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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Indigenous cemetery in St. Michael, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00105
Date: 1899
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White Pass and Yukon Railroad at White Pass, ca. 1899
During the Klondike Gold Rush, the White Pass was one of the routes used by prospectors to travel from Skagway to the Yukon gold fields. In April 1898 the White Pass and Yukon Railroad Company was formed in an effort to establish an easier way through the pass. Construction on the railroad began the following month. Thousands of workers worked around the clock in treacherous conditions to complete the project. The railroad track was completed at White Pass on February 20, 1899 and reached Lake Bennett on July 6, 1899. The final spike on the railroad was placed on July 29, 1900 in Carcross, B.C.
Identifier: spl_ap_00040
Date: 1899
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Prospectors on beach in Nome, Alaska, October 3, 1899
The men in the photo are employing a method known as "cradling." Prospectors would shovel gravel onto the top of a "cradle" or "rocker" box and rock it back and forth to sift through the gravel through to the lower levels and, if they were lucky, reveal gold. One of these boxes can be seen at the right of the photo. Gold was discovered in the area in the summer of 1898. Prospectors rushed to stake claims and Nome's population quickly ballooned to 10,000 people. In 1899, more gold was discovered on beaches near the town and spurred an even greater rush of visitors. By 1900, an estimated 1000 people a day were arriving in Nome. Pillsbury took some of the first available photographs of the city. Following his departure, the winter conditions made it too difficult for others to reach the area. The same photograph appeared in the June 1900 issue of Harper's Weekly. An illustration based on the photograph appeared in the June 1900 of McClure's Magazine.
Identifier: spl_ap_00180
Date: 1899-10-03
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Dyea, Alaska from Dyea Mt., ca. 1899
Dyea was a short-lived town used by prospectors during the Klondike Gold Rush 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. In May 1898 White Pass & Yukon Route railroad route opened in the neighboring town of Skagway, offering a faster, safer way for prospectors and their gear to reach the gold fields.
Identifier: spl_ap_00136
Date: 1899
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White Pass and Yukon Railway in Skagway Canyon, ca. 1899
During the Klondike Gold Rush, the White Pass was one of the routes used by prospectors to travel from Skagway to the Yukon gold fields. In April 1898 the White Pass and Yukon Railroad Company was formed in an effort to establish an easier way through the pass. Construction on the railroad began the following month. Thousands of workers worked around the clock in treacherous conditions to complete the project. The railroad track was completed at White Pass on February 20, 1899 and reached Lake Bennett on July 6, 1899. The final spike on the railroad was placed on July 29, 1900 in Carcross, B.C.
Identifier: spl_ap_00126
Date: 1899
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Taku Glacier, Alaska, 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.
Identifier: spl_ap_00099
Date: 1899
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Man on bicycle pulling sled near summit of White Pass Trail, ca. 1899
During the Klondike Gold Rush, the White Pass was one of the routes used by prospectors to travel from Skagway to the Yukon gold fields.
Identifier: spl_ap_00115
Date: 1899
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