Worthern Hurley House is located at 125 Dixon Street on Telephone Hill's Block l; Lots 6 and 7.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Primary Name: Thane, Bartlett L.

Filed as: Thane, Bartlett L.

Also known as: Bartlett Lee Thane; Bart Thane

Occupation / Association: Mining engineer; mine developer; Alaska Gastineau Mining Company executive

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Sumdum, Alaska; Sheep Creek, Alaska; Salmon Creek, Alaska; Annex Creek, Alaska; New York City, New York; Berkeley, California

Keywords: Bartlett L Thane, Bart Thane, Alaska Gastineau Mining Company, Perseverance Mine, Salmon Creek Dam, Sheep Creek Adit, Juneau Gold Belt, University of California Berkeley engineers, early Alaska mining engineers

Biography

Bartlett “Bart” Thane was a mining engineer whose work in the Juneau Gold Belt helped create one of the largest and most technologically advanced gold mining complexes in the world during the early twentieth century.

Thane was born in 1879 and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1898. While attending Berkeley he was the star quarterback of the university’s football team. Many of his teammates studied mining engineering and would later assist Thane in his ambitious mining ventures in Alaska.

At just under twenty years of age, Thane came to Juneau to begin his mining career. He was hired by veteran mining man Herman Tripp to operate and maintain the shaft pumps at the Sumdum Chief Mine, located approximately sixty miles south of Juneau. Although initially skeptical of college-trained engineers, Tripp quickly developed respect for the young engineer, beginning a lifelong friendship. Within three years Thane had gained a controlling interest in the Sumdum Chief Mine.

By 1911 Thane had successfully raised investment capital and obtained operational control of six gold mines in the Juneau Gold Belt. A mountain in the region was later named for him.

Through a complicated series of events Thane gained control of the Perseverance Mine near Juneau. The company’s president, Colonel William Sutherland, had been accused by stock and bondholders of mismanagement and was facing legal action. Sutherland died suddenly of a heart attack, and competing claims by two wives further complicated the estate. The company appeared hopelessly tied up in litigation.

With financial backing from prominent mining financiers D. C. Jackling and W. P. Hammon, Thane raised eight million dollars in 1912 to take over and redevelop the Perseverance Mine. His project would eventually become the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company, which developed into the largest gold mining operation in the world at the time.

Thane’s plan for the mine had three major components: providing tidewater access through a two-mile tunnel, developing year-round hydroelectric power, and constructing a revolutionary mill capable of processing thousands of tons of ore each day.

The Sheep Creek Adit, begun in November 1912 and completed in February 1914, was 10,497 feet long and at the time was driven at the fastest rate of any tunnel excavation in the world. The tunnel provided access from the Perseverance Mine to tidewater through the Sheep Creek Valley.

With assistance from former Berkeley teammates, Thane also oversaw construction of the Salmon Creek Dam. Completed as the first thin-arch concrete dam ever built, the structure stood 172 feet high and 648 feet across at the crest. The design proved revolutionary, and more than one hundred similar dams were later constructed around the world using the same principles first demonstrated at Salmon Creek.

The massive mill constructed for the Alaska Gastineau operation was designed to process up to 6,000 tons of ore per day using new rotating mills developed in the large copper mines of Nevada and Arizona. Completed in 1915, the mill exceeded expectations and was soon processing approximately 10,000 tons of ore per day at costs lower than projected.

To meet the growing demand for power, Thane developed another hydroelectric project at Annex Creek on Taku Inlet. The site was optioned from Herman Tripp in April 1915, and power was being produced by December of that same year. The project marked the first time a lake had been tapped by tunneling beneath it and blasting through the lakebed to release water for hydroelectric generation.

When the blast opened the lake, water reached the turbines two miles away in just forty-two minutes. The Annex Creek and Salmon Creek hydroelectric plants continue to generate power today and remain among the lowest-cost sources of electricity in Alaska.

For a brief period before World War I, the Alaska Gastineau Perseverance operation was the largest gold mining complex in the world and produced more than 500,000 ounces of gold.

The loss of labor during World War I and rising costs following the war made the operation unprofitable. On June 3, 1921, the mine closed.

Thane later attempted to repurpose the facilities for a large pulp mill development. In 1923 an agreement was reportedly reached with Japanese investors, but the catastrophic Yokohama earthquake that year killed the investors and the proposed pulp project collapsed.

