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.

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame

Jack Dalton Dalton Trail Dalton Jack Jack Miller Dalton Trail Company Alaska freighter Klondike freighter

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

Haynes-Parker, Edith Armenthia

Biography

Edith Armenthia Haynes-Parker married Abraham Lincoln Parker. Their daughter, Inez May Parker-White, was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 10, 1895.

The Parker family moved north from Portland, Oregon, to Skagway, Alaska, in June of 1899 while traveling to the Atlin mining district during the period of activity following the Klondike gold rush.

The family later relocated to Juneau, Alaska, in April 1913, becoming part of the growing community of early residents of Southeast Alaska.

Sources

• Family historical records

Primary Name: Parker, Abraham Lincoln

Filed as: Parker, Abraham Lincoln

Also known as: A. Lincoln Parker

Occupation / Association: Early Alaska resident

Associated places: Portland, Oregon; Skagway, Alaska; Atlin, British Columbia, Canada; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Abraham Lincoln Parker, Edith Armenthia Haynes Parker, Inez May Parker White, Parker family Juneau Alaska, Skagway Alaska families, Atlin gold rush families, early Juneau families

Biography

Abraham Lincoln Parker was an early Alaska resident who lived in several communities during the years surrounding the Klondike gold rush.

He married Edith Armenthia Haynes Parker. Their daughter, Inez May Parker White, was born in Portland, Oregon, on October 10, 1895.

In June 1899, the Parker family left Portland and traveled north to Skagway, Alaska, during the height of the Klondike gold rush. From there, they continued on to Atlin in British Columbia.

In April 1913, the family moved to Juneau, Alaska, where they became part of the growing community in the territorial capital.

Sources

Family historical records

Primary Name: McDonald, Elizabeth

Filed as: McDonald, Elizabeth

Also known as: Elizabeth Marshall Hucheson; Elizabeth Hucheson McDonald

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women's Auxiliary No. 6

Associated places: Douglas, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Atlin, British Columbia; Marshfield, Oregon; West Virginia

Keywords: Elizabeth McDonald Juneau Alaska, Elizabeth Marshall Hucheson, John F McDonald Douglas Alaska, Douglas Alaska pioneer families, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women's Auxiliary charter members, early Douglas Alaska residents

Biography

Elizabeth McDonald was a Charter Member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Women’s Auxiliary No. 6.

She was born Elizabeth Marshall Hucheson in November 1858 in West Virginia to Agnes Henry and Robert M. Hucheson.

In 1875, she married John F. McDonald in Marshfield, Oregon. The couple lived in Seattle, Washington, for approximately twenty years and later spent two years in Atlin, British Columbia, before moving to the Gastineau Channel region. In 1899, they settled in Douglas, Alaska.

John McDonald served the community for eighteen years as the city marshal of Douglas.

Elizabeth and John had four children: Annie, born in 1877 in Oregon; Agnes, born in 1879 in Washington; Ruth Irene, born in July 1892; and Elizabeth Ione, born in November 1896.

Elizabeth McDonald died on February 20, 1933, in Seattle, Washington.

Sources

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Douglas, Alaska.

Biographies of Alaska-Yukon Pioneers 1850–1950, Volume 2, p. 202, Ed Ferrell.

Alaska Daily Empire, February 21, 1933.

Washington Death Certificate.

Primary Name: McLaughlin, Rose Margaret

Filed as: McLaughlin, Rose Margaret

Also known as: Rose McLaughlin McMullen

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women's Igloo Auxiliary No. 6

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Oregon City, Oregon

Keywords: Rose Margaret McLaughlin, Rose McMullen Juneau Alaska, Dennis McLaughlin family Juneau, Annie Lawler McLaughlin, Juneau Women's Igloo Auxiliary No 6, Juneau High School 1918

Biography

Rose Margaret McLaughlin was a Charter Member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Women's Igloo Auxiliary No. 6.

She was born in Juneau, Alaska on March 29, 1900 to Dennis McLaughlin and Annie F. Lawler McLaughlin. She graduated from Juneau High School in 1918.

Rose married Robert B. McMullen in Seattle, Washington, on November 22, 1930. Robert had a daughter, Shirley Suzanne Marie McMullen, from a previous marriage.

Rose Margaret McLaughlin McMullen died in Oregon City, Oregon, on July 24, 1984.

Sources

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; Washington Marriage Certificate; Oregon Death Certificate; 1918 Juneau High School Yearbook.

Primary Name: Johnstone, Rita
Filed as: johnstone_rita
Also known as: Marguerite Forrest Johnstone, Marguerite "Rita" Forrest, Rita Forrest, Rita Van Hevelingen
Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women’s Auxiliary No. 6; beauty parlor operator
Born: February 2, 1896, Juneau, Alaska
Died: May 28, 1962, Portland, Oregon
Parents: George Frank Forrest; Anna May "Annie" Shellooe Forrest; stepmother Selma Marie Berg Forrest
Spouse: Byron W. Johnstone (m. May 10, 1914; div.); Nicolass Van Hevelingen (m. April 19, 1928)
Children: Frances Lovetta Johnstone
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Vancouver, Washington; Portland, Oregon
Keywords: Rita Johnstone, Marguerite Forrest Johnstone, Rita Forrest, Rita Van Hevelingen, Forrest family Juneau, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women’s Auxiliary No. 6

Biography

Marguerite “Rita” Forrest Johnstone was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Women’s Auxiliary No. 6.

