• Visit
    • Museum Accessibility
    • Community Access
    • Group Visits and Tours
    • Programs
      • History Café
      • MOHAI Mercantile Literary Series
      • First Thursday
      • Denny Lecture
      • Al Young Educator of the Year
      • Everyday Heroes
    • MOHAI Mercantile
    • Gourmondo at MOHAI
  • Exhibits
  • Events
  • Collections and Research
    • Collections Search
    • Themed Collections
    • Research Library
    • Image Ordering
    • Donate an Artifact
    • Curator’s Fellowship
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Membership at MOHAI
    • Gift Memberships
    • Corporate Support
  • Education
    • Field Trips
      • Self-Guided School Year Explorations
      • Creating Our Community
      • Cracking the History Code: Salish Stories
      • Cracking the History Code: Settling Around the Sound
      • Hands on History
      • Self-Guided Summer Field Trips
      • Homeschool Group
    • Portable Museum Program
    • Scholarships
    • Education FAQ
    • Primary Source Analysis
    • Online Curricula
    • Teen Programs
    • Idea Lab
    • Discovery Packs
    • Summer Camps
  • About
    • Annual Reports
    • The MOHAI Blog
    • Contact MOHAI
    • Opportunities
    • Leadership
    • Private Events
  • Donate
  • Tickets
  • Membership
HomeCollections and ResearchCollections Search

Collections Search

Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

Download lower resolution images directly from an item page. MOHAI offers high-resolution digital reproductions of photographs and other materials from our collections for personal and professional use.

We have many more items in our collections and not everything you see online is on view at the museum. We have additional materials online at the University of Washington’s Digital Collections.

MOHAI Statement on Harmful Content

Search by Collection

Not finding what you are looking for?
Ask the MOHAI Collections Staff

38 results for: Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush

Share:
Image of Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Built by the Russians in Sitka, the POLITKOFSKY came under United States ownership in 1867 when Russian Alaska was sold to the US. The gunboat was then sold into civilian service as a tugboat, Polly, working the northwest coast of North America until 1896. It was then converted to a schooner barge and carried eager gold seekers to Alaska during…
ID Number:1959.1623.2
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Miner's pan, ca. 1900

Miner's pan, ca. 1900

This miner's pan belonged to "Skagway Bill" Fonda who built the first log cabin in Skagway around 1900. He joined the rest of the hopeful miner's in trying to make it rich during the Alaskan gold rush.
ID Number:1959.1630.6
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Pin commemorating the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) held in Seattle, 1909

Pin commemorating the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition (AYPE) held in Seattle, 1909

The 1909 Exposition celebrated the relationship between Seattle and Alaska in the wake of the Gold Rush of 1897. The top part of pin is shaped like a gold pan on top of a crossed shovel and pickaxe. Below is a medal with images of Chief Seattle, Secretary of State William Henry Seward, a man panning for gold, and a…
ID Number:1959.1676.1
Date:1909
Image of Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Built by the Russians in Sitka, the POLITKOFSKY came under United States ownership in 1867 when Russian Alaska was sold to the US. The gunboat was then sold into civilian service as a tugboat, Polly, working the northwest coast of North America until 1896. It was then converted to a schooner barge and carried eager gold seekers to Alaska during…
ID Number:1961.2194.1
Date:Circa 1850
Image of Playing cards with images of the Alaska and the Yukon, ca. 1900

Playing cards with images of the Alaska and the Yukon, ca. 1900

When the Klondike Gold Rush hit Seattle starting in 1897, thousands came through the city on their way to Alaska. Merchants across the city clamored to “mine the miners” by selling supplies needed to brave the cold. While local saloons and gaming rooms offered inviting places to spend their money on the way to and from Alaska. These playing cards…
ID Number:1961.2211.1
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Corkscrew allegedly used by John Considine, ca. 1890-1900

Corkscrew allegedly used by John Considine, ca. 1890-1900

In the early 1890s, John Considine operated a box house in Seattle, which was a type of theater that also included a saloon and a brothel. In 1894, the city attempted to crackdown on vice in the areas south of Yesler way, and so the council banned the sale of liquor at box houses. Considine moved to Spokane for a…
ID Number:1961.2264.1
Date:Circa 1890-1900
Image of Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Spike from Imperial Russian Navy sidewheel gunboat, the POLITKOFSKY, ca. 1850s

Built by the Russians in Sitka, the POLITKOFSKY came under United States ownership in 1867 when Russian Alaska was sold to the US. The gunboat was then sold into civilian service as a tugboat, Polly, working the northwest coast of North America until 1896. It was then converted to a schooner barge and carried eager gold seekers to Alaska during…
ID Number:1961.2403.4
Date:Circa 1850-1860
Image of Souvenir metal totem pole from the Golden Potlatch celebration, 1912

Souvenir metal totem pole from the Golden Potlatch celebration, 1912

The Golden Potlatch was a city-wide festival first held in July of 1911. It was organized by civic boosters who were hoping to capitalize on the success of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909. The event continued for each of the next three summers before being suspended during wartime, and then was started up again as the Potlatch Festival from 1934…
ID Number:1962.2846.7
Date:1912
Image of Souvenir pennant of the Golden Potlatch, 1911

Souvenir pennant of the Golden Potlatch, 1911

The Golden Potlatch was a city-wide festival first held in July of 1911. It was organized by civic boosters who were hoping to capitalize on the success of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909. The event continued for each of the next three summers before being suspended during wartime, and then was started up again as the Potlatch Festival from 1934…
ID Number:1963.3029
Date:1911
Image of Arctic Brotherhood (AB) studs from the Klondike Gold Rush, 1899

Arctic Brotherhood (AB) studs from the Klondike Gold Rush, 1899

The Arctic Brotherhood was a fraternal organization for prospectors who had travelled to Alaska and the Yukon for the Klondike Gold Rush. It was founded in 1899 on the steamship "City of Seattle" headed for Skagway, Alaska. This pin was likely owned by John Miller Winslow who went to the Yukon in 1898 and was joined by his family in…
ID Number:1965.3580.1
Date:1899
Previous 1 2 3 4 Next

Land Acknowledgement

MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
Address: 860 Terry Ave N, Seattle WA, 98109
Phone: 206 324 1126
  • Plan a Visit
  • Directions and Parking
  • Accessibility
  • Group Tours
  • About

Sign up to Receive our Newsletter

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Copyright 2026, Museum of History & Industry. All Rights Reserved