Primary Name: Juneau, Joseph

Filed as: juneau_joseph

Also known as: Joe Juneau; Joseph “Joe” Juneau

Occupation / Association: Prospector; co-discoverer of gold at Juneau

Born: May 1836, Lower Canada (Quebec)

Died: January 1899, Dawson, Yukon Territory

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Quebec, Canada; Schenectady, New York; Sitka, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Dawson, Yukon

Keywords: Joseph Juneau, Joe Juneau, Juneau Alaska founder, Juneau gold discovery 1880, Richard Harris, Chief Kowee, Silver Bow Basin, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine

Biography

Joseph “Joe” Juneau was one of the discoverers of gold in the Juneau area in 1880 and the man for whom the city of Juneau is named.

Juneau was born in May 1836 in Lower Canada (Quebec). As a young man he moved to the United States and worked as a miner and prospector throughout the American West.

In 1879, he joined Richard “Dick” Harris in prospecting for gold in southeastern Alaska for Sitka merchant George Pilz. Their guide in the region was Chief Kowee, who led them into the mountains behind Gastineau Channel.

In October 1880, Harris and Juneau discovered rich placer deposits in Silver Bow Basin. Within a short period, they staked claims on some of the richest ground in the basin, discoveries that eventually led to the development of the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine.

The settlement that developed near the discovery was first called Harrisburg, then Pilzburg, and later Rockwell. In 1881, the miners voted to rename the town Juneau in honor of Joe Juneau.

Juneau later sold his interest in the mining claims and continued prospecting in other northern districts, eventually traveling to the Yukon during the Klondike Gold Rush.

He died in Dawson, Yukon Territory, in January 1899.

Sources

Alaska Consortium Library — Joseph Juneau Correspondence

Tags: Joseph Juneau, Joe Juneau, Juneau Alaska founder, Richard Harris, Chief Kowee, Silver Bow Basin discovery, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine

Joseph Juneau Joe Juneau Juneau Joseph J Juneau Joseph Juno Joseph Juneaux

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.

Primary Name: Kow ee

Filed as: kow_ee

Also known as: Chief Kow ee; Kowee

Occupation / Association: Chief of the Auk Tlingit

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Silver Bow Basin, Alaska; Gold Creek, Alaska

Keywords: Kow ee, Chief Kow ee, Kowee, Auk Tlingit chief, discovery of Juneau gold, Silver Bow Basin discovery

Biography

Chief Kow ee of the Auk Tlingit was credited with guiding prospectors to the gold-bearing areas that led to the founding of Juneau.

When prospectors returned to Pilz empty-handed, Kow ee sent them back to the Juneau area to continue their search.

In October of 1880, Richard "Dick" Harris, with partner Joe Juneau, made one of the most significant discoveries of American prospecting.

Kow ee took them beyond Gold Creek to Silver Bow Basin, and within a two-week period, they discovered and staked some of the richest placer mines in the Silver Bow Basin, and, more importantly, the lode system that ultimately became the Alaska-Juneau Gold Mine, also known as the AJ Mine.

Sources

Juneau mining history records; Pioneers of Alaska historical records

Kow ee Kowee Chief Kow ee Auk Tlingit Kowee Juneau discovery

Tags: Kow ee, Chief Kow ee, Kowee, Auk Tlingit leaders, Richard Dick Harris, Joe Juneau, Silver Bow Basin discovery, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine

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

Richard Tighe Harris Dick Harris Richard Harris Juneau founder Harris Richard T Harris

Tags: Richard Tighe Harris, Dick Harris, Joe Juneau, Chief Kowee, George Pilz, Alaska Juneau Gold Mine discovery, Silver Bow Basin pioneers, Juneau founders

The Edward Bayless House is located at 211 Dixon Street in the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood.

Ownership documentation of Lots 1 and 2 reveals that George Pilz and his wife sold the property to Juneau co-founder Richard T. Harris in March 1881.

Pilz grubstaked Joe Juneau and Richard Harris during their search for southeast Alaska gold. When Juneau's two founders discovered gold and reported to Pilz, he joined the others in staking local claims.

Although 1901 tax records show "lots and a building" and site improvements valued at $1,000, the Edward Bayless House located at on Lot 2 at 211 Dixon Street is reportedly visible in an 1885 photograph.

In a October 13, 1904 letter Richard wrote his brother that their father, "wants to sell the back lot so he can put up a new house and have money in case anything should happen to him." The boys own the place and he asks his brother to send permission for their father to sell the land. The permission was given but Harris did not sell the property as it will increase in value because the town is growing fast as was revealed in a November 20, 1904 letter.

