Primary Name: Sanders, W.A.

Filed as: Sanders, W.A.

Also known as: W.A. Sanders

Occupation / Association: Mining engineer

Associated places: Douglas, Alaska; Nova Scotia, Canada

Keywords: W.A. Sanders, Douglas Alaska mining engineer, Douglas cemetery land dispute, Lawson Creek Douglas Alaska, Douglas Alaska mining claims, Minnie Ross Holman, W.A. Thompson

Biography

W.A. Sanders was a mining engineer involved in mining development and land claims in Douglas, Alaska, at the end of the nineteenth century.

In 1899, Sanders, along with W.A. Thompson and Minnie Ross Holman, applied for a federal patent to mining claims covering more than fifty acres at the northwest end of the town of Douglas. The claims included thirteen lode claims, mill sites, and portions of the developed townsite, including streets and buildings. Residents of Douglas organized a committee to protest the patent.

Sanders agreed that if the committee did not oppose the patent application, he would deed back the town lots, street easements, and other areas in which the patent interfered with the existing townsite. This agreement was later put in writing.

The committee also asked Sanders to provide land for a cemetery. Sanders verbally agreed to give the people of Douglas “the dry knoll this side of Lawson Creek” if they would not object to his patent. He also promised to construct a road to the grounds but declined to place that promise in writing, stating that his word was sufficient.

Following this understanding, a cemetery committee consisting of P.H. Fox, M.J. O’Connor, Rev. Peplogle, and W.C. Boyd took possession of the knoll and marked a route from Third Street in Douglas to the site. Laborers cleared a trail that later became a gravel road. Planking and small bridges were constructed, and several acres were cleared and enclosed with wire fencing. The location corresponds to what later became the Douglas City Cemetery.

Although Sanders was known as a mining engineer, some Douglas residents argued that his claims were invalid because he was a resident of Nova Scotia, Canada. The United States Patent Office ultimately granted Sanders a patent to part of the mining claims in 1900.

While Sanders honored the written agreement to return town lots and buildings, he refused to fulfill the verbal agreement regarding the cemetery land and later denied making the promise. Residents of Douglas maintained that they had earned the right to the cemetery ground because they had not interfered with his patent application. They even offered to purchase the land at the government rate of five dollars per acre, but Sanders declined.

As late as 1903, Sanders reportedly posted no-trespassing notices threatening prosecution of anyone using the land for burial purposes. The notices soon disappeared, and Douglas residents claimed they had been in “legal and peaceable possession of the premises” for several years.

Sources

Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries

When Dick Harris and Joe Juneau returned to Sitka with news of their find and the rush was on. Prospectors flocked to the area and began staking claims. A French Canadian by the name of French Pete Errusard learned of a gold bearing outcrop on Douglas Island across the Gastineau Channel from the new town of Juneau.

He staked adjacent claims in 1881 that were eventually sold along with others to John Treadwell, who was representing California investors. The mining town of Treadwell was soon established along with the town of Douglas City. Juneau and Douglas grew along with the mines as more people came to the area not only to mine but to start businesses.

Kron-Marshall, Lena

Biography

Lena Kron-Marshall and her husband, John Marshall, were long-time residents of Juneau, Alaska.

For many years, they owned Block 6, Lots 6–7, the site of what later became the Elton and Allan Engstrom Building located at 111–113 West Third Street in Juneau. The property faces north and sits on the steep northeast slope of Telephone Hill.

The Marshalls resided on West Sixth Street while living in Juneau.

Sources

• Daily Alaska Empire, 1940

Primary Name: Marshall, John

Filed as: Marshall, John

Also known as: John Marshall

Occupation / Association: Property owner; Juneau resident

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: John Marshall Juneau Alaska, Lena Kron Marshall, Telephone Hill Juneau property owners, Elton and Allan Engstrom Building site

Biography

John Marshall and his wife, Lena Kron-Marshall, were long-time residents of Juneau, Alaska.

For many years, they owned Block 6, Lots 6-7, the site later occupied by the Elton and Allan Engstrom Building located at 111-113 West Third Street. The property faces north and sits on the steep northeast slope of Telephone Hill.

