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.

Primary Name: Hansen, Martin

Filed as: hansen_martin

Also known as: Martin Hansen

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men’s Igloo; miner; prospector

Born: Norway

Died: October 30, 1920, Juneau, Alaska

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Norway; Australia; California; Idaho; Montana; British Columbia; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Martin Hansen, Hansen Martin, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter member, Alaska prospectors, Juneau miners

Biography

Martin Hansen was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo.

Hansen was born in Norway. After leaving school, he spent a number of years at sea and afterward settled in Australia. Soon, the gold excitement of California attracted his attention, and the early 1870s found him among the army of prospectors in the hills of that state.

Success attended his labors, but the lure of the rich gold fields of Idaho and Montana again called him northward. Hansen resided a number of years in Idaho until the gold stampede in British Columbia and Alaska drew him once more into the ranks of the Argonauts who uncovered the hidden wealth of the Northland.

Hansen later lived in Juneau, where he engaged in mining and prospecting.

Preferring a few close friends to a large acquaintanceship, his many acts of charity were largely unknown to the public. During World War I, he was a regular subscriber to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army, though he quietly paid through the secretaries of these organizations rather than have his name appear on subscription lists. No prospector left his cabin hungry.

Martin Hansen died at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau on October 30, 1920.

Sources

Daily Alaska Empire, October 30, 1920; Daily Alaska Empire, November 1, 1920

Tags: Martin Hansen, Hansen Martin, Juneau Men’s Igloo, Alaska prospectors, Juneau miners

Martin Hansen Hansen Martin M Hansen

Primary Name: Steinbeck, William

Filed as: Steinbeck, William

Also known as: William Steinbeck

Occupation / Association: Prospector; laborer; carpenter; jail guard; charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo

Associated places: Germany; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: William Steinbeck, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter member, Steinbeck Apartments Juneau, early Juneau property owners, Alaska prospectors, Juneau carpenters

Biography

William Steinbeck was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo.

He was born in Germany in 1864 and immigrated to the United States in 1865. Steinbeck first came to Juneau, Alaska in 1898 during the early years of the territory’s mining development.

During his years in Alaska, he worked in a variety of occupations, including prospector, laborer, carpenter, and jail guard, reflecting the diverse types of work common among early residents of Southeast Alaska.

Steinbeck was also a property owner in Juneau, owning the Steinbeck Apartments on Second Street between Harris Street and Gold Street.

William Steinbeck died on December 11, 1936, at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau.

Sources

Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo No. 6 Biographical Sketch

Daily Alaska Empire, December 11, 1936