The Harris family lived in a house on an adjacent lot at 219 Second Street, although Kitty Harris died in 1893 and Richard Harris died in 1907.  William John Harris, Junior inherited the property on his father's death.

The original residence was replaced around 1910; the second structure stood until the late 1950s. Harris married Kitty, a Tlingit from Hoonah, in the 1880s. They raised four children in the Telephone Hill home. William Harris, the oldest surviving child, inherited the house after his father's death in 1907 (Walle, 1981). William was nationally published political cartoonist who was involved in early Alaska Native Rights efforts.

Harris maintained property ownership until 1912, when Claire Bayless and Edward Bayless purchased Lot 1 and built the Edward Bayless House.  In 1913, tax records indicate a building was situated on the Bayless lot, and a 1916 entry lists a law library on the premises valued at $175.

Bayless, a registered Republican, engaged in a law partnership with Louis P. Shackleford. The Baylesses retained property ownership until 1921, selling to Thomas J. McCaul, owner of a cigar store on Front Street. McCaul continued ownership until 1933.

In 1941, Senna Paul Powers bought Lots 1 and 2 and the house.

The Bayless House, a rectangular, 30'x44.5', 1½-story Craftsman­ Shingle structure, has retained its architectural integrity. The post-and-beam frame is covered with cedar shakes and rests on a poured concrete foundation. The gabled roof is composition shingle-covered, and a chimney sits on the ridgeline. Extended eaves with fascia boards are visible.

The west facade features two gabled dormers. The original, double-hung sash windows with upper multi-lites are symmetrically arranged on all facades. Some original, wood storm windows are evident.

A small entry vestibule, oriented west, is centrally located on the main facade. Vintage doors appear here and at the basement entrance on the north facade. Small, multi-lite windows are located on the front entry, and smaller units appear on the basement level. The main floor is divided into two apartments; the upper floor contains one unit. 

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984, found that  this well-built, unpretentious residence is important architecturally. A fine example of the Craftsman-Shingle style popular on the West Coast during the early 20th century, it has retained its architectural integrity. This distinctive design is evident in the building's original craftsman-like use of local and natural materials.

The most striking characteristic of this natural style is the dark-stained shake shingles covering the entire residence. The prolific use of shingles makes decorative trimming unnecessary. Other stylistic features include a moderately pitched, rectangular roof with gabled dormers. The eave overhangs were kept short for maximum display of the shingled walls. The original double-hung sash windows are grouped in twos and threes.

The house has undergone minimal structural alterations.  It was found to be a contributing member of the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood.

https://poajuneau.nationbuilder.com/garside_charleshttps://poajuneau.nationbuilder.com/degroff_edEuro-American presence in southeast Alaska began in·the latter part of the 18th century when explorers visited the area in search of highly prized furs, particularly the sea otter, for trade purposes. The survey for Alaskan resources included the search for precious minerals and the hope of discovering the famed Northwest Passage (State of Alaska 1982).

Countries involved in exploring the northwest coast of North America included Spain, England, Russia, France and Japan. Russian explorers are recorded as the first to encounter Native groups in southeastern Alaska. The first published account of exploration in Gastineau Channel was written by Captain George Vancouver, describing his journeys in 1793 and 1794. Seventy years later, the name Gastineau Channel was included on the 1867 Humphrey manuscript furnished to Western Telegraph Company (Werner 1925).

John Muir, a well-known naturalist, visited Lynn Canal in 1879. Upon his return to Sitka after interacting with Chilkat Tlingits, Muir noted that gold might be found in the area lying between Windham Bay and Sullivan Island in northern Lynn Canal.

Chief Kowee of the Auk Tlingit brought ore samples to George Pilz, a mining engineer residing in Sitka in 1880. These samples confirmed Muir's statements of potential gold reserves in southeast Alaska ( DeArmond 1967).

The Valentine Building, built in two phases in 1904 and completed in 1913, is significant for its Frontier Alaskan architectural character, its recognized importance as Juneau's most prestigious office building
during the first half of this century, its association with Emery Valentine and other prominent pioneer Alaskans and significant historic events.

Emery Valentine arrived in Alaska in 1886, possessed of a strong degree of entrepreneurial ambition. At the age of 10, he had already crossed the midwest plains with his pioneering parents.

He followed the Rocky Mountain gold fields as prospector and miner, and lost a leg lost in an early Colorado Territory mining accident.

