George Washington Dillon was born in 1856 in Iowa. He came to Alaska in 1880 from Butte Montana and Washington State. He possibly was the U.S. Marshal in Skagway and also a councilman. The 1900 census lists him as a hunter. He became the Superintendent of Skagway Light & Power Company and manager of the Skagway Wood Yard. He was also a gambler and the street commissioner and dabbled in real estate in 1915.
In 1905 when Robert Sheldon was working for the Skagway Light & Power Company he built the first car in Alaska. The picture above was taken of that car with two important men on it. Robert was only 21 years old at the time, so he is not one of the two. So one of the other two might have been the Supt Dillon.
When George’s great grandson came to Skagway in June 2009 he stated that Dillon died by freezing to death on the streets of Skagway on this day, October 26, 1922 at the age of 66. G.W. Dillon is buried in the Skagway Pioneer Cemetery in the upper section next to his wife Isabella who died in 1909. When she died she left a newborn daughter and 6 other children aged 6 through 18.
1900 1910 and 1920 censuses; 1902,1905,and 1915 directories; Skagway death record; great grandson.
That is indeed Robert Sheldon in the driver’s seat of his car. We have this photo from his daughter, and the car is on display in the Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska. Sheldon claimed that he built the car to impress a young lady, whom he did take for some rides in his little runabout. We would sure love to know the name of the lass!