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.

Rielly, Patrick

Association: Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo

Role: Charter Member

Biography

Patrick Rielly was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska.

Rielly was a native of Ireland and had been a resident of Juneau for approximately twenty-five years. He worked as a miner and prospector in the Juneau mining district.

For many years, he owned and worked a mining claim in Silver Bow Basin. Rielly was known as a solitary man who spent most of his time working at his mine and had few close acquaintances.

Patrick Rielly died at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau on September 12, 1921, at the age of seventy.

Sources

• Daily Alaska Empire, September 12, 1921

Primary Name: Tanner, Josias Martin

Filed as: Tanner, Josias Martin

Also known as: Josias Tanner; “Senator Si” Tanner

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo; Alaska Territorial Senator; Mayor of Skagway; Deputy United States Marshal; merchant; miner

Associated places: Oakland County, Michigan; Central City, Colorado; Juneau, Alaska; Skagway, Alaska; Tacoma, Washington

Keywords: Josias Martin Tanner, Senator Si Tanner, Juneau Men's Igloo charter members, Skagway Alaska mayor, Soapy Smith era Skagway, Alaska Territorial Legislature, Skagway Vigilantes, Arctic Brotherhood members, Alaska-Yukon pioneers

Biography

Josias Martin Tanner was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska and one of the prominent early civic leaders of Skagway during Alaska’s gold rush era.

Tanner was born in Oakland County, Michigan, on February 22, 1850. His grandfather served in the Revolutionary War, having enlisted at the age of fifteen. A brother of Tanner’s grandfather, William Tanner, was reportedly a member of President George Washington's bodyguard when the British and Loyalists attempted to capture the first President.

Known throughout Alaska as “Senator Si,” Tanner served two terms in Alaska’s territorial lawmaking assembly.

As a young man, Tanner began his career in mining. At the age of twenty, he left Michigan and went to Central City, Colorado, one of the famous mining camps of Gilpin County. There he worked in the gold mines and mills of Colorado for four years.

In 1871, he married Juliette Valentine, the sister of Emery Valentine, who later served as mayor of Juneau. Three children were born to the couple: two daughters, who later lived in Tacoma, Washington, and a son, Fred Tanner, who eventually joined his father in business in Skagway.

The family later moved to Tacoma, where Tanner worked in the contracting business. In 1896, he accepted a position in Emery Valentine’s general store in Juneau.

During the Klondike Gold Rush, he moved to Skagway in July 1897 during the Dawson stampede and remained there for the rest of his life. In Skagway, he played an important role in maintaining order during the turbulent gold rush years.

Tanner helped organize and command the Skagway Vigilantes, a citizens’ group formed to preserve law and order during the period when the notorious outlaw Soapy Smith and his gang dominated the town. Organized lawlessness in Skagway culminated in Smith’s death on July 8, 1898.

Because of his leadership and composure during the effort to drive Smith’s gang from the city, Tanner was appointed Deputy United States Marshal by Marshal J. M. Shoup and served in that position for two years.

Tanner remained active in Skagway's civic affairs for many years. He served for five years on the Skagway City Council, was elected mayor three times, and also served for five years as municipal magistrate.

He was also active in fraternal organizations, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Arctic Brotherhood.

In addition to his political and civic career, Tanner operated a hardware store in Skagway and held business interests in the Home Power Company of Skagway.

Sources

Ferrell, Ed. Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Volume 2, pp. 321–322 (2009).

Alaska Digital Archives, James Joseph Connors Photograph Collection, PCA 457.

Teal, George

Born: May 26, 1866, The Dalles, Oregon

Died: February 3, 1940, Seattle, Washington

Parents: Colonel Joseph Teal and Mary Elizabeth Coleman Teal

Spouse: Alma Delaney (married June 2, 1913, Seattle, Washington)

Occupation: Accountant, transportation manager, salmon industry executive

Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo

Biography

George Teal was born May 26, 1866, in The Dalles, Oregon, the son of Colonel Joseph Teal and Mary Elizabeth Coleman Teal. While still an infant, he moved with his family to Portland, Oregon, where he was raised and educated in the city’s public schools. He later attended Pacific University in Forest Grove.

Teal began his business career while still in his teens, working in a Portland hardware store. He later became a freight clerk and purser on vessels operating along the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. He subsequently worked as a representative for the Portland Merchants’ Credit Association in Eastern Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, residing for a time in Moscow, Idaho, and Spokane, Washington.