Still following the gold trails, Valentine arrived in the raw gold camp of Juneau only six years after that significant 1880 Gold Creek discovery by Joe Juneau and Richard T. Harris. He learned goldsmithing—which led him into the gold jewelry trade.

John Olds, one of the first sourdough prospectors following Juneau and Harris, recalled that,"We landed our canoe on November, 1880, at the foot of where Seward Street new is. . ."  This site, just at the-tide mark, was registered, in 1881 as a mining claim, the Boston Lode.

In 1896, yhe year after Valentine's Alaskan arrival, Ernest Ingersoll's best-selling book, Gold Fields of the Klondyke, proclaimed "Juneau, a town of 3,000 is rightly called the metropolis of Alaska Territory. Whether she will retain this prestige remains to be seen. If so, one of two things must occur.  She must plane down
the side of her mountains or erect skyscraping buildings with elevators to accommodate her populace, for nearly every foot of available ground is already occupied. . ."

Emery Valentine was foremost among the developers who found a better way.

When he arrived in Juneau, Front Street was the high tide beach of Gastineau Channel. Emery Valentine, accordingly, was among those who set progress by filling in ground along this derelict beachline. This enabled Valentine to build the first segment of his first building.

"Walking up the stairs to the second floor of the Valentine Building . . . is a trip back into what was the most prestigious business building of Juneau in the early 1900's, built by one of Juneau's colorful pioneer characters ..."  according to Toni Croft & Phyllis Bradner's Touring Juneau; Back Streets, Bawdy-houses, Bars & Bodacious Biographies.

In 1913, the Valentine Building block was advantageously enlarged to in­clude the prime corner lot at Seward and Front Streets. The 1904 structure not only doubled in size, but its impact was vastly enhanced by the most prominent corner location of two streets—rather than only one.

Emery Valentine had come to Alaska in 1886 to satisfy a lifelong desire to develop North America's "Last Frontier." Valentine founded Juneau's finest jewelry store which occupied the city's test retail site at the corner of Seward and Front with exposure on both streets.

Valentine became highly active in Alaskan politics and civic activities. He was Chairman of a city council-type organization called the Juneau Board of Safety, and underwriter and private financier for the first Juneau Fire Department. Valentine served six successful terms as Mayor after Juneau was incorporated in 1900.

Emery Valentine proved his deep commitment to development of Southeastern Alaska. As one of the largest property owners in southeastern Alaska, he helped found the Alaska Steamship Line, the foremost freight and passenger ocean line with service to Seattle. He founded the Peoples Wharf Company Docks at Skagway and Juneau, which so affected shipping charges in these ports, that coal and lumber prices dropped to almost half of the exorbitant rates paid before 1900.

Valentine wanted to erect "a quality structure that would give Juneau a truer air of urbanity."

The Valentine Building was the first in Alaska where office space was intentionally separated from retail space. The building's reputation for quality offices, gained over the years, and its ideal central downtown location, as well as architectural quality, provided elite tenancy for the first half of the century.

Architecturally, the Valentine building is an outstanding example of frontier Commercial architecture that recalls a pioneer Alaskan tradition of quality craftswork; the design responding and interpreting the contemporary archi­tectural developments of the late 19th century West Coast.

Despite intentions to the contrary, the building is a vernacular one; yet impressive in its execution of style. The isolation of Juneau at that time, plus the popularity of pattern books as architectural design aids, provided the fine ornamentation of the building which was available from Seattle millworks).

Stylistically, Valentine Building provides documentation of an historic design evolution.

It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination form

Primary Name: Ashby, Thomas Henly

Filed as: ashby_thomas_henly

Also known as: Thomas H. Ashby

Occupation / Association: Prospector; Miner; Merchant; Charter Member, Juneau Men’s Igloo; Topkuk Ditch Company partner

Born: 1865, Missouri

Died: 1951, Tacoma, Washington

Parents:

Spouse: Mary Andreafsky

Children: Charles Ashby; Inez Ashby

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska; Glacier Bay, Alaska; Stewart River, Yukon; Forty Mile, Alaska; Dawson, Yukon Territory; Nome, Alaska; Tacoma, Washington

Property / Address: Ashby and Leek Building (later Missouri Saloon / Louvre Theater), Front Street, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Thomas Henly Ashby, Thomas H Ashby, Ashby brothers, Missouri Saloon Juneau, Louvre Theater Juneau, Topkuk Ditch Company, Dawson stampede 1897, early Juneau prospectors

Biography

Thomas Henly Ashby was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska.