Although his work had transformed the mining industry and left lasting engineering achievements, Thane died in New York City in 1927 reportedly embittered by the collapse of his final venture.

Upon hearing of his death, Fred Bradley, the legendary engineer behind the Treadwell and Alaska Juneau mines, remarked, “He built great monuments to man, but forgot what he was here for.”

Sources

Juneau mining historical records

Primary Name: Treadwell, John

Filed as: Treadwell, John

Also known as: John Treadwell

Occupation / Association: Mining entrepreneur; founder of the Treadwell Mine operations on Douglas Island

Associated places: Douglas Island, Alaska; Gastineau Channel, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; San Francisco, California; St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada

Keywords: John Treadwell, Treadwell Mine, Alaska Mill and Mining Company, Alaska Gold Mining Company, Douglas Island mining, Gastineau Channel gold mining, Alaska territorial mining history, Treadwell mining complex, Alaska mining pioneers

Biography

John Treadwell, a California carpenter with a background in mining, prospected, explored, developed, and operated Alaska’s first successful large-scale, low-grade gold mine. His work played a major role in stimulating the economy of the Territory of Alaska and advancing large-scale industrial mining in the United States during the late nineteenth century.

Treadwell was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada. In 1881, he was building a house in California for a prominent banker when news arrived of a promising gold prospect across the Gastineau Channel from Juneau, Alaska, on Douglas Island. The banker, John Fry, suggested that Treadwell travel north to examine the property.

Initially unimpressed with the deposit, Treadwell planned to return to San Francisco. While waiting for a ship, however, he met a French-Canadian prospector who described the claim but was financially unable to develop it. Treadwell purchased the claim sight unseen for $400. Assay results later proved encouraging, prompting him to organize a mining venture with Fry and an associate.

In May 1882, he returned to Alaska with a five-stamp mill and formed the Alaska Mill and Mining Company. Early operations demonstrated that the deposit could be profitable if worked on a much larger scale. The experimental mill was replaced with a 120-stamp mill in 1883, and in 1887, another 120 stamps were added.

These developments marked the beginning of the Treadwell mining complex, which eventually grew into a system of four mines and five mills. Together, they produced nearly $70 million in gold. At peak capacity in 1914, the combined mills operated 960 stamps, crushing approximately 5,000 tons of rock per day—then a world record—with an average value of about $2.50 per ton.

Approximately 2,000 men worked eight-hour shifts seven days a week, 363 days per year, with only Christmas and the Fourth of July as holidays. By 1920, miners’ wages averaged about $100 per month, among the highest in the world at the time.

The mining camp that grew around the operation developed into a substantial community known as Treadwell. During its forty-year evolution, it expanded from a single claim into a thriving town with stores, bunkhouses, mess halls, recreational facilities, and even a marching band and natatorium.

Treadwell himself sold his interests in 1889 to the Alaska Gold Mining Company for a reported $1.5 million. His success attracted additional investment and settlement to Alaska and brought national attention to the region’s mineral resources. The industrial methods used in the Treadwell operations helped shape modern hard-rock mining practices.

Mining operations ended in 1917 when caving and flooding destroyed large sections of the Treadwell mines. Afterward, Treadwell briefly pursued coal development projects in western Alaska, though these ventures proved unsuccessful. Later, he became involved in banking, but the bank eventually failed, and he filed for bankruptcy.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Primary Name: Erussand, Pierre "French Pete"

Filed as: erussand_pierre

Also known as: French Pete Erussand; Pierre Erussand; Pete Erussand

Occupation / Association: Prospector

Born:

Died:

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Associated places: Douglas Island, Alaska; Juneau Gold Belt

Keywords: Pierre Erussand, French Pete Erussand, Pete Erussand, Treadwell Mine discovery, Douglas Island prospectors

Biography

Pierre “French Pete” Erussand is credited with discovering the Treadwell Mine on Douglas Island around 1890.

The Treadwell Mine became the first gold mining company to prosper in the Juneau Gold Belt and played a major role in the early economic development of the Juneau–Douglas mining district.

