Douglas City Founded
When Dick Harris and Joe Juneau returned to Sitka with news of their find and the rush was on. Prospectors flocked to the area and began staking claims. A French Canadian by the name of French Pete Errusard learned of a gold bearing outcrop on Douglas Island across the Gastineau Channel from the new town of Juneau.
He staked adjacent claims in 1881 that were eventually sold along with others to John Treadwell, who was representing California investors. The mining town of Treadwell was soon established along with the town of Douglas City. Juneau and Douglas grew along with the mines as more people came to the area not only to mine but to start businesses.
Read moreHarris, Richard Tighe Jr.
Richard Tighe Harris, Junior was born on November 10, 1885, the youngest surviving son of Kitty Harris and Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris.
His older brother, William John Harris, also survived. A younger sister Mary Kelchine Harris, died at 11 months old.
They family lived at 219 Second Street on the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. Upon his father's death, William inherited this house.
He attended the native school in Juneau. In the mid-1890’s, he began to study at the Indian School at Chemawa, Oregon. The first correspondence in the Alaska Consortium Library's collection between them while at school and their father begins in late 1897.
Dick Harris’ eyesight began to fail by mid-1904, so Richard, joined his father in Juneau in August of that year. A month later, he wrote to his brother at Chemawa that their father had liver and eye trouble.
During this time, Richard helped his father at the Customs Office. He became a musician and carpenter, lived in Juneau for most of his life and raised a large family.
Harris, William John
Primary Name: Harris, William John, Jr.
Filed as: harris_william_j_jr
Also known as: William John Harris Jr.; William J. Harris Jr.; William Harris
Occupation / Association: Guide; Sign Painter; Political Cartoonist
Born: March 29, 1884, Juneau, Alaska
Died:
Parents: Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris; Kitty Harris
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill; Chemawa Indian School, Oregon
Property / Address: Harris Family Home, 219 Second Street, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska
Keywords: William John Harris Jr, William Harris Jr, Richard Dick Harris family, Kitty Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Alaska Native rights cartoonist, Chemawa Indian School students
Biography
William John Harris, Junior was born on March 29, 1884, the oldest surviving son of Kitty Harris and Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris. He was named after Dick Harris's nephew, William John Harris, Senior. An older brother with the same name died in infancy.
His younger brother, Richard Tighe Harris, Jr., also survived. A younger sister, Mary Kelchine Harris, died at 11 months old.
The family lived at 219 Second Street in the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. Upon his father's death, William inherited this house.
He attended the Native school in Juneau. In the mid-1890’s, he began studying at the Indian School at Chemawa, Oregon. The first correspondence in the Alaska Consortium Library's collection between the boys and their father begins in late 1897.
William Harris was a guide and sign painter in Juneau. He inherited the house after his father's death in 1907.
Although 1901 tax records show “lots and a building” and site improvements valued at $1,000, the Edward Bayless House, located on Lot 2 at 211 Dixon Street, is visible in an 1885 photograph. It is recorded that in 1912, Claire Bayless and Edward Bayless purchased Lot 1 and built the Edward Bayless House.
William was a nationally published political cartoonist whose caricature drawings demonstrated involvement in early Alaska Native rights efforts. While at school, he drew cartoons for the Salem Capital Journal, including a lampoon which helped cover his school expenses while he studied caricature.
He lived in Juneau most of his life and raised a large family.
Sources
Alaska Consortium Library – Harris Family Papers
Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey
Tags: William John Harris Jr, Harris William John Jr, Kitty Harris, Richard Dick Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Alaska Native rights advocates, Juneau pioneers
Harris, Kitty
Primary Name: Harris, Kitty
Filed as: harris_kitty
Also known as: Kitty Newcomb Harris; Katherine Harris, Kate Harris,
Occupation / Association: Early resident of Juneau; Tlingit resident of Hoonah
Born: circa 1867, Hoonah, Alaska
Died: February 1893, Juneau, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse: Richard Harris (m. circa 1880)
Children: William J. Harris (1882–1882); William J. Harris, Jr.; Richard Tighe Harris, Jr.; Mary Kelchine Harris (1888–1889)
Property / Address: 219 Second Street, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska
Associated places: Hoonah, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Harrisburg (Juneau), Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood
Keywords: Kitty Harris, Katherine Harris, Harris Kitty, Richard Harris wife, Telephone Hill residents, Harrisburg Alaska families, Tlingit residents Juneau, Hoonah Alaska families
Biography
Kitty Harris, a Tlingit woman from Hoonah, believed to be of the Wooshkeetaan clan, married Richard Harris around 1880.
In March 1881, the couple purchased Lots 1 and 2 on Telephone Hill from George Pilz and his wife. They later sold Lot 1 and built a home on Lot 2 at 219 Second Street.
The couple had four children. Their first son, William J. Harris, was born on May 14, 1882, but died two days later. A second son, William J. Harris, Jr., was born on March 29, 1884. On November 10, 1885, their son Richard Tighe Harris, Jr. was born. Their daughter Mary Kelchine Harris was born on March 22, 1888.
Kitty Harris and three of her children were baptized on Sunday, July 15, 1888, by Reverend Eugene S. Willard in the Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, Alaska.
Mary Kelchine Harris died on February 24, 1889, at the age of eleven months. Kitty Harris died in February 1893 at the age of 26.