Ashby was born in Missouri in 1865. In 1884, he and his brother Oscar left their pig farm in Missouri at the urging of Richard T. Harris. They arrived in Juneau on May 11 and worked in various enterprises, including employment at the Treadwell Mine.

One of Thomas’s first prospecting trips was with Joe Juneau to Glacier Bay. In 1886, he and his brother traveled north, built a pole boat, and mined in the Stewart River area. They returned to Juneau in October of that year.

In 1887, Thomas returned to the Forty Mile area to prospect. Back in Juneau in 1891, the Ashby brothers and William Leek built a two-story building on Front Street at the site of the present Imperial Bar. The establishment began as a saloon known as Ashby and Leek, and later the Missouri. It was later known as the Louvre Theater and Saloon.

Thomas was among the early stampeders to Dawson in 1897 during the Klondike Gold Rush, where he mined on Eldorado, Below Bonanza, and other creeks.

He met and married Mary Andreafsky at Holy Cross. In 1899, Mary joined her husband in Dawson and crossed the Chilkoot Pass, carrying their three-month-old baby, Charles, on her back while a friend carried their two-year-old, Inez.

The family later moved to Nome, where Thomas and his brother became partners in the well-known Topkuk Ditch Company. Mary died in 1913. Thomas continued prospecting afterward and staked claims in many locations north and south of Juneau.

He died in Tacoma, Washington, in 1951 from complications following surgery.

Sources

Gastineau Channel Memories 1880–1959, pp. 260–261.

Tags: Thomas Henly Ashby, Thomas H Ashby, Ashby brothers, Oscar Ashby, Juneau pioneers, Missouri Saloon Juneau, Louvre Theater Juneau, Topkuk Ditch Company, Klondike stampeders, Juneau Men’s Igloo charter member

Thomas Henly Ashby Thomas H Ashby T H Ashby Ashby Thomas Henly

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

William John Harris Sr William J Harris Harris William John William Harris Juneau

Alaska Native Tlingit and Haida people reportedly occupied Southeast Alaska for hundreds of years prior to European contact.

The Haida lived primarily in the southwestern portion of Southeast Alaska, while the Tlingit resided in the rest of the region. The Auk, Taku and Sumdum tribes of Tlingit people lived in what is now the City and Borough of Juneau at the time George Vancouver's crew noticed smoke from a campfire at an Auke Bay village. This first recorded account of the Auks was in 1794.

In 1867, The United States bought Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. Gold was known to exist in Southeast Alaska as early as the 1860s located in a string of highly mineralized deposits along the coastline from Windham Bay to Berners Bay.

George Pilz, a Sitka miner, was convinced that gold existed in the Gastineau Channel area when Chief Kowee of the Auk people brought him ore from the mouth of what was to be called Gold Creek. He outfitted two prospectors, Richard T. Harris and Joseph Juneau, and sent them to investigate. Following the creek to its headwaters in Silverbow Basin, they staked a claim on October 4, 1880.

Harris and Juneau established a 160 acre townsite at the beach near the mouth of Gold Creek on October 18, 1880 and named it Harrisburg. In early 1881, a town meeting resulted in the name being changed to Rockwell in honor of the Naval Commander that was sent to the area to establish law and order. By the end of 1881, Joe Juneau lobbied the local miners, complaining nothing in the district had been named for him, and it was agreed to change the town's name to Juneau. In 1900, Juneau was incorporated and named the seat of government for the Alaska Territory.

As early placer mining operations gave way to large underground mines, transportation of vast amounts of goods, materials, and people became increasingly important. The glacial, mountainous, and coastal terrain surrounding the Juneau area made overland transportation impossible. The only reasonable options were by sea and later air.

Juneau's harbor developed with a number of ship docks to handle the influx of commerce to support the growing community. By1901, the Pacific Coastal Steamship Company had a wharf and warehouse facility at the subject site. The facility served the shipping needs of the community until 1924, when Pacific Coastal was purchased by Admiral Line, a competing shipping company, and moved to another location on Juneau's waterfront.

The Juneau Motor Company purchased the property in 1924, and erected a garage and office on the wharf to serve their new business. This was Juneau's first Ford dealership as automobiles became popular.

