Tibbets, Charles
Tibbets, Captain Charles
Occupation: Mariner, ferry operator, later merchant
Associated Places: Juneau, Alaska; Douglas, Alaska; Telephone Hill
Biography
Captain Charles Tibbets was an early mariner and transportation operator in the Juneau–Douglas area during the territorial period. He was associated with the ownership and operation of the first ferry service connecting the communities of Juneau and Douglas.
Tibbets and his wife owned the site of what later became known as the Judge George Alexander House on the southeast face of Telephone Hill from 1889 until the property was sold by his estate in 1931.
As a mariner, Captain Tibbets was involved with the ownership and operation of the first Juneau–Douglas ferry boat company (Davis, 1893). For a number of years, he served as skipper of vessels for the Juneau Ferry and Navigation Company, which later assumed the ferry operations between Juneau and Douglas. These early ferry routes were an essential transportation link between the mining town of Douglas and the growing community of Juneau.
Later in his career, Tibbets commanded vessels for the United States Bureau of Fisheries, reflecting the continued importance of maritime work in the region’s economy.
Toward the end of his life, he operated a candy store located at Main and Third Streets in Juneau, a business mentioned in the Daily Alaska Empire in 1931.
Sources
- Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984
- Davis, 1893
- Daily Alaska Empire, 1931
Hunter, Earle Leslie
Primary Name: Hunter, Earle L.
Filed as: hunter_earle_l
Also known as: Earle L. Hunter
Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men’s Igloo; mariner; Deputy Customs Collector; Juneau Postmaster; Territorial Legislator
Born: 1872, Mondovi, Wisconsin
Died: September 3, 1935
Parents:
Spouse: Emma Lulu Miller
Children:
Associated places: Mondovi, Wisconsin; Wrangell, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Douglas, Alaska
Keywords: Earle L Hunter, Hunter Earle L, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter member, Juneau postmaster 1912–1916, Alaska Territorial Legislature 1921, Bureau of Fisheries fleet
Biography
Earle L. Hunter was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo.
Hunter was born in Mondovi, Wisconsin, in 1872. He came to Wrangell, Alaska in March 1898 and moved to Juneau and Douglas in 1899.
During his time in Alaska, he held a number of public and maritime positions. He worked as a mariner and held Master’s papers for vessels operating in waters from Puget Sound to and including the southeastern and southwestern waters of Alaska.
Hunter served as a Deputy Customs Collector from 1898 to 1903, was a member of the Juneau City Council from 1905 to 1906, and served as Juneau postmaster from 1912 to 1916. In 1921, he was elected to the Alaska Territorial Legislature.
At the time of his death on September 3, 1935, he was in charge of the Bureau of Fisheries fleet.
He married Emma Lulu Miller, originally from Oregon, in 1899.
Sources
Gastineau Channel Memories 1880–1959, p. 233; Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo 6 Biographical Sketch
Tags: Earle L Hunter, Hunter Earle L, Juneau Men’s Igloo, Alaska Territorial Legislature members, Juneau postmasters, Alaska mariners