Sources
Alaska Consortium Library; Telephone Hill historical records; Juneau Independent, "Telephone Hill Was Built Around a Tlingit Home"
Tags: Kitty Harris, Katherine Harris, Harris Kitty, Richard Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Hoonah Alaska families, Harrisburg Alaska families, Tlingit residents Juneau
Harris, Richard
Primary Name: Harris, Richard Tighe
Filed as: richard_tighe_harris
Also known as: Richard Harris; Dick Harris
Occupation / Association: Prospector; Miner; Founder of Juneau
Born: October 31, 1837, Drummadonald, County Down, Ireland
Died: October 11, 1907, Portland, Oregon
Parents: John Harris; Mary Anderson Harris
Spouse: Kitty Harris
Children: William J. Harris; Richard Tighe Harris, Jr.; Mary Kelchine Harris
Associated places: County Down, Ireland; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Kansas Territory; Bannack, Montana Territory; British Columbia; Juneau, Alaska; Douglas Island, Alaska; Portland, Oregon
Keywords: Richard Tighe Harris, Dick Harris, Richard Harris Juneau founder, Harris Mining District, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine discovery, Silver Bow Basin discovery
Biography
Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris was born on October 31, 1837, in or near Drummadonald, County Down, Ireland, to John Harris and Mary Anderson Harris. He immigrated to the United States by 1855 and was naturalized by about 1858.
Harris lived in Pennsylvania and Ohio, where he stayed with his uncle, Caldwell Anderson. He attended Duff’s Merchant’s College in Pittsburgh. In 1858, he went west, first to Missouri and Kansas Territory and then to the mining regions of the Rocky Mountains.
From 1859 forward, Harris lived the life of a frontier miner, working placer and lode mines in Idaho, Colorado Territory, Virginia City, Silver Bow, and Butte before recording claims near Bannack City in Montana Territory.
By 1877, Harris was in British Columbia. In the winter and spring of 1879, he began prospecting for George Pilz, a Sitka entrepreneur. Harris was guided in southeastern Alaska by Chief Kowee of the Auk Tlingit.
In October 1880, Harris, with partner Joe Juneau, made one of the most significant discoveries in American prospecting. Guided by Kowee, the men crossed Gold Creek into Silver Bow Basin, where they discovered rich placer deposits and the lode system that later became the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine.
Harris named the new settlement Harrisburgh after the capital of Pennsylvania, though the town was later renamed Juneau. The Harris Mining District was named in his honor.
Harris married Kitty Newcombe, a Tlingit woman from Hoonah, around 1880. They had several children, including William J. Harris and Richard Tighe Harris, Jr.
In March 1881, just a few months after gold was discovered, Richard and Kitty purchased three lots in the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. The Harris family residence stood near 219 Second Street.
After losing a legal dispute over mining claims in Silver Bow Basin in 1884, Harris lost most of his mining interests and property. He later worked for Thomas L. Nowell, managing the Alaska Union Mining Company mill on Douglas Island, and later held positions with the District Court, U.S. Customs Service, and as a Special Deputy Marshal.
Harris served on the first Grand Jury in Alaska in 1885 and remained active in mining ventures throughout his life.
By 1904, Harris’s eyesight had begun to fail, and his health had declined. He was eventually sent to a Masonic nursing home in Portland, Oregon, where he died on October 11, 1907.
Harris Street in Juneau bears his name, and the Richard Harris and Joseph Juneau Memorial commemorates the two men credited with the discovery of gold that led to the founding of Juneau.
Sources
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame; Alaska Consortium Library
Tags: Richard Tighe Harris, Dick Harris, Joe Juneau, Chief Kowee, George Pilz, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine discovery, Silver Bow Basin pioneers, Juneau founders
Harris, William John, Senior
Primary Name: Harris, William John, Sr.
Filed as: harris_william_john_sr
Also known as: William John Harris, William J. Harris
Occupation / Association: Miner; Chief of Police, City of Juneau; Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6
Born:
Died: February 1928, Juneau, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children: William John Harris, Jr.
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska; Nome, Alaska; Leadville, Colorado
Keywords: William John Harris Sr, William J Harris, Harris family Juneau, Juneau chief of police, Treadwell Mine workers
Biography
William John Harris, Sr., was one of the charter members of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo No. 6.
Harris was a nephew of Richard “Dick” Harris, who, with his partner Joe Juneau, was among the original settlers of the community that became the city of Juneau. Dick Harris named two of his sons after his nephew; the youngest survived into adulthood as William John Harris, Jr..
After living in Juneau for several years, Richard Harris traveled to Montana in 1882 to visit his brother and returned accompanied by his nephew, William.
William Harris worked for several years at the Treadwell Mine. He also worked in several interior mining camps and in Nome.
After leaving Alaska in the early years of the twentieth century, Harris served for several years as chief of police in Leadville, Colorado. The lure of Alaska eventually drew him north again, and he returned to Juneau about 1908, where he resumed work at the Treadwell Mine.
In 1911 or 1912, Emery Valentine, mayor of Juneau, appointed Harris chief of police for the city. After serving two years in that role, he returned to employment at the Treadwell Mine. Later, he worked at the Alaska-Juneau Mine after it began operations.
Harris spent the final months of his life at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau, where he died in February 1928.
Sources
Alaska Weekly, February 24, 1928; Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850-1950, Vol. 1, pp. 130-131, Ed Ferrell