Primary Name: Harkrader, George
Filed as: george_harkrader
Also known as: George Harkrader
Occupation / Association: Miner; Prospector; Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6
Born: May 29, 1847, Warren County, Ohio
Died: 1915
Parents:
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Warren County, Ohio; Sitka, Alaska; Fort Wrangell, Alaska; Cassiar District; Juneau, Alaska; Mount Roberts; Silver Bow Basin; Admiralty Island; Chatham Strait; Killisnoo; Telephone Hill, Juneau
Property / Address: Lots 5, 6, and 7, west slope of Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska
Keywords: George Harkrader, Harkrader George, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6, Telephone Hill property owners, Mount Roberts mining claims, Silver Bow Basin miners, Alaska Juneau Mine early claims
Biography
George Harkrader was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.
Harkrader was born on May 29, 1847, in Warren County, Ohio. He came to Alaska in the early mining era and traveled through Sitka, Fort Wrangell, and the Cassiar mining district before arriving in Juneau in April 1881.
In December 1880, Harkrader staked a lode claim on Mount Roberts, as well as a quartz claim in Silver Bow Basin and a hillside placer claim. These claims were located in the area later developed as the Alaska-Juneau Mine, also known as the Little Treadwell (DeArmond 1967; Alaska Monthly 1907).
Harkrader was a mining partner of Henry Coons and Dan Campbell for six years, and together they recovered more than $75,000 from their placer operations. He was also among the original owners in the Nevada Creek district, held quartz mining property on Admiralty Island, and invested considerable money in developing a coal property on Chatham Strait near Killisnoo.
The 1894 plat map of the Juneau townsite shows Harkrader owning Lots 5, 6, and 7 on the west slope of the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. City tax rolls indicate that Harkrader and, later, his estate owned the property until 1920.
The 1914 Sanborn map shows a residence, possibly Harkrader's home, located on the north half of Lots 5, 6, and 7 next to the West Second Street right-of-way (Hurley 1983). The structure was removed in the mid-1930s. The Ralph Martin House at 128 Dixon Street was later constructed on these lots.
Prior to his death in 1915, Harkrader ran unsuccessfully for the Juneau City Council as a Socialist.
Sources
Alaska Monthly Magazine, Oct-Nov 1907; Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850-1950, Volume 1, p. 130, Ed Ferrell (May 1, 2009); Hurley 1983
Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey
Tags: George Harkrader, Harkrader George, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6, Telephone Hill residents, Mount Roberts miners, Silver Bow Basin pioneers, Admiralty Island mining