A
Historial Sketches and Experi
ences of Trail-Blazers Who Made
Alaska the Empire of the North
PIONEERS OF ALASKA
EDITED BY
JOHN W. FRAME
President Anchorage Igloo No. 15
PIONEER DAYS ON THE INLET
The Weekly Times is getting a wide
circulation throughout the northland.
Far up the Copper river a “pup”
comes in from the right and up this
pup about sixty miles there is a town
called McCarthy. Here resides a man
who got hold of a Weekly Times con
taining the “Pioneer rage,” and he
sat down and at our request wrote us
these “incidents of his early life in
Alaska.” The writer’s name is Tom
Tansey. Probably you will not iden
tify him by that name so we will de
scribe him more particularly as the
Hon. Thos. B. Tansey, who served
this district in the second territorial
legislature.
“I first went to the Cook inlet coun
try to prospect in May, 1896. I landed
at Tyonic. My partners were Wm. J.
Morris and L. G. Herndon, better
known as Doc., and Charles McAlister.
We boated our supplies up the Little
Susitna river and packed over the
mountain into the head of Willow
creek. We located eight placer claims
on upper Willow and Grubstake gulch
in August, ’96.
“That fall we took our outfit up to
Susitna station and built the first log
cabin where the town of Susitna is
now located. That winter we took
two other men in with us. Their
names were Jess Reuter and A1 Gil
bert. In March, 1897. we sledded our
outfit in and built two cabins, one on
Willow and one on Grubstake gulch.
We whipsawed the lumber and com
MEMORIAL FOR OLD PIONEERS
Oregon will build a memorial auditor
ium amid the oak trees on the banks
of the Willammette river to mark the
spot where fifty-two pioneer patriots
deelard for American rule May 2,
1843 and formed the first provisional
gover: r.cnt of the old Oregon terri
tory.
At the last session of the legisla
ture $5,000 was voted to construct
the memorial, and plans and speci
fications are being prepared. It will
be used mainly for pioneer reunions.
On the historic occasion over sev
enty years ago, history tells, when
possession of the territory was dis
puted by England and the United
States, a band of 102 pioneer set
tlers gathered at Champoeg to dis
cuss self government. Joe Meek, an
early day leader, drew a line with
his boot on the ground and asked all
who favored government under the
Stars and Stripes to cross. Fifty-one
crossed.
History unwinds like a ball of yarn
when you once get hold of the end
thread. Our article last week about
Capt. C. H. Morrison, 84 years of age,
RAY C. LARSON
-XI
tfi
s
*
Has the Most Complete Stock of
ifi
£
*
5fi
W
SASH, DOORS
AND GLASS
s
ifi
ifi
In Alaska.
*
SEE HIM BEFORE YOU BUY.
* Telephone 88-R. Fifth and K. Sj
i
I Felix Brown & Co.
I
WE ARE JUDGED BY OUR CLOTHES.
Reflect the Prosperity of Anchorage by wearing a
|| Stein Bloch Suit. 0 ME FELIX, for a good front.
| NEW STOCK ARRIVED ON ALAMEDA
Col. McDonald, of San Francisco,
¥ recently arrived in Fairbanks on the
steamer General Jacobs on a tour of
inspection of the military posts and
telegraph stations of interior Alaska.
menced to sluice about July 1, 1897.
“ 1 he Alaska Commercial company's
agents, Thomas Handmore at Tyonic
and James Cleghorn at Susitna sta
tion, told us our gold was the first
gold in commercial quantities that ev
er came from the Susitna valley.
“Herndon and Morris, I think, still
operate on Nugget creek in the Yent
na country. Twenty-eight men win
tered at Susitna station in 1896, most
of them coming from Tumagain Arm,
where they prospected that summer.
“On the east side of the river were
three cabins with twelve men; the oth
ers were on the west side of the river.
The A. C. company station and the
natives were on an island there at
that time. The names of those who
camped on the east side of the river
were Paul Buckley, now U. S. marshal
at Unalaska, Billy Perry (drowned in
the Yentna river), C. Davis, Geo. Per
kins (who is still there), Barney Klep
| sir, Capt. Fred Andrews, Herndon,
Morris, McAllister, Tansey, Reuter,
and Gilbert. Men in the country pre
vious to '96 were George Palmer, Jack
Renier, Bob Michaelson, Ed Eddle
mann, James Cleghorn and Thos.
Handmore. If I were to write you
ALL the incidents occurring in that
early camp the book would be too
large. They were a good lot of boys
and the days were happy ones. Re
member me to any of them that you
might happen to see. Some of them
have crossed over the Great Divide
and are camping on the other side.”
presenting himself for enlistment
and getting offended because the of
ficers said he was too old, brought
out the fact that he has a grand
daughter living here in Anchorage.
To Port Townsend people she was
known as Miss Temperance Noye, but
one day a fine young fellow came
along and she got married, so now
she is Mrs. J. G. Young, wife of the
well-known Anchorage electrician.
Since the Times has started its Pio
neer page, a number of Alaskan pa
pers have caught the spirit and are
printing some excellent pioneer stor
ie.-. If the pioneers of each Igloo will
clip all articles in their local paper,
descriptive of early days, and mail
hem to the Times, we can use them—
always giving due credit to the auth
S ors. If you are too old and stiff to
1 use the shears, ask your little girl or
ouster boy to use them.
__ ___
The “doin’s” at Pioneer Hall on
Friday evening promise to be some
! thing unusual. The committee in
| charge assures every one that it will
be nothing very slow. If Prof. Smith
j wants something worth while he
| should take a movie of it.
He appeared at the Fairbanks tele
graph station before the customary
hour for rising and consequently caus
ed some scrambling to get into uni
forms.
HOME OF ANCHORAGE IGLOO
TO BE OPENED FRIDAY NIGHT
To celebrate the opening of Pioneer j
Home, Igloo No. 15, the members of
the order of Alaska Pioneers, will give
a grand fete at the home net Friday
night. An entertainment committee,
consisting of Ray C. Larson, chair
man; John McDonald, Sam McNiece,
James Gaffney and Charles E. Herron,
has been appointed to look after the
arrangements and the affair promises
to set a record in Anchorage for social
functions.
Dancing and card playing will feat
ure the amusements of the evening
and an elaborate luncheon will be
served. Dolliver’s orchestra has been
engaged to furnish the dance music
Argonauts of 1897 Encountered
Great Difficulties After Landing
—
LA NINIA PARTY FROM SAN |
FRANCISCO DECEIVED BY
MAN HAD NEVER BEEN IN
NORTHERN TERRRITORY.
(From Valdez Prospector)
One of the first expeditions to reach
Valdez Bay back in 1897, came from
! San Francisco, and was styled the
Alaska Mining and Development Co.,
or probably was better known as the
LaNinia Company, so-called after the
name of the vessel in which the party
; came here. The party was composed
of forty-two people, and of that num-!
ber only one remains, Adam Swan, the j
well known merchant and pioneer of
’ this city, who at present conducts the
Emporium at the corner of Alaska
Avenue and Hobart Street. The party
1 arrived at Swanport and later came to
this side of the bay. Like most of the
parties arriving in Alaska at this
time, none of them knew anything of
i conditions pertaining in Alaska, and!
j but few of them were fitted for the
rough life of a prospector in a new.
unexplored country such as this was
back in the early days.
Organized in San Francisco.
The company was organized in San
Francisco by one H. T. Renton, who
was formerly a second-hand dealer
along the waterfront of that city.
When the gold excitement broke out
and expeditions all over the country
: were being fitted out to come to the
little known wilds of the north, Ren
ton saw an opportunity to make a
good thing by fitting out an expedi
tion to Alaska. He had talked to sail
ors along the waterfront many times
about Alaska and believed that he had j
a working knowledge of the country,
i or enough to get by with any story
| he might concoct, forgetting or being
j unaware that Alaska is a land of par
i adoxes, where the same things never
happen the same way twice.
He advertised in San Francisco!
i papers that he had a “dead sure
thing,” and would take a limited num
ber of San Franciscans in on it. He
j induced forty-two persons to put up
I sums varying from $200 for passage
money to $1000 for admission to his
! “sure thing” besides other sums for
I supplies. He claimed to have a thor
i ough knowledge of Alaska, and es
pecially of the Copper River country.
He stated that the party would take
the ship up the river twenty or thirty
miles, and there establish a winter
camp and get rich trading with the
natives. In the spring the party were I
to go one hundred miles further up
the river in a steam launch the party
would take with them, and prospect
the river for that distance.
Pipe Dream About Nuggets.
He gave the company a pipe dream
; about having gone ashore from a
revenue cutter for water, and picking
up gold nuggets from the stream by
I the handful, until driven off by a war
party of natives. Renton was a very
smooth fellow and filled his hearers
full of stories of gold strikes and the
money he made in trading with the
1 natives, and they were eager to be
lieve him and get away to the new
and the new hardwood floor is in per
fect condition for dancing.
In addition to cards and dancing an
entertaining program has been ar
ranged, consisting of many musical
numbers.
