Arthur C. Pillsbury Collection
See photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush, California, Oregon and Washington taken by Arthur C. Pillsbury (1870-1946) between about 1896 and 1900.
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Boat in Taku Inlet between Wyndon and Taku Glaciers, ca. 1899
The original Tlingit name for Foster Glacier was Taku Glacier. It was also known as Schulze Glacier in the 1880s and Foster Glacier in the 1890s before reverting to its first name. No mention of the Wyndon Glacier was found in historical or current resources.
Identifier: spl_ap_00064
Date: 1899?
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Man at waterfront and glaciers in Alaska, ca. 1899
Uncaptioned photograph showing Alaskan glaciers, blocks of ice and waterway at an unknown location. A man with a walking stick stands at the left of the photo at the water's edge.
Identifier: spl_ap_00060
Date: 1899?
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Indigenous woman with child on her back, ca. 1899
The identity of the woman and child are unknown. The photograph was likely taken in Alaska or Western Canada but the exact region is unknown. An illustration based on this photograph appeared in the June 1900 edition of McClure's Magazine.
Identifier: spl_ap_00170
Date: 1899?
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Pearls
Frank Asakichi Kunishige was born in Japan on June 5, 1878. He came to the United States via San Francisco in 1895. After graduating from the Illinois College of Photography, he opened a small photography studio in San Francisco. Kunishige moved to Seattle in 1917. In the same year, he married Gin Kunishige and began working in the studio of Edward S. Curtis where he became acquainted with Ella McBride who he worked for in later years. Kunishige was well known for his use of Pictorialism, a popular painterly style of photography. He developed his photographs on "textura tissue," a paper of his own creation, which allowed him to produce almost dreamlike prints. His work was featured nationally and internationally in exhibitions and publications such as Photo-Era and Seattle's Town Crier. In 1924, Kunishige became one of the founding members of the Seattle Camera Club, a group of local photographers including Kyo Koike, Yukio Morinaga, Iwao Matsushita and Fred Y. Ogasawara who gathered to share techniques and ideas, as well as their deep love of the medium. Although the group was initially solely Japanese, they soon welcomed more members including Ella McBride, their first female member. When World War II struck and the country's Japanese internment policy was put in place, Kunishige and his wife were forced to leave Seattle for Idaho where they were interned at the Minidoka camp. After their release, Kunishige spent two years working at a photography studio in Twin Falls, Idaho but eventually returned to Seattle due to his poor health. Frank Kunishige passed away on April 9, 1960.
Identifier: spl_art_367924_18
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Juneau and the Gastineau Channel looking SW, ca. 1899
In 1880, gold was discovered at Silver Bow Basin by Richard Harris and Joe Juneau. The gold discovery led to the development of the nearby town of Juneau.
Identifier: spl_ap_00067
Date: 1899?
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Prospectors and log cabin at Derwent, Alaska, ca. 1899
According to "Yukon/Charley Rivers National Preserve, Cumulative Impacts of Mining: Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 1" the town of Derwent was established in 1898 near the mouth of the Charley River. Like many mining towns, it was short-lived. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway holds the journal of William Tracy James, the man pictured with the dog (named "Dad") at the far right of the photograph. James' diary entry from August 23, 1899 details Pillsbury's visit to take the photograph at Derwent. "I started for Derwent at 7:50 AM and reached here at 6:30 PM. I found a Mr. Pillsbury, a photographer running down the Yukon taking views for the government. He was so struck by [my] head of hair, he wanted a picture of it so took a view of our cabin with Carl, Jack, Othmier, Fisher and I standing in front. We bought 9# rice for $1.80, 7# sugar for $1.40, 3# corn meal for 45 c., 6 cans St. Charles cream $2.00, 4 cans fruit $1.55 and we paid him from the vial of dust we got for a sack of flour above Dawson." James was 21 years old when the photograph was taken.
Identifier: spl_ap_00123
Date: 1899?
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Aerial view of Dyea and Skagway, Alaska from across Chilkoot Inlet, ca. 1899
Dyea and Skagway served as the two main starting points for overland routes to the Klondike gold fields. Dyea was a short-lived town used by prospectors as an entrance to the Chilkoot Trail. It became less popular after a large avalanche blocked much of the trail on April 3, 1898 killing over 70 prospectors. Skagway served as the starting point for the White Pass Trail. In May 1898 White Pass & Yukon Route railroad route opened in Skagway, offering a faster, safer way for prospectors and their gear to reach the gold fields.
Identifier: spl_ap_00042
Date: 1899?
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Tlingit woman, Klukwan, Alaska, ca. 1899
Although no identification is provided, the woman is believed to be from Tlingit based on the description in spl_ap_00102 where Gow-she-ett-tee is identified as a Klukwan deity. Klukwan is a Tlingit village that was located on the Dalton Trail, a route used by prospectors during the gold rush.
Identifier: spl_ap_00104
Date: 1899?
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Township Plats of King County, Washington Territory - Page 44, Township 23N, Range 8E
This atlas shows early land ownership for King County, Washington, providing names and property boundaries of original purchasers, grantees, claimants, etc.
Identifier: spl_map_218451_P44_T23N_R8E
Date: 1889
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Township Plats of King County, Washington Territory - Page 18, Township 21N, Range 5E
This atlas shows early land ownership for King County, Washington, providing names and property boundaries of original purchasers, grantees, claimants, etc.
Identifier: spl_map_218451_P18_T21N_R5E
Date: 1889
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