Primary Name: Peterson, Margaret
Filed as: Peterson, Margaret
Also known as: Margaret Peterson
Occupation / Association: Member of the Peterson mining family
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska; Peterson Lake, Alaska; Tee Harbor, Alaska; Prairie Basin, Alaska
Keywords: Margaret Peterson Juneau Alaska, Peterson family Juneau Alaska, Peterson Lake mining history, Cheechako Creek claim, Prairie Basin Alaska mining, Tee Harbor mining district, Telephone Hill Peterson Kasnick House, Marie Jensen Peterson, John G Peterson miners
Biography
Margaret Peterson was born in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century to John G. Peterson and Marie Jensen Peterson, along with her sister Irma Peterson.
The family lived on Telephone Hill in Juneau in the Peterson-Kasnick House, which they built at 203 West Third Street.
In April 1899, John G. Peterson staked a placer claim on the creek that now bears his name. He called it Cheechako Creek and named one of its tributaries Goose Creek, while the surrounding valley became known as Prairie Basin. Later that same year, the lake appeared in mining records as Reservoir Lake, and by 1905, it had become known as Peterson Lake.
Peterson later sold his store to devote all of his time to mining. His principal lode claim was about half a mile east of the lake and was first reached by trail from Tee Harbor.
He later built a home at Pearl Harbor and cut a wagon road from there to the mine, where he installed a three-stamp mill. Peterson operated the mine until shortly before his death on August 20, 1916.
After his death, Marie Jensen Peterson continued operating the mine for several years with the assistance of her daughters Irma and Margaret.
The present Peterson Lake Trail follows the route of the old wagon road, leaving Glacier Highway at Mile 24. Peterson Lake lies on the mainland about sixteen miles northwest of Juneau and roughly one mile from tidewater at Tee Harbor.
Sources
Local historical records and mining reports related to the Peterson Lake area.