The home, which formerly was used
as a public school building has been
entirely remodeled and fitted and fur-1
nished with all modern conveniences, j
including steam heat and electric j
lights. i
There ar e 260 members of the local j
Igloo and it is their intention to make
next Friday night’s entertainment the
first of a series of enterttainments and
parties which will be given this win
ter.
El Dorado. There was only one draw
back to the whole affair, and that was
the alleged blood-thirsty tribes of
natives who massacred every white
man found trespassing on their do
mains. But they were advised to take
plenty of arms and ammunition, and
if necessary a gatling gun, and with
these modern implements it was be
lieved the whites could drive off any
tribes applying for their scalps, es
pecially as Renton told the party the
Indians were only armed with war
clubs and bows and arrows.
The manager of the expedition had
told the members of the party that he
had eighty members booked for the
trip, but after waiting for a week the
ship pulled out with but forty-two,
the remainder failing to materialize.
It was then September 22, 1897, and
any one at all familiar with Alaska
would have known better than to
bring a party of Cheechacos into the
country at this season of the year.
Thirty Days on Trip.
The LaNina was thirty days arriv
ing1 at Nuchek, and what with storms,
rough weather, poor food and sea
sickness the company was overjoyed
when they dropped anchor at the
little native village. The simple na
tives were astonished when they
paddled out to the ship to be met with
an array of firearms and told to sheer
off or they would be blown skyward.
There was a foot of snow on the
ground and the temperature was cold
and disagreeable. The surprise of the
party can well be imagined when they
found they could not get within twen
ty miles of the mouth of the river,
and that it was difficult to pull up the
stream in a small dory, let alone in a
large schooner, and that the launch
they had bi’ought along could not get
up the river at all.
What were they to do? They could
not winter at Nuchek as there was no
harbor for their ship. They also as
certained that the natives were very
peaceable, and this was a great dis
appointment to many of the party
who w'ere anxious to display their
prow'ess in shooting Indians. What
would they do with their ammunition ?
They had planned on fighting the
painted savages and had pictured the
pleasure with which they would scalp
the savage foe. They had planned to
die in defense of their party and open
up to posterity a great rich and fer
tile district. In their plans they had
even included building a block-house
and told off members of the party to
act as sentinels to guard against sur
prises. Many of them had wondered
how his scalp wrould look dangling
from the belt of a stalwart Copper
River brave. But these miserable,
scrawny, half-starved specimens w’ho
met them wdth a beseeching expres
sion of friendliness, how wTere they to
fight with them? They could not kill
men with stomachs the size of an
apple, who tumbled around like dogs
fighting for the scraps thrown away
from the tables.
Finally Decided to Go to Orca.
The company held couneil and fin
ally decided to go to Orca for the
(Continued on page 6)
DOINGS OF IGLOO NO. 15
There was a very large attendance
at the regular meeting of Anchorage
Igloo No. 15 last Friday night. The
members notice a little more improve
ment on the building each weekly
meeting. The interior of the large
hall is now painted and about ready
for occupancy. The plumbing and
heating plant is to be installed this
week. The painters have the exterior
of the building almost completed and
the electrician is about through with
his work. Lights cannot be obtained
until some time in October, as all of
the new plant the government is in
stalling has not yet arrived.
There were six new applicants for
membership, viz: Edward Johnston,
George Nylen, Ferdinand Martin,
Richard B. Holbrook, J. C. Walton and
Samuel McMelan. Edward Johnston,
the only one of the applicants present,
was initiated along with Alex A. Cre
sa, elected at a former meeting. James
C. Gaffney, also elected at a previous
MEMBERS ELECTED LAST MONTH
The following pioneers have been
elected members of Igloo No. 15,
Pioneers of Alaska, during the pres
ent month:
RICHARD B. HOLBROOK.
The captain was born on Whidby
Island, Washington, in September,
1872. He came to Cook Inlet first in
April 1896, and to Anchorage as soon
as the town was established here. He
is a steamboat master and his “out
side” address is 8629 51st street, Seat
tle, Washington.
H. W. ROSS.
Was born in Canada in January,
[ 1861. He came to Alaska in 1897,
landing first at Pyramid Harbor, near
Haines. He came to Anchorage in
October 1915, and has been employed
much of the time with the commis
sion. He is a contractor and has
built many of the government build
ings.
B. F. MARTIN.
Whose middle name is Ferdinand,
was born in Canton, New York, on
May 2, 1847. He came to Alaska in
the year 1896, landing at Sunrise in
the month of June. He came to An
chorage in September 1916. He is
postmaster at Sunrise and still re
sides there.