Aviation history was made on April 15, 1929, when Enscel Eckmann flew into Juneau in his Lockheed Vega named "Juneau." It was the first non-stop flight from Seattle to Alaska. Shortly after arriving, Eckmann formed Alaska-Washington Airways, Juneau's first airline. Alaska-Washington Airways operated out of a hangar built atop a large log raft anchored in front of the Juneau Motor Company facility. During the 1930s there were a number of companies providing float plane service out of the Juneau Harbor. These included Alaska Southern Airways, Pacific Alaska Airways, Panhandle Air Transport,Alaska Air Transport, and Marine Airways.

In 1936, the Juneau Motor company's building and dock were demolished by Alaska Air Transport (AAT) to make way for a hangar and repair shop. Local investors funded the hangar which was built to house five planes. The 5,000 square foot hangar was used in conjunction with a floating hangar already owned by AAT. A wood and steel ramp connected the new hangar to the sea level floating dock allowing loading/unloading of passengers and cargo.

In addition, a lift system, composed of a long boom, slings, pulleys and railroad tracks,was developed to lift planes out of the water and transport them into the hangar on the wharf. The 'crane' was designed by Shell Simmons and used for the first time to lift AAT's Bellanca on August 27, 1936.

Fire destroyed the Alaska Air Transport hangar on June 10, 1938. The Daily Alaska Empire (currently Juneau Empire) reported the fire started from a welding torch that ignited the fabric of a Bellanca Skyrocket float plane. Damage from the fire was estimated at $25,000 and included destruction of the Bellanca Skyrocket, substantial damage to the buildinq, and destruction of machinery, parts and tools. The buildinq was insured and plans were made to rebuild.

Sheldon "Shell" Simmons, owner of Alaska Air Transport, was quoted as saying, "We're in the flying business, same as usual."

Between 1938 and 1939,a new Alaska Air Transport hangar was constructed. In July 1940, Alaska Air Transport and Marine Airways merged to become Alaska Coastal Airlines. After the merger the new company purchased the hangar from the private owner from whom they had been leasing. In 1946, the building underwent a major renovation including a hangar addition of approximately 10,000 square feet. In addition, office space was added in 1951, and a baggage handling area was constructed in 1957. In the 1950's, Alaska Coastal Airlines served 33 towns throughout Alaska, only four of which had airports. Alaska Coastal Airlines was recognized as a model of independency because they were at least 1,000miles away from any repair-shop or parts department, thus all servicing and repairs were done in house.

In the July1959 issue of Popular Mechanics the article, "Alaska's Flying Bus Line", praised Alaska Coastal Airlines as being, "...a most unique air operation that's a tribute to old-fashioned American ingenuity." Many innovations came out of the Alaska Coastal Airlines hangar over the years, in order to combat the harsh Alaska climate and lack of available parts as well as making planes more efficient. Alaska Coastal Airlines retrofitted the first "Turbo Goose" by replacing the original engines with Pratt and Whittney PT6A turboprops.

Coastal Ellis Airlines continued their operations out of the Alaska Coastal hangar. They owned and operated the greatest exclusively amphibian airline in the world, with the largest fleet of the legendary Grumman Goose in private hands. Today five of Alaska Coastal Ellis Airline planes sit in museums around the world. These museums include the McChord Air Force Museum in Washington, DC, the National Canadian Aviation Museum in Ottawa, the Tongass Historical Museum in Ketchikan, the Yanks Air Museum in Greenfield,California, and the Swedish Air Force Museum in Linkoping.

In 1968, Alaska Airlines purchased Alaska Coastal Ellis Airlines. Alaska Airlines did not wish to continue float plane operations based out of the Alaska Coastal Airlines Hangar building, so Dean Williams and Bill Bernhardt formed Southeast Skyways in late 1968 to fill the void, renting the hangar facility from Alaska Airlines. Southeast Skyways was strictly charter until 1969, when Alaska Airlines asked Southeast Skyways to take over the former Alaska Coastal Ellis Airline routes.

In 1974, Henry Camarot, Louis Dischner, and Frank Irich purchased the Alaska Coastal Airlines Hangar. The building was remodeled for use as a retail center with restaurants, shops, and offices. They named the bulldinq "Merchant's Wharf" which continues to serve as a retail center today.

About this time Southeast Skyways was purchased by Wings of Alaska. Although the hangar and repair facilities have been converted to retail uses, Wings of Alaska continues to operate from a floating dock to serve the tourist trade. These floats and associated aircraft activity are reminiscent of former operations at this location and serve as a reminder of the history and historic events of this aspect of Juneau's past.

Alaska Coastal Airlines Hangar Historic Survey, September 2006