164 results for: Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush
Ephemera
Millroy's Pathfinder to Alaska and the Klondyke Gold Fields, circa 1898
In 1897, in response to the Klondike Gold Rush, Canada passed a number of new laws addressing mining in the Klondike Region. These concerned the management of claims, mining by proxy, and other matters. A map publisher living in Seattle at the time, John James Millroy, Jr. (1862-1908), used government and private surveys to create "Millroy's Map of Alaska and…
ID Number:2018.3.3.112
Date:Circa 1898
Diary
Klondike diary of Harry V. McComb, 1897-1900
In 1896 gold was discovered on the banks of the Klondike River in Canada's Yukon Territory, triggering a stampede of prospectors into Seattle and an era of prosperity that lasted for more than a decade. In this diary of his gold rush travels, Harry V. McComb (1866-1947) of Seattle describes trips between Seattle and Alaska, and writes about stops in…
ID Number:2018.3.3.115
Date:1897-1900
Music, notated
Mother Did from The Alaskan
Seattle landmark The Moore Theatre, the city's oldest still-active theater, opened on December 28, 1907, to a crowd of nearly 3,000. The first show, "The Alaskan," was a comic opera about prospecting during the Klondike Gold Rush, and featured falling snow, sled dogs, and 13 singing totem poles. This song "Mother Did" was one of several in the opera.Joseph Blethen,…
ID Number:2018.3.2.7
Date:1907
Cartographic material
Map of Alaska, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia Showing all the Recent Gold Discoveries, 1898
James D. Lowman (1856-1947) and Clarence Hanford (1857-1920) founded Lowman & Hanford Stationery and Printing Company in 1882. The firm advertised as booksellers, stationers, printers, and binders but also sold typewriters, sewing machines, pianos, and organs. Later they expanded into selling photographic equipment and other supplies to people leaving for the gold fields. The company existed in one form or…
ID Number:2019.3.58
Date:1898
Photograph
Steamer "Queen" about to depart Seattle for Alaska, March 6, 1898
During the spring and summer of 1898, the steamer "Queen," was very busy carrying people between Seattle and southeastern Alaska. The ship passage was only the first part of the long voyage to the Klondike gold fields.In this photo, a crowd made up almost entirely of men waits at a Seattle pier to board the "Queen" or another Alaska-bound steamer.…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.116
Date:1898
Photograph
Staff outside U.S. Assay Office, Seattle, circa 1899
The United States monetary system used to be on the gold standard. People used gold coins, as well as paper currency which was backed by gold. When gold started arriving in Seattle from the Klondike in 1898, the government opened an assay office to buy gold and to certify its purity.This photo shows the U.S. Assay Office and its staff.…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.163
Date:Circa 1899
Photograph
Steamships being built at Moran Brothers shipyard, Seattle, 1898
The Klondike gold rush brought lots of business to the Moran Brothers shipyard. In 1898, the company built twelve steamers to carry people and supplies on the Yukon River. The vessels were 175 feet long and 35 feet wide. They were built to be used in shallow river water, but they also had to be sturdy enough to make the…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.217
Date:1898
Photograph
Cargo of gold at Seattle waterfront, July 17, 1899
While the majority of Klondike miners returned to Seattle empty handed, a few adverturers brought back fortunes in gold. This photo, taken in July 1899, shows a shipment of gold brought to Seattle on the steamer "Roanoke". This one cargo was worth nearly $4 million. The "Roanoke", owned by the North American Transport and Trading Co., operated between Seattle and…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.234
Date:1899
Photograph
Dogsled outside the Pioneer Restaurant, Seattle, circa 1898
Miners headed to the Klondike gold fields had to take along a year's worth of food and other supplies. Some people bought dog teams and sleds in Seattle to carry their goods through the snow. Any dog that seemed strong enough to pull might be pressed into service.This photo, taken in between 1897 and 1900, shows a group of men…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.244
Date:Circa 1898
Photograph
Gold bricks in assay office, Seattle, circa 1898
When gold started arriving in Seattle from the Klondike in 1897, the closest assay office was in San Francisco. In 1898, the U.S. Mint opened an assay office in Seattle to buy gold and to certify its purity.This photo, probably taken in 1898, shows gold ingots in the U.S. Assay Office in Seattle. The office handled more than $15 million…
ID Number:Lib1988.33.300
Date:Circa 1898