Arthur C. Pillsbury Collection
See photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush, California, Oregon and Washington taken by Arthur C. Pillsbury (1870-1946) between about 1896 and 1900.
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"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?
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Indigenous group in Fort Yukon, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00171
Date: 1899?
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Mountain climbers near Index, Washington, March 1, 1900
Identifier: spl_ap_00147
Date: 1900-03-01
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Beaver 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?
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Boat at Calico Bluff, Alaska, ca. 1899
Calico Bluff is located on the Yukon River near Eagle, Alaska.
Identifier: spl_ap_00187
Date: 1899?
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Woman outside Long Lake Hotel in British Columbia, 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_00086
Date: 1899?
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Blind Aaron and wife at home in Wrangell, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00130
Date: 1899?
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White Pass and Yukon Railroad tunnel near White Pass City, Alaska, 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. White Pass City was a small community located near Heney Station which fell midway between Skagway, Alaska and Fraser, B.C.
Identifier: spl_ap_00039
Date: 1899?
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Taku 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?
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Yosemite 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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