Sources

Regional mining histories; Alaska mining references

Pierre Erussand French Pete Erussand Pete Erussand Erussand Pierre

Tags: Pierre Erussand, French Pete Erussand, Pete Erussand, Treadwell Mine, Douglas Island prospectors, Juneau Gold Belt

Primary Name: Cox, Mabel

Filed as: cox_mabel

Also known as: Mabel Cox

Occupation / Association: Missionary

Born:

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Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Keywords: Mabel Cox, Cox Mabel, early Juneau missionary, Juneau 1898 description

Biography

Mabel Cox, a missionary in the early years of Juneau, recalled that in 1898 the town had a population of about 1,600 and "looked as if it had been thrown together at the foot of the mountain and continued up the side."

She noted that the town contained forty saloons, as well as gambling houses and houses of prostitution.

Sources

Anonymous, 1973

Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Tags: Mabel Cox, Cox Mabel, Juneau missionaries, early Juneau descriptions

Mabel Cox Cox Mabel

Primary Name: Goldstein, A.
Filed as: goldstein_a
Also known as: A. Goldstein
Occupation / Association: Juneau townsite claimant
Born:
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Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska
Keywords: A Goldstein, Goldstein A, Juneau townsite claim, Telephone Hill mineral claims, Juneau land litigation

Biography

A. Goldstein claimed title ownership to the Juneau townsite during the early years of the community’s development. His claim, supported by the United States Department of the Interior, asserted the presence of possible mineral deposits on Telephone Hill.

The claim proved extremely controversial. Because of the widespread opposition to the proposed townsite ownership, Goldstein reportedly received threats of lynching. During the dispute, documents supporting his claim also mysteriously disappeared.

After prolonged and expensive litigation, the claim was ultimately dropped.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

A Goldstein Goldstein A A. Goldstein

Primary Name: Hilton, Nathaniel

Filed as: nathaniel_hilton

Also known as: Nathaniel Hilton

Occupation / Association: Property Owner

Born:

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

Keywords: Nathaniel Hilton, Hilton Nathaniel, Telephone Hill property owners, Juneau Alaska residents

Biography

Nathaniel Hilton purchased lots in Juneau and may have had a home associated with the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood (DeArmond 1967).

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey

Nathaniel Hilton Hilton Nathaniel N Hilton

Tags: Nathaniel Hilton, Hilton Nathaniel, Telephone Hill residents, Juneau Alaska residents

Primary Name: Bennett, W. M.

Filed as: bennett_w_m

Also known as: W. M. Bennett

Occupation / Association: Property owner

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Keywords: W M Bennett, Bennett W M, Telephone Hill property owners

Biography

W. M. Bennett purchased lots in Juneau and may have had a residence associated with the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood.

Sources

DeArmond, Robert N., 1967.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Tags: W M Bennett, Bennett W M, Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood, Juneau property owners

W M Bennett Bennett W M

Primary Name: Olds, John

Filed as: Olds, John

Also known as: John Olds

Occupation / Association: Property owner in early Juneau

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau

Keywords: John Olds, Olds John, Juneau property owners, Telephone Hill Juneau residents, early Juneau land ownership

Biography

John Olds was an early property owner in Juneau, Alaska.

He purchased lots in Juneau and may have had a residence associated with the Telephone Hill neighborhood.

His ownership of property in the area is noted in historical references related to the development of the Telephone Hill district in Juneau.

Sources

DeArmond, Robert N., 1967.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984.

Sagemiller, John

Associated Places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill

Biography

John Sagemiller was an early resident and property owner in Juneau, Alaska, during the territorial period.

Sagemiller purchased several lots in Juneau and is believed to have owned or occupied a home associated with the Telephone Hill area, one of the historic residential neighborhoods overlooking the early townsite.

Telephone Hill became one of the primary residential districts for many early settlers, miners, merchants, and civic leaders in Juneau during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984
DeArmond, Robert N., 1967

Primary Name: Fuller, Newman A.

Filed as: Fuller, Newman A.

Also known as: Newman A. Fuller

Occupation / Association: Early Juneau property owner

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

Keywords: Newman A Fuller Juneau Alaska, Fuller family Juneau Alaska, Telephone Hill property owners, early Juneau landowners, Juneau historic property records

Biography

Newman A. Fuller was an early property owner in Juneau, Alaska. Historical records indicate that he purchased lots in Juneau and may have had a residence associated with the Telephone Hill area.

Telephone Hill was one of the early residential neighborhoods in Juneau and was home to many of the city’s early settlers and property owners.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984.

DeArmond, Robert N., 1967.