GEORGE NYLAN.
Is a son of Sweden. He was born
July 21, 1860; came to Alaska in
1000 and settled at Knik in 1911. His
home address is Matanuska. He is a
rancher and has a tine crop this sea
son.
ALEANDER M'COMBER.
Is a Canadian by birth, having
been born Mai’ch 16, 1865. He first
came to Alaska in 1806. landing at
Circle City. He has prospected in
many camps in Alaska and finally
came to Anchorage in March, 1016.
J. C. WALTON.
Is from the good old state of Mis
souri. He was born December 3,
1862; came to Alaska in 1898, land
ing at Sunrise. In 1912 he moved to
Knik, and now has a homestead in the
Matanuska valley. His address is
Matanuska. ,
LEE S. FOX.
Was born in Hillsville, Pennsyl
vania in the year 1854. He came to
Alaska in 1805, landing at Unga. He
came to Anchorage in April 1917; is
a mining man and his present ad
dress is Matanuska.
CHAS. H. SAGE.
Is a Hoosier. He ■was born in Al
lensville March 24, 1858. He landed
at Skagway in 1897, and came to An
chorage in April, 1915.
JAS. C. GAFFNEY.
He is a native of Iowa; was born
at Storm Lake January 31, 1875. In
1900 he arrived in Nome and remain
ed there for several years. He came
to Anchorage in September 1916. He
is now interested in the Rexall drug
store on Fourth avenue.
EDWARD JOHNSON.
Is a prospector. He was born in
old North Carolina in September,
meeting, was present later in the
evening, and was duly initiated.
Prof. Herschel Parker, the first life
member of No. 15, was present and
gave a very interesting talk on the
mineral possibilities of the country,
dwelling particularly on the probabil
ity of much platinum being found in
this country when thoroughly pros
pected.
The igloo transferred $500 from the
general treasury to the building fund
to be applied on completion of the
work on the installation of the heat
ing plant and the plumbing.
It was also determined to have the
“Grand Opening” of the new hall on
Friday evening next, September 14.
Brothers Gaffney, Herron, Thompson
and Cone were added to the terpsi
chorean committee, and it has been
instructed to go the limit on enter
taining Anchorage that night.
After a number of talks under the
“Good of the Order,” the meeting ad
journed.
1862. He came to Juneau in the year
1893 and remained there several
years mining and prospecting. In
the early part of 1915 he came to
Anchorage and is now engaged with
the Alaskan Engineering Commis
sion.
ALEX A. CRESA.
Is from Russia. He was born in
Archangel August 20, 1880. He land
ed at Nome in September, 1900 and
went through the wild rush of that
northern city. He is a seaman and
has sailed on many waters of the
world. He lives at Kenai.
CHARES M. M’KENZIE.
i Was born in Nova Scotia, August
I 31, 1868. He first landed in Alaska at
| Skagway in April, 1899. In June,
1916 he landed in Anchorage and has
been engaged as a carpenter since ar
riving here.
FRANCIS CONNOLLY.
Is a Minnesotian. He was born in
that northern state in the year 1869.
In the year 1897 he came to Alaska,
and has been a prospector for several
years. He landed in Anchorage on the
26th of August last.
M. S. M’MELAN.
Is frorfi Missouri and you have to
show him. He was born in Kirkland,
the school town of that grand old
state in April 26, 1871. He landed in
Skagway in February, 1898, and has
visited many of the camps in Alas
ka. He came to Anchorage, or where
Anchorage now is located in 1909. His
home is at Wasilla.
IT IS INFORMATION THEY WANT.
Where ever you go, or which ev
ery way you turn these days of war,
you are admonished by word and pla
card, “Don’t Waste.” Why shouldn’t
this apply to wasting newspapers as
much as to anything else ? ' This copy
of the Weekly Times is a large
twelve-page paper full of Anchorage
news and articles descriptive of her
resources. Why read it and then
throw it aside? Why not write your
name on the upper margin, wrap it
up and mail it to a friend? If a
thousand copies of the Weekly Times
were re-mailed to the states each
week, with the name of the sender
written thereon, what a wonderful
amount of advertising it would give
this “wonderfully misunderstood
country” of the north. Think of this
when you are prone to destroy a copy
of the Weekly Times, for the very
size of the paper is a big advertise
ment of the town and Territory.
The Pioneer editor is in receipt of
a letter this week from George Grove,
of Latouche. This is George’s twen
tieth year in Alaska and he promises
us a few reminiscences of early
days” as soon as he gets located for
the winter. He contemplates leaving
Latouche in a few days.