The Marshalls resided on West Sixth Street in Juneau.

Sources

Daily Alaska Empire, 1940

Primary Name: C.W. Young

Filed as: Young, C.W.

Also known as: Charles W. Young

Occupation / Association: Contractor; hardware store owner

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill; 111–113 West Third Street

Associated structures: Elton and Allan Engstrom Building

Keywords: Juneau contractor, hardware merchant, Telephone Hill, West Third Street, Engstrom Building, Juneau business history

Biography

During the early 1900s, C.W. Young was a Juneau contractor and hardware store owner. Young owned Block 6, Lots 6–7, where the Elton and Allan Engstrom Building was constructed at 111–113 West Third Street on Telephone Hill.

Sources

• Juneau historic property and business records

In March 1881, Edward DeGroff staked claim to Lots 6 and 7. He came to Harrisburgh, later renamed Juneau, to represent the Northwest Trading Company - the first retail store in the settlement.

In June 1881, DeGroff became the first postmaster of Harrisburgh. In addition to his postmaster and store clerk responsibilities, DeGroff also served as deputy to the District Recorder, Colonel Richard Dixon (DeArmond 1967).

C.W. Young, a Juneau contractor and hardware store owner, owned property during the early 1900s.

John Marshall and Lena Kron-Marshall, long-time Juneau residents, owned both lots for many years but resided on West Sixth Street (Daily Alaskan Empire 1940).

The Elton and Allan Engstrom Building was built on Block 6; Lots 6-7 at 111-113 West Third Street. It faces north and sits on the steep, northeast slope of Telephone Hill.

The commercial building, constructed in 1951 by long-time Juneau residents and brothers Elton and Allan Engstrom, housed the Alaska Public Works Department from 1951 to 1973.

In 1984, the insurance company offices of Corroon & Black/Dawson & Company occupy a major portion of the building. The two-story structure also contains other business offices and apartments.

The Engstrom Building, a two-story structure, has a one-story extension attached to its east facade. The main structure is 27' x35' with a floor area of 945 square feet. The one-story extension is 22 1 x41 1 , encompassing 902 square feet. The extension entry is on the north facade.

Five sets of double-hung sash windows with four windows to a set are placed symmetrically on this facade. The entrance door is multi-panel wood and reached by a short flight of concrete steps.The south facade has a wood door. Pre-1984 T-1-11 channel, plywood siding covers the east facade. The west facade fronts aparking lot located on the corner of Third and Dixon Streets. The one-story extension attached to the east facade has a flat roof.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984 

Primary Name: Bach, Frank Xavier

Filed as: bach_frank_xavier

Also known as: Frank Xavier Bach; Frank X. Bach

Occupation / Association: Businessman; Co-founder, Juneau Douglas Telephone Company; Mayor of Douglas, Alaska (1903)

Born: November 3, 1850, Germany

Died: June 3, 1933, Douglas, Alaska

Parents: Peter Bach; Julia Miller Bach

Spouse: Ellen Calhoun-Bach

Children: Alice Bach-Coughlin; Lenore Bach-Edwins; Cecil Bach; three other children, two of whom died young

Associated places: Germany; Douglas, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Taku Harbor, Alaska

Keywords: Frank Xavier Bach, Frank X Bach, Bach Frank Xavier, Douglas Alaska mayor, Juneau Douglas Telephone Company

Biography

Frank Xavier Bach was born on November 3, 1850, in Germany. His parents were Peter Bach of Germany and Julia Miller Bach of Bavaria, Germany. He stood about 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed approximately 150 pounds.

He lived in Douglas with his sister, Anna Kunigunde Bach-Zengel-Graf, during the last days of her life. His brother, George Bach, lived in Taku Harbor.

Frank married Ellen Calhoun-Bach. They had six children, four of whom survived to adulthood, including Alice Bach-Coughlin, Lenore Bach-Edwins, and their son Cecil Bach.

Bach joined Edward Webster in forming the Juneau Douglas Telephone Company.

