See photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush, California, Oregon and Washington taken by Arthur C. Pillsbury (1870-1946) between about 1896 and 1900.
"Ora" at Five Finger Rapids on Yukon River, ca. 1899
This photo shows the "Ora" taking the water route along the Yukon River to reach the Klondike gold fields. This route started at St. Michael, Alaska and took longer than the overland routes along the Chilkoot or White Pass trails. It was also more expensive because it saved travelers from the hardships of overland travel while carrying their prospecting gear. A photographer and onlooker can be seen on the cliff at the right of the photograph. The "Ora" was one of three steamboats constructed by the Bennett Lake & Klondyke Navigation Company in 1898 The others were named Flora and Nora. This photograph was published in the June 1900 issue of Harper's Weekly.
Identifier: spl_ap_00158
Date: 1899?
View this itemIndigenous group in Fort Yukon, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00171
Date: 1899?
View this itemMountain climbers near Index, Washington, March 1, 1900
Identifier: spl_ap_00147
Date: 1900-03-01
View this itemBeaver family totem pole and buildings in Wrangell, Alaska, ca. 1899
The photo caption reads "Bear family totem pole" but actually shows the Beaver family totem pole. A second totem pole, possibly the Raven totem pole appears to the right.
Identifier: spl_ap_00076
Date: 1899?
View this itemBoat at Calico Bluff, Alaska, ca. 1899
Calico Bluff is located on the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska.
Identifier: spl_ap_00187
Date: 1899?
View this itemBlind Aaron and wife at home in Wrangell, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00130
Date: 1899?
View this itemNude
Frank Asakichi Kunishige was born in Japan on June 5, 1878. He came to the United States via San Francisco in 1895. After graduating from the Illinois College of Photography, he opened a small photography studio in San Francisco. Kunishige moved to Seattle in 1917. In the same year, he married Gin Kunishige and began working in the studio of Edward S. Curtis where he became acquainted with Ella McBride who he worked for in later years. Kunishige was well known for his use of Pictorialism, a popular painterly style of photography. He developed his photographs on "textura tissue," a paper of his own creation, which allowed him to produce almost dreamlike prints. His work was featured nationally and internationally in exhibitions and publications such as Photo-Era and Seattle's Town Crier. In 1924, Kunishige became one of the founding members of the Seattle Camera Club, a group of local photographers including Kyo Koike, Yukio Morinaga, Iwao Matsushita and Fred Y. Ogasawara who gathered to share techniques and ideas, as well as their deep love of the medium. Although the group was initially solely Japanese, they soon welcomed more members including Ella McBride, their first female member. When World War II struck and the country's Japanese internment policy was put in place, Kunishige and his wife were forced to leave Seattle for Idaho where they were interned at the Minidoka camp. After their release, Kunishige spent two years working at a photography studio in Twin Falls, Idaho but eventually returned to Seattle due to his poor health. Frank Kunishige passed away on April 9, 1960.
Identifier: spl_art_367924_07
View this itemGourmet's Notebook, v.19, no.6, Jul.-Aug. 1991
Combined issue, July and August 1991; Grady's, pg. 44; Settebello, pg. 42; Square on Yesler, pg. 46; Tai Si He, pg. 43; Take It From Us, pg. 47; Third Floor Fish Cafe, pg. 41; Union Bay Cafe, pg. 45
Identifier: spl_gn_928180_1991_19_06
Date: 1991-07
View this itemTaku Glacier, Alaska, ca. 1899
The original Tlingit name for Foster Glacier was Taku Glacier. It was also known as Schulze Glacier in the 1880s and Foster Glacier in the 1890s before reverting to its first name.
Identifier: spl_ap_00063
Date: 1899?
View this itemYosemite Valley, ca. 1897-1900
This image shows a view of Yosemite Valley from near the present-day location of the Wawona Tunnel viewpoint. Pillsbury had a lifelong interest in the park and established his own photograph studio there in 1897.
Identifier: spl_ap_00191
Date: 1897?; 1900?
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