Primary Name: Fremming, Frank

Filed as: Fremming, Frank

Also known as: Frank Fremming

Occupation / Association: Prospector; miner; charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo, Pioneers of Alaska

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Berners Bay district, Alaska; Southeast Alaska; Germany

Keywords: Frank Fremming, Fremming family, Juneau Men's Igloo, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, Berners Bay mining district, Alaska prospectors, early Juneau residents

Biography

Frank Fremming was an early resident of Juneau and a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska, one of the fraternal organizations established to preserve the history and fellowship of Alaska’s early settlers.

Fremming was born in Germany around 1864. Like many immigrants drawn to the opportunities of the far north during Alaska’s mining era, he traveled to Alaska around the turn of the twentieth century. After arriving in the territory, he made Southeast Alaska his home for the remainder of his life.

His principal occupation was prospecting and mining. Much of his activity took place in the Berners Bay mining district, located north of Juneau along Lynn Canal. Berners Bay was an important mining region during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, attracting prospectors and miners searching for gold and other mineral resources.

Prospectors working in the Berners Bay district often endured difficult conditions, traveling by boat or trail to remote claims and working seasonally in rugged terrain. Men such as Fremming formed part of the network of miners and laborers who supported the broader mining economy that sustained the early development of Juneau and surrounding communities.

Frank Fremming died at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau on October 27, 1931. His death was attributed to ailments incidental to advanced age. He had lived in Southeast Alaska for many years and was remembered as one of the early prospectors associated with the region’s mining history.

Sources

• Daily Alaska Empire, October 28, 1931.