See photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush, California, Oregon and Washington taken by Arthur C. Pillsbury (1870-1946) between about 1896 and 1900.
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?
View this itemIndigenous cemetery in St. Michael, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00105
Date: 1899?
View this itemFive indigenous women at Alert Bay, B.C., ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00091
Date: 1899?
View this itemWhite Pass and Yukon Railway construction celebration at Bennett, B.C., July 6, 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_00113
Date: 1899-07-06
View this itemMountains and snowy forest, ca. 1899
Location is likely Alaska, British Columbia or Yukon Territory based on other photographs in the collection but the exact location is unknown.
Identifier: spl_ap_00048
Date: 1899?
View this itemJuneau, Alaska harbor and the Gastineau Channel looking NW, ca. 1899
In 1880, gold was discovered at Silver Bow Basin by Richard Harris and Joe Juneau. The gold discovery led to the development of the nearby town of Juneau.
Identifier: spl_ap_00068
Date: 1899?
View this itemView east from near 1st Ave. and Pine St. to regrade activity, ca. 1906
The Washington Hotel appears at the top of the hill. Although the regrade started in 1903, James Moore, the owner of the Washington Hotel, refused to clear the property until 1906 when regrading of Second and Third Avenues were well underway.
Identifier: spl_dr_027
Date: 1906
View this itemTagish Lake, Canada, ca. 1899
Tagish Lake is located on the border of British Columbia and Yukon.
Identifier: spl_ap_00100
Date: 1899?
View this itemView of Long Lake, B.C. from Long Lake Hotel, ca. 1899
Long Lake lay along the Chilkoot Trail, a Tlingit trade route between Skagway, Alaska and Lake Bennett (on the border of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory) that was used by many prospectors during the gold rush. The hotel was located at the south end of the lake. Signs on the side of the hotel advertise beds, lemonade and a bakery.
Identifier: spl_ap_00096
Date: 1899?
View this item