Primary Name: Carter, Charles W.
Filed as: carter_charles_w
Also known as: Charles W. Carter
Occupation / Association: President, Juneau Men’s Igloo (1935–1936); Juneau Volunteer Fire Department member; mail carrier
Born: 1870, Ontario, Canada
Died:
Parents:
Spouse: Alphonsine Carter
Children:
Associated places: Ontario, Canada; Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Portland, Oregon; San Francisco, California; Skagway, Alaska; Atlin, British Columbia; Juneau, Alaska; Silver Bow Basin, Alaska; St. Michaels, Alaska; Katmai, Alaska
Keywords: Charles W Carter, Carter Charles W, Juneau Men’s Igloo President, Klondike stampeders, Alaska mail carriers
Biography
Charles W. Carter served as President of the Juneau Men’s Igloo in 1935 and 1936.
Carter was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1870. He left home at the age of seventeen and worked in Calgary, Alberta; Vancouver, British Columbia; Portland, Oregon; and San Francisco, California.
When news of the Klondike gold strike reached San Francisco, Carter headed for Seattle. He took passage on one of the ships bound north and landed on the beach at Skagway in August 1897.
He first worked backpacking supplies and later with a pack train over the Skagway and Dyea trails, particularly the White Pass Trail. When the railroad was completed to Lake Bennett, and packers were no longer needed, he tried his luck prospecting for gold in the Atlin area.
He moved south to Juneau in 1899, where he worked as a hotel clerk, bartender, undertaker, and deliveryman, and also performed assessment work on mining claims in the Silver Bow Basin.
Carter was a member of the Juneau Volunteer Fire Department from 1899 until 1916.
In 1901, he accepted a contract to deliver United States mail between St. Michaels and Katmai. Carter left Juneau by steamship in September 1901 for Seattle, where he boarded the S.S. Roanoke on September 30 on the last northbound trip of the year.
The ship arrived on October 15 at St. Michaels, where Carter purchased a dog team and supplies. It was necessary to wait until December for favorable conditions to begin the 1,100-mile journey to deliver and collect the mail. During this time, he learned the art of driving and caring for a dog team.
He later married Alphonsine Carter.
Sources
Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries
Tags: Charles W Carter, Carter Charles W, Juneau Men’s Igloo, Klondike Gold Rush participants, Juneau Volunteer Fire Department