Hazel was born in 1913 and grew up in Skagway. Her dad was a Councilman and a manager of the meat market. Today is her mother’s birthday (see previous blog on Ellen Orr Batson). Hazel moved to Yakima, Washington where she married in 1944. Seen above with her friend John Weise in Skagway about 1918.
Wilbert Garfield Packard
There are records of a total of 98 people that died on April 3, 1898. All but three died in the avalanche on the Chilkoot Pass.
Wilbert Garfield Packard of Riverside California, born on this day, September 20, 1881 also died on that terrible day, but he died, along with two other men, of spinal meningitis. His marker in the Dyea Slide Cemetery says he was 16 years and 8 months old, the beloved son of Charles and Emma Packard of Los Angeles.
Packard family site on Genforum.
George S. Black
This George Black was not the son of Martha Munger and George Black the Yukon Commissioners. He was born in 1893 in Seattle to Nels and Anna Black who lived in Skagway from 1900 to 1910 and his mother died here in 1941.
George S. Black was the infamous captain of the Superb which sank (see story on April 15, 1911 blog). George started as a clerk and wood sawyer in Skagway but then began his career as ship captain which he did until his death on this day, September 8, 1953 when he was thrown overboard on the Tanana River and drowned.
In Dawson there is a George Black Ferry. This free ferry is run by the Yukon Government. It runs 24 hours daily in the peak summer periods (except for it’s weekly maintenance on Wednesdays from 5 – 7am) across the Yukon River. Depending on the ice, the ferry commences it’s operating season from the third week in May to mid-October. It departs on demand to carry vehicles and passengers across to the public campground and is the only connection to the Top of the World Highway. Seen above is the ferry in winter.
1900 census;1910 census; 1915 directory; Fairbanks news obituary;
Creamer family in Dyea
The Creamer family posed for this picture in front of their nice log home in 1898 in Dyea. Left to right: Frances, Charles N. holding Genevieve, Charlie, Mattie, Mary Jane pregnant with Marion, and Tessie. The family moved back to Tacoma in 1899 but C.N. went on to Fairbanks. Later, in 1905, Charlie helped his dad drive cattle overland from Circle to Fairbanks for Waechter’s Meat Market.
Klondike – Pioneer Rediscovery 1998 reunion book.
List of Lawyers
Here is a list of 59 lawyers or attorneys in Skagway in the early days:
Acklen, Adams, Agner, Barnes, Bennett, Blackett, Bowman, Boyce, Burton, Carrier, Cassidy, Church, Corliss, Dautoff, Day, Dixon, Dillon, Elliot, Erwin, Goldschmidt, Grant, Gunnison, Hall, Hamilton, Hartman, Harding, Hartners, Helmcken, Hills, Jennings, Knapp, Lightfoot, Lilly, Lovell, Marquam, McEneny, Miller, O’Donnell, Ostrander, Paulsell, Perkins, Pratt, Price, Rasmuson, Sehlbrede, Shackelford, Shorthill, Shoup, Smith, Stevens, Taylor, Tupper, VanHorn, Webb, Weldon, Wilcoxen, Williams, Winn, Young.
Most had some other profession such as retail, lumber, teaching, hospitality, secretary, tax collection, judgeship, mining, hay & grain and engineering. Some worked for Soapy (Van Horn, Weldon, Dixon, and O’Donnell) and some worked for White Pass (Elliott, Harding, Cassidy, Hartman, and Helmcken).
Seen above is a likely set of characters.
William H. Phelps
Vinta and Marcus Phelps came to Skagway around 1908. They had at least 6 kids here, one died as an infant, one drowned in Icy Lake, and William died at Normandy in World War two. William was born in Skagway in 1917 and died on this day, August 3, 1944. He received the Purple Heart and is buried at the Normany American Cemetery at Colleville sur Mer, France, seen above. His mother Vinta died a few months later and is buried in the Skagway Pioneer Cemetery with her husband and children.
Genealogytrails.com; Skagway Death Record; 1910, 1920 and 1929 censuses.
Capt. Moore and Hendrika
Captain William Moore and his wife Hendrika Fenn Moore retired to Victoria after founding Skagway, or Mooresville as they preferred it to be called. When they died in 1909 and 1911 they were buried in the Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria. I mentioned in an earlier blog that I could not find his grave after hours of searching, but recently a fellow sleuth, Suzy Kerrigan took the tour by the local docent and found the grave. It is not marked but there is a big tree growing there. She sent me a photo of it which I am sharing with you all. Hats off to Capt. Moore and Hendrika!
George R. Dedman
Mr. Dedman was born in 1858 in Missouri and came to Skagway from Portland. He first started a laundry here in 1898. His wife, Clara, joined him several months after his arrival. She landed two days after Soapy Smith was shot. They purchased a two story mercantile building, moved it from State Street to Broadway and turned it into the Golden North Hotel in 1907. They had two kids, Henry Alaska and Nelda. Henry got into photography early on and the Dedman’s store is still in business on Broadway in the summer. His granddaughter and great granddaughter still live in Skagway year round and also have a store on State Street called Granny’s Gallery.
George died on this day June 27, 1925 in Skagway and is buried in the Pioneer Cemetery with Clara, Henry and his wife Bessie.
Seen above is Betsy acting goofy in front of Granny’s Gallery.
Ida May Dillon
Ida May was Marshal Dillon’s daughter. She married Charles Olsen or Olson and on this day, June 24, 1908 she gave birth to a son, Philip E. Olson but unfortunately Ida May died in childbirth. She is buried in the Gold Rush Cemetery and has a delightful grave with a long flower pot on the top that often has wildflowers blooming.
Her son, Philip was adopted by Carl Larson and Edith Feero Larson. Philip stayed in Skagway and was a White Pass employee. His daughter still lives in Skagway part of the year. The Larsons went on to have four more kids, Stewart, Uremia, Ellen and Velma.
I have never heard what became of Charles Olson, his father, perhaps he was too young to care for his son and left town.
Ida May Dillon’s grave is seen just to the left of the new black platform above.
Edgar H. Wilson
Wilson was a very early businessman in Dyea. He and Healy ran a trading post in the 1880’s. Wilson was born in 1842 and was married to Katherine or Kittie Brown and had a 6 year old son and girls Gladys and Ethyl, newborns, when he died, on this day, May 20, 1895 in Juneau. Kittie and family stayed on at least until 1900 and then must have moved on.
Seen above is the Healy and Wilson trading post as photographed by Anton Vogee on Decoration Day (Memorial Day) 1898.
Cohen; AK Searchlight obit 5/20/1895