Primary Name: McKinnon, John

Filed as: McKinnon, John

Also known as: John McKinnon

Occupation / Association: Early Juneau property owner

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

Property / Address: Telephone Hill area properties, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: John McKinnon Juneau Alaska, McKinnon family Juneau Alaska, Telephone Hill property owners, early Juneau landowners, Telephone Hill historic neighborhood

Biography

John McKinnon was an early property owner in Juneau, Alaska, who purchased lots in the city during the community's early development.

Historical records indicate that McKinnon may have owned or occupied property associated with the Telephone Hill neighborhood, one of Juneau’s earliest residential districts located above the downtown waterfront.

Sources

DeArmond, Robert N., Juneau City and Borough Historic Survey, 1967.

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984.

Primary Name: Brown, Augustus

Filed as: brown_augustus

Also known as: Augustus Brown

Occupation / Association: Property owner

Born:

Died:

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Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Keywords: Augustus Brown, Brown Augustus, Telephone Hill property owners

Biography

Augustus Brown purchased lots in Juneau and may have had a home associated with the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood.

Sources

DeArmond, Robert N. Gastineau Channel Memories (1967); Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Augustus Brown Brown Augustus

Tags: Augustus Brown, Brown Augustus, Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood, Juneau property owners

Primary Name: DeGroff, Edward

Filed as: degroff_edward

Also known as: Edward DeGroff

Occupation / Association: Sitka businessman; founder, Northwest Trading Company

Born:

Died:

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Associated places: Sitka, Alaska; Harrisburg (early Juneau), Alaska

Keywords: Edward DeGroff, DeGroff Edward, Northwest Trading Company Harrisburg, early Juneau merchants

Biography

Edward DeGroff, a Sitka businessman, established the Northwest Trading Company, the first retail store in Harrisburg, in 1881.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Tags: Edward DeGroff, DeGroff Edward, Northwest Trading Company, Harrisburg Juneau

Edward DeGroff DeGroff Edward E DeGroff Northwest Trading Company Harrisburg

Primary Name: Martin, Mildred

Filed as: Martin, Mildred

Also known as: Mildred Martin

Occupation / Association: Resident of Telephone Hill; associated with the Martin family home

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

Property / Address: Ralph Martin House, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Mildred Martin Juneau Alaska, Ralph Martin House, Telephone Hill residents Juneau, Martin family Juneau Alaska, Telephone Hill historic homes

Biography

Mildred Martin was married to Ralph Martin. Together, they built the Ralph Martin House on Telephone Hill in Juneau, Alaska. The home was part of the early residential development of the Telephone Hill neighborhood overlooking downtown Juneau.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984.

Martin, Ralph

Associated Places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill

Property / Address: Martin Residence, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Biography

Ralph Martin came to Juneau, Alaska, in 1917.

Ralph was married to Mildred Martin.

In 1931, local building contractor James Larson built a house for the couple on Telephone Hill. The ornate lighting fixtures installed throughout the house reflect Martin’s employment with the Alaska Electric Light and Power Company, where he worked for twenty-five years.

Ralph Martin died in 1947.

Sources

• Carrigan & Johnston, 1983
• Bayers Collection, 1947
• Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

The Ralph Martin House, 128 Dixon Street, sits on the west slope of Telephone Hill on Lots 5, 6 and 7. The 1894 plat map of the Juneau Townsite shows George Harkrader owning Lots 5, 6 and 7. City tax rolls indicate that Harkrader and his estate owned the property until 1920.

Harkrader was an early miner and Juneau settler. He staked a lode claim on Mount Roberts in December 1880 and the following year located a quartz and placer claim in the Silver Bow Basin (DeArmond 1967; Alaska Monthly 1907). The 1914 Sanborn map shows a home, possibly Harkrader's, on the north half of Lots 5, 6 and 7 next to the West Second Street right-of-way (Hurley 1983). The house was removed in the mid-1930s. Prior to his death in 1915, Harkrader ran unsuccessfully for the city council as a Socialist.

Local building contractor James Larson built the house for Ralph Martin and Mildred Martin in 1931 (Carrigan, Johnston 1983). Martin came to Juneau in 1917 and was employed by the Alaska Electric Light and Power Company for 25 years until his death in 1947 (Bayers Collection 1947). The ornate lighting fixtures installed throughout the house reflect Martin's employment with the utility.