District Recorder records and the 1894 plat map of the Juneau Townsite show Edward Webster and his business partner Frank Bach owning Lots 7 and 8 in Block 1. These lots later contained the Edward Webster House and the Juneau-Douglas Telephone Company Offices at 135–139 West Second Street in the Telephone Hill Historic District.

Bach later sold his interest in the company to his partner.

He served as Mayor of Douglas in 1903.

Frank Xavier Bach died instantly on June 3, 1933, at the age of 72. Charles W. Carter served as his undertaker. Bach was buried in the Douglas City Cemetery.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984; Find-A-Grave

Frank Xavier Bach Frank X Bach Bach Frank Xavier

Tags: Frank Xavier Bach, Frank X Bach, Bach Frank Xavier, Douglas Alaska mayor, Juneau Douglas Telephone Company, Telephone Hill Historic District

The Juneau & Douglas Telephone Company, 204 Main Street, sits on a sloped grade on Telephone Hill's east side below the hilltop where the Edward Webster House stands on 204 Main Street Block 6; Lots 3-4.

From 1915 until 1956 the company was located in a Webster House extension (Hurley, Carrigan 1983). By 1956, the increased telephone demand prompted the company's search for another site and construction of a larger building. Lots 3 and 4 were purchased that year from B.M. Behrends, a store owner and banker who had maintained ownership since 1901.

Two vintage residential structures were removed from the site to permit construction of the new telephone building. The telephone company's new structure housed the first automatic dialing system in Juneau. Today it serves as a switching station.

The Webster family sold the Juneau & Douglas Telephone Company to Continental Telephone Company in 1968.

The rectangular, one-story, Industrial Box building, was constructed in 1956. Its 40' x l00' area encompasses 4,000 square feet. The structure is made of steel and concrete with a steel entry door and stepped, flat canopy on the east facade.

The main floor's small switching room previously served as a public service counter. The room had four windows facing Main Street, but they have since been covered over. A larger room on the main floor contains the main frame of the switching station. The basement contains a storage area for an emergency generator, furnace, transformer and garage.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Primary Name: Lewis, Richard F.

Filed as: lewis_richard

Also known as: R. F. Lewis; Richard Lewis

Occupation / Association: Attorney; Owner, Juneau Water Works

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse: Grace Lewis

Children:

Property / Address: Block F, Lots 7–8; 11 Egan Drive, Juneau, Alaska (corner of Egan Drive and Main Street at the base of Telephone Hill)

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Sitka, Alaska; Washington, D.C.

Keywords: Richard F Lewis, R F Lewis, Richard Lewis Juneau attorney, Lewis Grace, Juneau Water Works, Juneau Motor Company building, 11 Egan Drive Juneau, Telephone Hill property owners, Juneau capital relocation advocates

Biography

Richard F. Lewis and his wife Grace Lewis owned Block F, Lots 7–8, the site where the Juneau Motor Company building stands at 11 Egan Drive on the corner of Egan Drive and Main Street at the base of Telephone Hill. The property remained in their ownership from the turn of the twentieth century until the early 1950s.

Lewis came to Juneau in 1894 and practiced law there until 1952. In addition to his legal career, he owned the Juneau Water Works and was active in civic affairs.

He was among a group of Alaskans who successfully lobbied in Washington, D.C. for the relocation of the territorial capital from Sitka to Juneau.

Sources

City of Juneau property records, 1901–1951; Lewis family records, 1938–1944; Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey

Richard F Lewis R F Lewis Richard Lewis Lewis Richard Lewis RF Lewis R.F. Lewis

Tags: Richard F Lewis, R F Lewis, Lewis Grace, Juneau Water Works, Juneau attorney, Juneau Motor Company building, 11 Egan Drive Juneau, Telephone Hill property owners, Juneau pioneers

Primary Name: Lewis, Richard F.
Filed as: lewis_richard_f
Also known as: R.F. Lewis, Richard F. Lewis
Occupation / Association: Attorney; owner, Juneau Water Works
Born:
Died:
Parents:
Spouse: Grace Lewis
Children:
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska
Property / Address: Block F; Lots 7–8, Juneau Motor Company building, 11 Egan Drive, Juneau, Alaska
Keywords: Richard F Lewis, R.F. Lewis, Lewis Richard F, Juneau Water Works owner, Juneau attorney, Telephone Hill property owners

Biography

Richard F. Lewis and his wife Grace Lewis owned Block F, Lots 7–8, where the Juneau Motor Company building stands at 11 Egan Drive on the corner of Egan Drive and Main Street at the base of Telephone Hill. The property remained in the Lewis family from the turn of the twentieth century until the early 1950s.

