Gribble, Richard
Primary Name: Gribble, Richard
Filed as: gribble_richard
Also known as: Richard Gribble
Occupation / Association: Member, Ancient Order of United Workmen (A.O.U.W.), Butte Lodge
Born: May 21, 1857, Redruth, Cornwall, England
Died: October 21, 1904, Douglas, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children: Three sons; three daughters
Associated places: Redruth, Cornwall, England; Pennsylvania; Michigan; Colorado; Montana; Juneau, Alaska; Douglas, Alaska
Keywords: Richard Gribble, Gribble Richard, Douglas Alaska residents, AOUW Butte Lodge, Douglas City Cemetery
Biography
Richard Gribble was born on May 21, 1857, in Redruth, Cornwall, England. He immigrated to the United States at the age of fifteen and lived in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, and Montana before coming to Alaska.
Gribble lived in Juneau for six years before moving to Douglas, where he and his family made their home on North Third Street. He had a wife, three sons, and three daughters.
He was a member of the Butte Lodge of the Ancient Order of United Workmen (A.O.U.W.).
Richard Gribble died of consumption on October 21, 1904, at the age of forty-seven. Funeral services were held at the Methodist Episcopal Church with Reverend L. H. Pedersen officiating. He was buried in the Douglas City Cemetery.
Sources
Find-A-Grave Memorial: Richard Gribble
Anderson, A.P.
Primary Name: Anderson, A. P.
Filed as: anderson_ap
Also known as: —
Occupation / Association: Miner, Treadwell Mine
Born: 1863, Sweden
Died: August 16, 1903, Douglas Island, Alaska
Parents: —
Spouse: —
Children: —
Associated places: Sweden; Douglas Island, Alaska; Treadwell
Keywords: A P Anderson, A.P. Anderson, Anderson AP, Treadwell Mine miner, Douglas Island mining accident 1903
Tags: A P Anderson, Anderson AP, Treadwell Mine miners, Douglas Alaska pioneers, Douglas City Cemetery
Biography
A. P. Anderson was born in Sweden in 1863.
He died on August 16, 1903, along with Thore Overland, at the 440 Level of the Treadwell Mine when a slab fell, killing them instantly.
The funeral was held at the Douglas Congregational Church with Reverend Thomas Coyle presiding. He was buried at the Douglas City Cemetery.
Sources
Douglas City Cemetery records; Treadwell Mine accident reports; Find-A-Grave memorial
Higgins, Frederick
Primary Name: Higgins, Frederick
Filed as: higgins_frederick
Also known as: Frederick Higgins
Occupation / Association: Miner; baseball pitcher; member, Douglas Volunteer Fire Department
Born: August 1891, Springfield, Nova Scotia
Died: September 17, 1919, Douglas, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Springfield, Nova Scotia; Douglas, Alaska
Keywords: Frederick Higgins, Higgins Frederick, Douglas baseball team pitcher, Douglas Volunteer Fire Department, Douglas Alaska miners
Biography
Frederick Higgins was born in Springfield, Nova Scotia, in August 1891.
He later came to Douglas, Alaska, where he worked at various mines in the area.
Higgins was also well known locally as a baseball pitcher and played semi-professional baseball in the United States. In Douglas he pitched for the Douglas baseball team.
He was also a member of the Douglas Volunteer Fire Department.
Frederick Higgins died on September 17, 1919, and was buried in the Douglas City Cemetery.
Sources
Inventory and Survey of Historic Cemeteries in Douglas, Alaska
Tags: Frederick Higgins, Higgins Frederick, Douglas Alaska miners, Douglas baseball team, Douglas Volunteer Fire Department, Douglas City Cemetery
Dazadelli, Albert
Primary Name: Dazadelli, Albert
Filed as: dazadelli_albert
Also known as: Albert Dazadelli
Occupation / Association: Miner, Mexican Mine, Treadwell Mining Company
Born: 1887, Italy
Died: March 2, 1910, Douglas, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Italy; Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell Mine
Keywords: Albert Dazadelli, Dazadelli Albert, Mexican Mine explosion 1910, Treadwell Mine miners
Biography
Albert Dazadelli was born in Italy in 1887.
He worked at the Mexican Mine of the Treadwell Mine.
He died on March 2, 1910, in an explosion that took the lives of 36 other miners as well. The explosion occurred on the 1,000-foot level in the powder magazine while miners were waiting for the hoist to take them to the surface at the end of their shift.
