Frank Laroche photo of canoe at Dyea

Canoe at DyeaThe interesting thing about this photo of 2 native  women and child packing stuff in 1897 at Dyea is the shape of the canoe which is very traditional, yet this one is not that decorative.  It one of the few photos of Tlingit children and women at work.

 

Mary Mason

Mary was a Coastal Tlingit woman maybe born near Haines – probably Klukwan in 1874. I say maybe because her mother was living there and talked to Angela Sidney about Daisy, her granddaughter years later. They were members of the Raven Clan who bore the name Lukaax.adi.

Mary is famous because of her husband, Skookum Jim or Keish Mason. They were married around 1893, and Daisy was born June 22, 1895. Jim died in 1916 in Carcross and Mary died on this day, December 28, 1927 in Alaska, perhaps Haines or Skagway. Daisy died only a few years later in Seattle but she was also buried in Carcross with her father. I do not know where Mary’s grave is, I would assume in Carcross also, I will look for it the next time I am up there. The plaque above is in Carcross and was put in in 2000.

 

Life lived like a Story p. 101 and note #45;

1901 Canadian census in Carcross; news acct from list in NPS library

Chilkat Native costume

A photo taken by Frank H. Nowell in 1906.  It could be Louis Kah-kaka-klah because the next photo was of him with Susie Kah-kaka-klah (his wife) that I blogged on before:

http://www.skagwaystories.org/2012/01/ayp-photographer.html

They both were in the 1900 census. He was born in 1881 and was a hunter. She was born in 1884.

Benny Moore

A delightful image of Benny Moore feeding his colt in front of the Moore House. Taken in 1898 when Benny was 7 years old. He later moved to Los Angeles and worked in the film industry.

Tagish Chief Kuckshaw

There was a Native Cemetery in Dyea which was different from the Slide Cemetery.

In the 1970’s, I believe, the cemetery started to wash into the river, so some of the graves were moved over to the area near the Slide Cemetery. The house pictured above must have washed away. The photo must have been taken prior to the October 1898 issue of Munsey’s where it appeared. I do not know who the man pictured was.

 

Munsey’s Magazine October 1898; NPS records; A.A. Hill book

Skookum Jim, Mary his wife, and Daisy 1900

Skookum Jim or Keish, Mason (1856-1916) was the brother to Kate Carmack who was married to George Carmack. Keish could carry 156 pounds of bacon over the Chilkoot Pass in one trip.  Mary (1874-1927) was his wife. Daisy, his daughter, or Saayna aat, (1895-1938) studied Drama in San Francisco but had to sell her Dad’s house to pay for his funeral.

George Carmack by Johnson; Life Lived Like a Story.

Tagish Charley

Tagish Charley or Charlie was born about 1865 in Tagish. He was a noted packer as seen above in this Hegg photo. His native name was Yeil Saagi Yelidoogu Xoonk’I Eesh. His wife was Nadagaat. Tagish Charlie, who later became known as Dawson Charlie, was Skookum Jim’s nephew. Patsy Henderson was Charlie’s brother. He guided early parties, but was not involved in the discovery of gold (that was Kaa Goox). Tagish Charley was a member of the beaver clan.

He drowned in Carcross on November 15, 1905 and is buried there.

Canadianmysteries.ca; Pierre Berton.

AYP photographer


Frank Nowell was the photographer for the AYPE and there are about 178 glass plate negatives of his photos left. Here is one which he took of Kaw Claa a Tlingit woman in her full potlach costume. I believe this is Susie Kah-kaka-klah who was born in 1884 and died at the age of 21 in Skagway, on July 12, 1904.

Skagway Death Record; 1900 census.