Lewis came to Juneau in 1894 and practiced law there until 1952. In addition to his legal practice, he owned the Juneau Water Works from 1938 to 1944. Lewis was also among a group of Alaskans who successfully lobbied in Washington, D.C., to have the territorial capital moved from Sitka to Juneau.

Sources

City of Juneau property records, 1901–1951; Lewis family records

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey

Richard F Lewis R.F. Lewis RF Lewis Lewis Richard F Lewis R F

Primary Name: Ninnis, Elroy

Filed as: Ninnis, Elroy

Also known as: Elroy Ninnis

Occupation / Association: Automobile dealer; president, Juneau Motor Company

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau

Keywords: Elroy Ninnis, Ninnis Elroy, Juneau Motor Company, Ford dealership Juneau Alaska, Telephone Hill Juneau businesses, early Juneau automobile dealers

Biography

Elroy Ninnis became president of the Ford dealership in Juneau in 1936 after working for the company since 1924.

He worked in the Juneau Motor Company building located at 11 Egan Drive, on the corner of Egan Drive and Main Street at the base of Telephone Hill on Block F, Lots 7–8.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984; Ninnis 1983; Juneau Empire 1954

The Juneau Motor Company, 11 Egan Drive, is situated on the corner of Egan Drive and Main Street at the base of Telephone Hill on Block F; Lots 7-8.

The company moved to this site in 1935 from the former dock site of Alaska Coastal Airlines located across the street. Elroy Ninnis became president of the Ford dealership that year after working for the company since 1924 (Ninnis 1983; Juneau Empire 1954).

Lots 7 and 8, shoreline property prior to fill operations in the 1920s and 1930s, were the early sites of the Pacific Coast Steamship Company and Wells Fargo Express offices.

Richard F. Lewis and Grace Lewis owned the lots from the turn of the century until the early 1950s (City of Juneau 1901-1951).

R.F. Lewis came to Juneau in 1894, practiced law until 1952, and owned the Juneau Water Works (Lewis 1938-44). He was among a group of Alaskans who lobbied successfully in Washington, D.C. to have the state capital moved from Sitka to Juneau.

The original Juneau Motor building on Lots 7 and 8 was destroyed by fire in 1964. The present buildings were constructed in 1965 (Ninnis 1983). Capital Motors Supply, 47 Willoughby, was established in 1958 and is owned by Juneau Motor. Joseph Ninnis, son of Elroy, became president of the company in 1963.

The Juneau Motor Company and Capital Motors Supply consist of rectangular, one-story structures and two storage sheds. The dealership's main building has a sales showroom, parts department and a service department. The low-pitched gable roof is situated over concrete-block walls covered with vertical aluminum paneling and aggregate siding. The building includes large showroom windows.

The Capital Motors Supply building, measuring 50 1 x90 1 with a floor area of 4,192 square feet, consists of a 20 1 x20 1 retail department, a 711 x50 1 warehouse and an ll 1 x23' wood shed addition housing an office. The building has a flat roof with an aluminum-siding -cornice, steel and concrete framing, and painted concrete-block siding.

The rear of the building is covered with painted, corrugated metal, and the wood shed addition has vertical wood siding. The building's floor and foundation are poured concrete. The floors and foundation are concrete. Both one-story storage sheds have corrugated-metal siding.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Primary Name: Margrie, E. D.

Filed as: Margrie, E. D.