Sources
Inventory and Survey of Historic Cemeteries in Douglas, Alaska
Tags: Albert Dazadelli, Dazadelli Albert, Treadwell Mine, Mexican Mine explosion 1910
Anderson, George E.
Primary Name: Anderson, George E.
Filed as: anderson_george_e
Also known as: George Anderson
Occupation / Association: Miner, Treadwell Mine
Born: July 22, 1882, Bodie, California
Died: January 30, 1901, Douglas Island, Alaska
Parents:
Spouse:
Children:
Associated places: Bodie, California; Douglas, Alaska; Treadwell, Alaska
Property / Address:
Keywords: George E Anderson, George Anderson, Treadwell Mine miner, Douglas Alaska mining, Douglas City Cemetery, Treadwell mining disaster
Biography
George E. Anderson was born in Bodie, California, on July 22, 1882.
He moved to Douglas, Alaska, in 1889 when he was six years old. As a young man, he worked as a miner at the Treadwell Mine, one of the major gold mining operations on Douglas Island.
Anderson died on January 30, 1901, in an explosion at the 700 Foot Mine.
It was reported that his funeral was the largest ever held on Douglas Island. He was buried in the Douglas City Cemetery.
Sources
Inventory and Survey of Historic Cemeteries in Douglas, Alaska
Find-A-Grave Memorial: George E. Anderson
Tags: George E Anderson, George Anderson, Anderson George E, Treadwell Mine miners, Douglas Alaska history, Douglas City Cemetery, Bodie California miners
Runquist, John
John Runquist was born in Finland on February 24, 1876.
Runquist was married to Hilda May Runquist and had three children, including Anard Runquist.
He came to Treadwell Mine around 1900 and worked as a miner at the Ready Bullion Mine. Runquist aslo worked at the Alaska Juneau Mine as a drilling contractor and later as machinist. He was popularly known as "the machine doc."
He died on December 9, 1937 and was buried in the Douglas Eagles Cemetery.
Slujo, Mat
Slujo, Mat
Born: January 15, 1886
Birthplace: Austria
Died: May 15, 1921 (age 35)
Burial: Douglas Catholic Cemetery, Douglas, Alaska
Spouse: Sarka Krasel Slujo
Father-in-law: Anton Krasel, tailor and Douglas businessman
Biography
Mat Slujo was born on January 15, 1886, in Austria and later came to Alaska during the years when the Treadwell mines were among the world's largest gold mining operations.
Slujo married Sarka Krasel, the daughter of Anton Krasel, a tailor who operated a business on St. Ann’s Avenue in Douglas as early as 1910. The Krasel family was part of the small but active business community that served the workers and residents of the Douglas–Treadwell mining district.
Slujo worked at the Ready Bullion Mine, one of the mines in the Treadwell group. The Ready Bullion was the only mine of the Treadwell complex that was not flooded during the catastrophic 1917 cave-in that ended large-scale mining operations at Treadwell.
He was reportedly the last person to die at the Treadwell mine before it closed, marking the end of an era in the Douglas Island mining community.
Mat Slujo died on May 15, 1921, at the age of 35. He was buried in the Douglas Catholic Cemetery, one of the historic burial grounds associated with the early residents of Douglas Island.
Sources
- Find A Grave memorial records
- Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries
Afric, Anton
Primary Name: Africh, Antone
Filed as: africh_antone
Also known as: Anton Africh
Occupation / Association: Miner; Treadwell Mine; Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company
Born: January 29, 1877, Broud, Austria
Died: November 8, 1937, Juneau, Alaska
Parents: John Africh; Mary Gacgovich-Africh
Spouse: Mary Africh
Children: Mary Africh-Dauworth; Ruth Africh-Nelson; Stephena Africh
Associated places: Broud, Austria; Juneau, Alaska; Douglas Island; Treadwell
Keywords: Antone Africh, Anton Africh, Africh Antone, Africh family Juneau, Treadwell Mine miners, Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company
Tags: Antone Africh, Anton Africh, Africh family, Treadwell Mine miners, Juneau pioneers, Douglas Island residents
Biography
Antone Africh was born in Broud, Austria, on January 29, 1877, to John Africh and Mary Gacgovich-Africh. He was 5 feet 6½ inches tall, with a dark complexion and brown hair.
He was married to Mary Africh. They had three children, all born in Juneau: Mary Africh-Dauworth, Ruth Africh-Nelson, and Stephena Africh.