The Johnstons purchased the house from Mildred Martin in 1950. Joe Johnston operated a hardware business in downtown Juneau while his wife was a federal employee for 25 years (Johnston 1983). In 1981 she sold the house to Homan-McDowell and moved into the basement apartment.

In 1984 it was owned and occupied by Homan-McDowell, economic and management consultants. Former owner, Edna Johnston, lives in a lower-level apartment.

The main section of the Martin-Johnston House is a l½-story, 31 1 x22.5 111 eclectic11 dwelling. Its steeply pitched, wood-shingled gable roof, with minimal eaves and verges and an overlapping front gable, is representative of the Tudor housing style introduced into Alaska during the 193Os and 194Os.

Other decorative features include an original linked-top, cement-block chimney built against the south facade. An original front door with ornate cast iron viewer is located on the extended east facade vestibule. The main entrance, however, is now accessed vi a a contemporary wood deck and steps on the north facade. Exterior siding consists of wood shingles. Windows are symmetrically placed and double-hung sash. The, foundation is reinforced concrete.

The interior was remodeled for office use, and the 8½-foot-high walls were replastered and painted white. The kitchen was converted into a reception and office area (McDowell 1983). The second floor bedroom was also converted into an office. Original features remaining include: fine hardwood floors, curved archways and ceilings, a brick fireplace and ornate lighting fixtures.
In 1943 a rectangular, 31 1 xl6.5', one-story, shed-roof apartment was constructed on the rear of the house.

Exterior siding is T-1-11. The windows are predominantly fixed-sash with transoms and double-hung sash. The interior consists of a low-ceiling kitchen, bedroom, bath and storage room. Front and rear entrances have original doors. Other original features include: decorative light fixtures, softwood floors, kitchen cabinets and cupboards, and plaster walls.

In 1962 a rectangular, 14.5'x24.5', flat-roof garage was constructed north of the house next to the West Second Street right-of-way. However, a 1981 wind storm destroyed the structure (Johnston 1983). 

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Primary Name: McCaul, Thomas J.

Filed as: McCaul, Thomas J.

Also known as: Thomas J. McCaul

Occupation / Association: Cigar store owner; property owner

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

Property / Address: Edward Bayless House, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Thomas J McCaul, Front Street cigar store Juneau, Edward Bayless House, Telephone Hill Juneau property owners

Biography

Thomas J. McCaul owned a cigar store on Front Street in Juneau, Alaska.

From 1921 to 1933, McCaul owned the Edward Bayless House located on Telephone Hill in Juneau.

Sources

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey; local Juneau historical records

Shackleford, Louis P.

Occupation: Attorney

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska

Professional association: Law partner of Edward Bayless

Biography

Louis P. Shackleford was an attorney practicing in Juneau, Alaska, during the territorial period.

He practiced law in partnership with Edward Bayless, one of the attorneys active in the early legal community of Juneau as the city developed as the governmental and commercial center of Southeast Alaska.

Law firms such as the partnership of Bayless and Shackleford provided legal services to residents, businesses, and mining interests during a period when the region’s economy and institutions were rapidly expanding.

Sources

• Juneau legal and professional records

Primary Name: Kow ee

Filed as: kow_ee

Also known as: Chief Kow ee; Kowee

Occupation / Association: Chief of the Auk Tlingit

Born:

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Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Silver Bow Basin, Alaska; Gold Creek, Alaska

Keywords: Kow ee, Chief Kow ee, Kowee, Auk Tlingit chief, discovery of Juneau gold, Silver Bow Basin discovery

Biography

Chief Kow ee of the Auk Tlingit was credited with guiding prospectors to the gold-bearing areas that led to the founding of Juneau.

When prospectors returned to Pilz empty-handed, Kow ee sent them back to the Juneau area to continue their search.

In October of 1880, Richard "Dick" Harris, with partner Joe Juneau, made one of the most significant discoveries of American prospecting.

Kow ee took them beyond Gold Creek to Silver Bow Basin, and within a two-week period, they discovered and staked some of the richest placer mines in the Silver Bow Basin, and, more importantly, the lode system that ultimately became the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine, also known as the AJ Mine.

Sources

Juneau mining history records; Pioneers of Alaska historical records

Kow ee Kowee Chief Kow ee Auk Tlingit Kowee Juneau discovery

Tags: Kow ee, Chief Kow ee, Kowee, Auk Tlingit leaders, Richard Dick Harris, Joe Juneau, Silver Bow Basin discovery, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine