Primary Name: McGinnis, Don

Filed as: McGinnis, Don

Also known as: Don McGinnis

Occupation / Association: Storekeeper; early Juneau resident

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Dalton Trail region; Chilkat country, Alaska

Keywords: Don McGinnis, Jack Dalton, Dalton Trail conflict, Chilkat Indians, Marshall Sylvester, early Juneau merchants, Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Biography

Don McGinnis was an early storekeeper in Alaska whose name became associated with one of the better-known early conflicts involving Jack Dalton and the use of the trail country connected with the Chilkat route.

In the early years of the trail, when pack trains could include as many as 250 horses, the route was not universally welcomed by all local residents and interests. McGinnis reportedly tried to stop Dalton’s operations by appealing to the Chilkat Indians to deny access.

Matters came to a head on March 6, 1893, when Dalton went to McGinnis’s store. During a fight, apparently involving possession of Dalton’s pistol, McGinnis was shot. He died the following day while being taken to the hospital in Juneau, and Dalton was jailed.

On June 18, 1893, a jury found the shooting accidental and acquitted Dalton. Deputy Marshal Marshall Sylvester reportedly commended the jury, but many Juneau citizens were dissatisfied with the verdict and denounced both Sylvester and the outcome of the trial. Dalton reportedly paid little attention to a written notice from the group demanding that he leave Alaska.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame