted me through my Ghosts of Camsell site looking for help tracking down what happened to her grandfather. He was sent to the Charles Camsell Indian Hospital for prosthetics for his feet in May 1960:
“He was sent out from Perry River/Island – Cambridge Bay area. My mom said he went on the plane and never came back – she was orphaned, her mother died when she was 9 years old. His name was Joseph Elulik or Illulik. I don’t know how it would have been spelled back in the day. I don’t know what his Eskimo Dog tag number was, and can’t find that out. He would have been possibly late 30’s when he was sent out, or early 40’s.”
This woman, her daughters, and her 72-year-old mother (Louisa Baril) are coming to Edmonton in late June and would like to find his gravesite so they can get some closure. Can you help? He’s not listed on the St. Albert Cemetery cairn and was likely Catholic. Any leads would be much appreciated!
New updates from July 17:
Cathy and Louisa came at the end of June but we didn’t know where he was buried by then, unfortunately. The search continues and your help is still important. CBC Edmonton and APTN both ran stories on this recently to try and connect them to information and alert folks to this ongoing situation. Thanks to Andrea Huncar and Brandi Morin for their interest in the story and dedication to investigating this history and its legacy.