Africh worked as a miner at the Treadwell Mine and later for the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company.
He was a member of the Moose and Croatian lodges.
An advertisement in a local newspaper refers to the Africh & Africh store and residence, which he may have operated with his brother John.
Africh died on November 8, 1937, at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau at the age of 60, where he was treated by Dr. W. M. Whitehead for pulmonary tuberculosis. Charles W. Carter served as his undertaker.
Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries, 1995
Sources
Find-A-Grave memorial; Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries (1995); Juneau historical records
Findley, Edward
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Primary Name: Findley, Edward
Filed as: Findley, Edward
Also known as: Edward Findley
Occupation / Association: Prospector; miner; discoverer of placer gold on Porcupine Creek; Porcupine Mining District discovery party
Associated places: Porcupine Creek, Alaska; Haines, Alaska; Dalton Trail; Rainy Hollow district, British Columbia
Keywords: Edward Findley, Porcupine Creek gold discovery, Porcupine Mining District, Dalton Trail prospectors, Jack Dalton mining operations, Mix Silva prospector, Perry Wiley prospector, Alaska gold rush prospectors, Haines Alaska mining history
Biography
Edward Findley was one of the prospectors associated with the discovery of placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines along the Dalton Trail.
In 1898, prospectors Mix Silva, Edward Findley, and Perry Wiley, who had been grubstaked by Jack Dalton, discovered placer gold on Porcupine Creek north of Haines near the Dalton Trail. Following the discovery, the Porcupine Mining District was formally organized on October 22, 1898.
On November 5, 1898, Dalton and his three prospectors located the Discovery Claim. Additional claims were soon located by Dalton and his business partners, E. B. Hanley and John Malony. The district was stampeded in 1899 as prospectors rushed into the region. Gold was discovered in nearby creeks, and both gold and copper were found in areas as much as sixty miles distant, including the Rainy Hollow district in Canada. The first year’s gold production was reportedly worth about $50,000, of which approximately $40,000 came from Dalton’s Discovery Claim.
The deposits in the district were rich but fairly deep, requiring complex infrastructure to mine effectively. Miles of ditches and flumes were constructed to supply water to hydraulic lifts, sometimes called gravel elevators, where miners recovered the gold. Commercial support for the new district was supplied by the Porcupine Trading Company, organized by Dalton, Hanley, and Malony on August 1, 1899. The company brought in mining equipment and extended liberal credit to other miners working in the district.
In 1900, Dalton and his partners shipped approximately 300 tons of equipment and supplies into the district. The mines operated profitably until about 1905, when a major flood washed out a considerable amount of the mining infrastructure. Recognizing that much of the easily recovered gold had likely been extracted, Dalton, Hanley, and Malony sold their interests profitably in 1907.
Edward Findley’s role in the original discovery party places him among the early prospectors whose work helped open the Porcupine Mining District and contributed to the mining history of the Haines region during Alaska’s gold rush era.
Sources
Alaska Mining Hall of Fame
Dalton, Jack
Primary Name: Dalton, Jack
Filed as: dalton_jack
Also known as: Jack Dalton, Jack Miller
Occupation / Association: Freighter, Explorer, Entrepreneur, Klondike Transportation Pioneer
Born: June 25, 1856, Michigan (most probable)
Died: December 16, 1944, San Francisco, California
Parents: Unknown
Spouse: Anna Krippeahne Dalton; earlier unnamed spouse
Children: Jack Dalton Jr., Margaret Dalton, James W. Dalton, Josephine Dalton
Associated places: Juneau Alaska, Haines Alaska, Pyramid Harbor Alaska, Porcupine Mining District Alaska, Cordova Alaska, Yakutat Alaska, Chickaloon Alaska, Klondike Yukon
Keywords: Jack Dalton, Dalton Trail, Klondike freighting, Dalton Trail Company, Porcupine Mining District, Copper River Northwestern Railway
Biography
Jack Dalton's life of nearly ninety years spanned an era of extraordinary change in Alaska and the Yukon. As Alaska's premier freighter during the Gold Rush era, he witnessed the transition from pack animals and human labor to the mechanized age of railroads and aircraft.
Accounts of Dalton's early life are inconsistent. His birthplace has been listed as Oklahoma, Kansas, or the Cherokee Strip, but his California death certificate records that he was most likely born in Michigan on June 25, 1856.
