Mr. Britt was a druggist born in 1873 in Norway. Like many Scandinavians (my grandparents included) he came to Chicago. From there he came to Skagway in 1898 to seek his fortune. He stayed for many years and was a member of the Arctic Brotherhood and Skagway City Council. He was also very involved in gardening. He ran a drug store in a building which is still standing, but forgotten, on 5th Avenue. It is known as the Board of Trade Saloon, but it was acquired by the city and used for many years as the city hall and as the library. It sits next to the old Mabel G’s, between there and the “Wandering Wardrobe” little crib building.
Mr. Britt eventually moved to Juneau and died there on this day, May 4, 1932 and is buried in the Evergreen Masonic Cemetery.
The picture above is of that building when it was used as city hall.
censuses; Skagway News; AB book
Norwegian historian working on a swedish exhibit on gold rushes got totally lost in your blog. Absolutely love it. I’m about to dive into our (The Swedish American Centre in Karlstad) archives looking for Scandinavian gold rush participants with exciting stories – any tips? Also, if I find information and/or pictures of Scandinavian Skagway-residents, would you be interested? (I would have sent you an email, but I’m on a public computer with no outlook, so I didn’t get to). Kristin
You might be just the person I’m looking for. I am trying to research William E. Britt, born 1873 in Norway, died May 4, 1932. He came to Skagway for the gold rush, moved to Juneau where he was appointed the Vice-Council of Norway for Southern Alaska on Oct 16, 1914. He was also knighted by the King of Norway.
Can you tell me where I can find out more about his family genealogy.
Thank You for Your Time,
Jan Tucker
I see that this post i 6 years old now, but still: I would very much like to get in touch with you. I am also researching William Britt, and I know about his family huistory and background in Norway.