In 1898, during the Klondike Gold Rush, Teal traveled to Dyea, Alaska, where he managed operations for the Dyea-Klondike Company, a Portland firm. The company operated an aerial tramway that transported freight from Dyea to riverboats headed into the Yukon interior, providing a mechanized alternative to the arduous pack-train methods then used on the trail.

When the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad was completed from Skagway, the tramway operation was abandoned. Teal then relocated to Juneau, Alaska, where he worked as a bookkeeper and accountant in town and in various nearby mining camps and settlements. During his time in Juneau, he became a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska.

Teal returned to the United States in 1905 and the following year settled in Seattle, Washington. There, he became confidential assistant to J. D. Farrell of the Oregon-Washington Railroad. In this position, he assisted with the acquisition of railroad right-of-way between Seattle and Portland.

In 1912, Teal returned to Alaska as manager of the salmon cannery operated by the Admiralty Trading Company at Gambier Bay. He later became a stockholder in the enterprise, marking the beginning of his long association with the Pacific Northwest salmon industry.

After the Admiralty Trading Company sold its interests in 1914, Teal became active in the brokerage side of the salmon industry. He played an influential role in organizing the Pacific Canned Salmon Brokers Association, later known as the Canned Salmon Distributors Association. He served as the association's secretary beginning in 1920 and remained its principal administrative officer until his retirement in 1935.

Teal also served for several years as secretary of the Northwest Salmon Canners Association. At the time of his death, it was noted that he had taken an active and constructive role in the affairs of the salmon industry for nearly thirty years.

Although his professional responsibilities frequently took him to Alaska, Teal maintained his home in Seattle from 1906 onward. He was also a member of the Masonic Order.

On June 2, 1913, he married Alma Delaney, daughter of Arthur K. Delaney and Anna Wallwork Delaney, in Seattle.

George Teal died in Seattle on February 3, 1940, following a long illness.

Sources

Biographies of Alaska–Yukon Pioneers, 1850–1950, Volume 3, pp. 296–298, Ed Ferrell, May 1, 2000.

Primary Name: Tohanson, Tulius G. A.

Filed as: Tohanson, Tulius G. A.

Also known as: Tulius G.A. Tohanson

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo, Pioneers of Alaska

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Tulius G A Tohanson, Tohanson family Juneau, Juneau Men's Igloo charter members, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau members

Biography

Tulius G.A. Tohanson was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska. The organization was founded to recognize and preserve the history and fellowship of Alaska’s early settlers.

Although few biographical details are presently recorded in surviving sources, Tohanson’s status as a charter member places him among the early residents of Juneau who helped establish the local Igloo and support the fraternal traditions of the Pioneers of Alaska.

Sources

Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo records

Emery Valentine was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo of the Pioneers of Alaska and one of the most influential civic leaders in the early history of Juneau.

Valentine was born in Dowagiac, Michigan, in 1858. On his mother’s side, his ancestry traces back to William Bradford, who arrived in America aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

At the age of ten, he crossed the plains from Michigan to Colorado, riding a small pony with an old overcoat for a saddle and a rope for stirrups. As a youth, he worked as a miner, but after losing a leg in a mining accident, he turned to another trade and apprenticed as a goldsmith and jeweler. Between 1876 and 1886, he owned and operated several jewelry stores in Colorado and Montana.

In 1886, Valentine moved to Juneau, Alaska, where he opened the E. Valentine Jewelry Store. From the beginning of his residence in Juneau, he became deeply involved in the community’s business, civic, and political life.

Valentine organized the Juneau Volunteer Fire Department and served as its first chief. He donated a specialized fire wagon that carried the slogan, “You ring the bell, and we’ll do the rest.”

He is also credited as being the father of the Juneau Public Library, reflecting his long-standing commitment to civic institutions and public life.

Following the incorporation of Juneau in 1900, Valentine served the city in several public offices. He was elected to the Juneau City Council in 1902 and later served six terms as mayor, from 1908 to 1918.

In territorial and national politics, Valentine was aligned with the Republican Party but supported the Bull Moose (Progressive) movement. He became one of the leaders of the insurgent political movement in Alaska and presided over the territorial convention that sent delegates to the Chicago convention, where Theodore Roosevelt was nominated.

Valentine married Josephine Scanlin on December 16, 1909, in Juneau. The marriage later ended in divorce in 1915.

Emery Valentine died in Juneau on September 10, 1930.

Sources

Alaska Weekly, September 19, 1930
Who's Who in Alaskan Politics: Biographical Dictionary of Alaskan Political Personalities, 1884–1974, Evangeline Atwood and Robert N. DeArmond