Also known as: E. D. Margrie

Occupation / Association: Mine manager; electrical systems pioneer at the Treadwell Mine

Associated places: Douglas Island, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska

Keywords: E D Margrie, Treadwell Mine managers, Treadwell Mine electric lighting, early electrical systems Alaska mining, Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Biography

E. D. Margrie served as a manager for the Treadwell Mining Company on Douglas Island, Alaska.

During his tenure with the company, Margrie installed the first arc and incandescent lighting system at the Treadwell Mine. This innovation represented a significant technological advancement for the mining operation and helped modernize the facilities during the rapid development of the Treadwell mining complex.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Primary Name: Dalton, Josephine

Filed as: dalton_josephine

Also known as: Josephine Dalton; Josephine Grant

Occupation / Association: Daughter of Alaska pioneer Jack Dalton

Born: 1916

Died:

Parents: Jack Dalton; Anna Krippeahne-Dalton

Spouse: U. S. Grant

Children:

Associated places: Alaska; Seattle, Washington; San Francisco, California

Keywords: Josephine Dalton, Josephine Grant, Dalton family Alaska, Jack Dalton daughter

Biography

Josephine Dalton was born in 1916 to Jack Dalton and Anna Krippeahne-Dalton, about the time the Dalton family left Alaska for the Seattle area.

She later married U. S. Grant, a descendant of the Civil War general and President of the United States, and became a well-known citizen of San Francisco, California.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Josephine Dalton Josephine Grant Dalton Grant Jack Dalton daughter

Primary Name: Dalton, James W.

Filed as: dalton_james_w

Also known as: Jim Dalton; James Dalton

Occupation / Association: Engineer; Arctic exploration; U.S. Navy Seabees; Arctic Contractors

Born: 1913

Died: May 8, 1957, Fairbanks, Alaska

Parents: Jack Dalton; Anna Krippeahne-Dalton

Spouse: Kathleen “Mike” Fitzpatrick (m. 1950, Barrow, Alaska)

Children: George Dalton; Elizabeth “Libby” Dalton

Associated places: Fairbanks, Alaska; Dutch Harbor, Alaska; Barrow (Utqiaġvik), Alaska; North Slope, Alaska

Keywords: James W Dalton, Jim Dalton, Dalton Highway namesake, Arctic Contractors exploration, Naval Petroleum Reserve No 4 Alaska

Biography

James W. Dalton was born in 1913, the son of Alaska pioneer Jack Dalton and Anna Krippeahne-Dalton. He followed his father’s career in the North and eventually earned his own place in Alaska history.

Dalton returned to Alaska in the 1930s and earned an engineering degree from the University of Alaska in 1937.

During World War II he first worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Fairbanks. He later served with the Naval Construction Battalions, commonly known as the Seabees, at Dutch Harbor and other locations in the Pacific theater.

After the war, from 1946 to 1953, Dalton worked with the quasi-government Arctic Contractors on the exploration of oil reserves held in trust for the U.S. Navy. The area, located on Alaska’s North Slope, was then known as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4.

James W. Dalton married Kathleen “Mike” Fitzpatrick in Barrow in 1950. The couple had two children, George and Elizabeth “Libby.”

Dalton died of a heart attack on May 8, 1957, in Fairbanks. The North Slope haul road running from the Yukon River to Point Barrow was later named the Dalton Highway in his honor.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

James W Dalton Jim Dalton Dalton James W J W Dalton Dalton Highway namesake

Tags: James W Dalton, Jim Dalton, Dalton Highway, Jack Dalton family, Arctic Contractors, North Slope exploration

Primary Name: Dalton, Anna Krippeahne
Filed as: dalton_anna_krippeahne
Also known as: Anna Dalton; Anna Krippeahne Dalton
Occupation / Association:
Born:
Died: 1929
Parents:
Spouse: Jack Dalton
Children: James "Jim" W. Dalton; Josephine Dalton-Grant
Associated places: Cordova, Alaska; Seattle, Washington
Keywords: Anna Krippeahne Dalton, Anna Dalton, Krippeahne family, Dalton family Alaska

Biography

Anna Krippeahne Dalton married Jack Dalton in 1911 in Cordova, Alaska.