Dalton had only a limited formal education but became largely self-educated through reading and writing. He possessed a wide range of practical frontier skills and developed a reputation as a formidable and capable man with a quick temper. He was known as a skilled horseman, hunter, cook, and boatman.
As a young man, he traveled widely across the American West, at one time using the name Jack Miller. By the early 1880s, he had moved to Burns, Oregon, where he operated a logging business. A violent altercation there resulted in the fatal shooting of a cook during a struggle, prompting Dalton to leave the area.
Dalton eventually traveled to San Francisco and joined a sealing ship bound for the Arctic coast. The crew was arrested for illegal sealing and jailed in Sitka. After gaining his freedom in the mid-1880s, Dalton remained in Alaska and quickly developed a reputation as a skilled wilderness guide and negotiator with Indigenous communities. He learned Chinook Jargon, the regional trade language of the Pacific Northwest.
In 1886, Dalton joined the Schwatka–New York Times expedition attempting to climb Mount St. Elias. The expedition reached approximately 5,700 feet before being forced to retreat due to illness. Dalton remained in the Yakutat region afterward, prospecting and exploring coastal areas around Disenchantment Bay.
In 1890, Dalton participated in the Frank Leslie Newspaper Expedition led by E. Hazard Wells with explorer E. J. Glave. The expedition crossed Chilkat Pass and explored interior river systems, including the Alsek River. Dalton and Glave became the first known non-Native explorers to descend the lower Alsek River by canoe.
During the early 1890s, Dalton pioneered the use of pack horses for transportation between the Alaska coast and the Yukon interior. He developed what became known as the Dalton Trail, running from Pyramid Harbor near present-day Haines across the coastal mountains toward the Yukon River.
The trail was completed before the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897 and quickly became a major transportation route. At its peak, trains of more than 250 horses carried freight and livestock to the goldfields. Dalton received permission from the U.S. government to collect tolls along portions of the trail while allowing Chilkat people to travel freely.
Dalton was closely associated with Juneau attorney John F. Malony, who frequently partnered with him in business ventures. Together, they operated the Dalton Trail Company, the Dalton Trading and Transportation Company, and the Dalton Pony Express Company.
Dalton also played a role in the development of the Porcupine mining district near Haines after gold was discovered there in 1898 by prospectors he had grubstaked. Dalton and partners established the Porcupine Trading Company to support mining operations.
Later, Dalton assisted with survey efforts for the construction of the Copper River and Northwestern Railway. His reconnaissance helped demonstrate that a rail route up the Copper River was feasible, eventually leading to the construction of a railroad to the Kennecott copper mines.
Dalton continued to work as a freighter and transportation contractor into the early twentieth century. In 1913, he undertook a difficult contract hauling 900 tons of coal from the Chickaloon mine to Cook Inlet for testing by the U.S. Navy. The expedition required constructing over forty miles of winter road and hauling coal by horse-drawn sleds.
Dalton later moved operations to Cordova, where he ran sawmills and transportation companies. In 1915, many of his Cordova holdings were purchased by interests associated with the Kennecott Copper Corporation.
Dalton married twice and had four children, including James W. Dalton, an engineer whose name was later given to the Dalton Highway on Alaska's North Slope.
After leaving Alaska, Dalton lived in the Seattle and San Francisco areas and even prospected for diamonds in British Guiana in the early 1920s.
Jack Dalton died in San Francisco on December 16, 1944, at the age of eighty-nine.
In 1942, the United States Army reopened portions of the historic Dalton Trail while constructing the Alaska-Canada Highway.
Sources
Berton, Pierre. Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush 1896-1899. Coutts, R. C. Yukon Places and Names. Blakemore, F. B. Grit and Gold. Cracraft & Cole. A History of Coal Mining in the Sutton-Chickaloon Area. DeArmond, R. N. “Miners and Cattle Used Dalton's Trail.” DeLaguna, Frederica. Under Mt. St. Elias. Glave, E. J. “Our Alaska Expedition,” Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. Hakkinen, Elizabeth. Haines, the First Century. Russell, Israel C. An Expedition to Mt. St. Elias. Wier, Gary. “The Man Behind the Dalton Trail.” Alaska State Library Malony Files.
Tags: Jack Dalton, Dalton Trail, Alaska freighters, Klondike Gold Rush transportation, Haines Alaska history, Porcupine mining district, Copper River Northwestern Railway, Alaska pioneers, Alaska Mining Hall of Fame