Harry Weaver was 19 years old when he left New York State in 1912 to come to Northern Alberta to prospect for gold and trap. Bud Devore came from Iowa via Chicago to Calgary, also in 1912. In 1916 they met in Peace River, Alberta and formed a handshake partnership that lasted until Harrys death in 1957. Their first venture was the Beulah Boat Company, which freighted goods to farmers who lived along the Peace River. In 1933 they built new scows and used their pushboat to freight dry goods and hardware from Peace River to Great Bear Lake via the Peace, Slave, and McKenzie Rivers. On their third trip, prospecting moved from Great Bear Lake to Great Slave Lake with the discovery of gold and the staking of Con Mine. Harry and Bud brought their barges full of goods into Yellowknife Bay and Weaver & Devore Trading Ltd. was born. Harry sold goods out of one of the barges while Bud and Mickey Hagen built the store out of logs. Bud was a master carpenter and he used the lumber from the barges deck to make the floor of the store. Harry and Bud operated the store together from 1936 to 1954, when Bud sold his interest to Harrys son, Bruce, who had just married his wife Irma. Harry and Bruce operated the store together, with Bruce assuming a dominant role until 1957 when Harry died. It was very fitting that Harry passed away in his bed, which was upstairs in the store. Bud lived with Harrys son, Don, in Peace River and lived to a ripe old age of 95. Bruce and Irma ran the store until Bruces untimely death in 1975. By this time Bruce and Irma had eight children Ken, Bud, David, Bob, Bill, Dallas, Terra and Roberta and the store was a thriving business. From 1975 to the present time the store has been a family business with Ken, Bud, and David running their various departments. Irma continued to act as Chairman of the Board until she passed away peacefully in 2005. Bob, Bill, Dallas, and Terra own and operate Territorial Beverages Pepsi under the leadership of Bob. Roberta, still maintaining her ownership share in the family business, moved to British Columbia after working in the store for many years.

Address: 3601 Weaver Drive Yellowknife, NT X1A 2J5 Canada
Telephone: 1 (867) 873-2219
Fax: 1 (867) 873-9020
Website: http://www.weaverdevore.ca/