The couple had two children: James “Jim” W. Dalton, born in 1913, and Josephine Dalton-Grant, born in 1916. Around the time of Josephine’s birth, the Dalton family left Alaska and relocated to the Seattle area.

Anna Dalton died in 1929.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Anna Krippeahne Dalton Anna Dalton Krippeahne Dalton Anna K Dalton

Primary Name: Dalton, Margaret

Filed as: dalton_margaret

Also known as: Margaret Dalton

Occupation / Association: Daughter of Alaska pioneer

Born: Haines, Alaska (during the Porcupine Gold Rush boom)

Died:

Parents: Jack Dalton; first wife (name not recorded)

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Haines, Alaska; Porcupine Mining District

Keywords: Margaret Dalton, Dalton Margaret, Jack Dalton daughter, Porcupine Gold Rush Haines Alaska

Biography

Margaret Dalton was the daughter of Alaska pioneer Jack Dalton and his first wife.

She was born in Haines during the Porcupine Gold Rush, a period of intense mining activity in the Porcupine district near the Alaska–Canada border.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Margaret Dalton Dalton Margaret Jack Dalton daughter

Tags: Margaret Dalton, Dalton Margaret, Jack Dalton, Porcupine Gold Rush, Haines Alaska pioneers

Primary Name: Dalton, James W.
Filed as: dalton_james
Also known as: James “Jim” W. Dalton, Jim Dalton
Occupation / Association:
Born: 1913
Died:
Parents: Jack Dalton
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Alaska; Seattle, Washington
Keywords: James W Dalton, Jim Dalton, Dalton family Alaska

Biography

James “Jim” W. Dalton was the son of Jack Dalton and the brother of Margaret Dalton.

Sources

Family references; Alaska Mining Hall of Fame materials related to the Dalton family

James W Dalton Jim Dalton Dalton James W

Primary Name: Hanley, Elizabeth
Filed as: hanley_elizabeth
Also known as: Elizabeth Hanley
Occupation / Association: Resident of Alaska; correspondent in early Alaska business affairs
Born:
Died:
Parents:
Spouse: E. B. Hanley
Children:
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Cordova, Alaska
Keywords: Elizabeth Hanley, Hanley Elizabeth, E B Hanley family, Juneau Alaska residents

Biography

Elizabeth Hanley was the wife of E. B. Hanley.

In December 1916 she wrote to Juneau attorney John Malony, commenting on developments involving Jack Dalton. In her letter she noted that Dalton had sold his interests in Cordova and remarked that “Dalton sold out at Cordova and is now a capitalist. Jack feels pretty big.”

Sources

Correspondence referenced in Juneau historical records, December 1916

Elizabeth Hanley Hanley Elizabeth E. Hanley

Primary Name: Watson Mine Coal Investigation

Filed as: watson_mine_coal_investigation_1913

Also known as: Matanuska coal field naval coal test investigation

Occupation / Association: U.S. Bureau of Mines investigation; naval coal supply evaluation

Born: 1913 (investigation)

Died:

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Watson Mine; Chickaloon, Alaska; Matanuska Coal Field; Cook Inlet region, Alaska

Keywords: Watson Mine Chickaloon, Matanuska coal field investigation, Bureau of Mines coal testing Alaska, Jack Dalton guide service, George Evans mining engineer

Biography

In the summer of 1913, Dr. Holmes, chief of the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and George Evans, a mining engineer consulting for the Navy, traveled to the abandoned Watson Mine near Chickaloon at the eastern limit of the Matanuska coal field in the Cook Inlet region.

Jack Dalton provided guide service and transported Holmes, Evans, their helpers, and equipment, including sampling gear, to the site. After examining the workings, Holmes and Evans concluded that a sufficient quantity of coal could be mined from the Watson Mine to supply a naval test shipment of 900 tons.

Sources

Sam Murchison

Tags: Watson Mine Chickaloon, Matanuska coal field, Jack Dalton guides, George Evans mining engineer, Bureau of Mines investigations

Watson Mine Chickaloon Matanuska coal field Dalton Evans Holmes coal investigation