She was born in Juneau, Alaska, on February 2, 1896, the daughter of George Frank Forrest and Anna May “Annie” Shellooe Forrest. Her mother died in 1898, and her father later remarried Selma Marie Berg Forrest.

On May 10, 1914, Rita married Byron W. Johnstone in Juneau. Their daughter, Frances Lovetta Johnstone, was born in Juneau on September 4, 1915. Rita later divorced Byron Johnstone, and by the 1920 U.S. Census, she and her daughter were living with her father in Seattle, Washington.

She remarried on April 19, 1928, in Vancouver, Washington, to Nicolass Van Hevelingen. The couple lived in Portland, Oregon, where Rita worked as a beauty parlor operator, and her husband worked as a florist.

Rita Johnstone died in Portland, Oregon, on May 28, 1962.

Sources

1900 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau, Alaska; 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; Alaska Marriage Certificate; 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Seattle, Washington; 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Portland, Oregon; Washington Marriage Record; Alaska Daily Empire, September 15, 1935

Rita Johnstone Marguerite Forrest Johnstone Rita Forrest Rita Van Hevelingen Johnstone Rita Marguerite Forrest

Primary Name: Hunter, Emma Lulu

Filed as: hunter_emma_lulu

Also known as: Emma Lulu Miller; Lulu Hunter; Emma Hunter

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Women’s Igloo No. 6; President, Juneau Women’s Igloo (1924); Saleslady

Born: October 14, 1878, Looking Glass, Oregon

Died: January 26, 1957, Juneau, Alaska

Parents: John Henry Miller; Almira Breitenbucher Miller

Spouse: Capt. Earle Leslie Hunter (m. 1899)

Children: Earle Leslie Hunter, Jr. (b. November 1906, Juneau, Alaska)

Associated places: Looking Glass, Oregon; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: Emma Lulu Hunter, Lulu Hunter, Emma Lulu Miller, Emma Hunter, John Henry Miller, Almira Breitenbucher Miller, Earle Leslie Hunter, Juneau Women’s Igloo President 1924, Juneau Women’s Auxiliary No. 6

Biography

Emma Lulu Hunter was a charter member of the Juneau Women’s Igloo and served as its President in 1924.

Emma Lulu Miller was born on October 14, 1878, in Looking Glass, Oregon, to John Henry Miller and Almira Breitenbucher Miller. She came to Juneau, Alaska, in January 1898 during the early years of the city's development.

She married Captain Earle Leslie Hunter in 1899. Their son, Earle Leslie Hunter, Jr., was born in Juneau in November 1906.

Emma Hunter worked as a saleslady in Juneau and remained active in the community and in the Pioneers of Alaska Women’s Auxiliary.

Lulu Hunter died in Juneau on January 26, 1957.

Sources

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; Pioneers of Alaska Women’s Auxiliary No. 6 Membership Application

Emma Lulu Hunter Lulu Hunter Emma Hunter Emma Lulu Miller Hunter Emma E L Hunter

Tags: Emma Lulu Hunter, Lulu Hunter, Emma Lulu Miller, Hunter family Juneau, Juneau Women’s Igloo President 1924, Pioneers of Alaska Women’s Auxiliary No. 6

Primary Name: Hollis, Myrtle B.

Filed as: hollis_myrtle_b

Also known as: Myrtle B. Hansen; Myrtle Hansen Hollis

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Igloo Auxiliary No. 6

Born: May 5, 1894, Tacoma, Washington

Died: October 9, 1952, Portland, Oregon

Parents: Hans Peter Hansen; Josephine Paulson Hansen

Spouse: August “Gust” Francis Hollis

Children:

Associated places: Tacoma, Washington; Juneau, Alaska; Portland, Oregon

Keywords: Myrtle B Hollis, Myrtle Hansen Hollis, Myrtle B Hansen, Juneau Igloo Auxiliary No 6 charter member, Hans Peter Hansen, Josephine Paulson Hansen

Biography

Myrtle B. Hollis was a charter member of Juneau Igloo Auxiliary No. 6.

Myrtle B. Hansen was born on May 5, 1894, in Tacoma, Washington, to Hans Peter Hansen and Josephine Paulson Hansen. She came to Juneau in August of 1897 with her mother and siblings to join their father.

Prior to her marriage, she worked as a telephone operator in Tacoma.

She married August “Gust” Francis Hollis on April 1, 1920, in Tacoma, Washington.

Myrtle died in Portland, Oregon, on October 9, 1952.

Sources

1900 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; Washington Marriage Certificate; Oregon Death Certificate

Tags: Myrtle B Hollis, Myrtle Hansen Hollis, Myrtle B Hansen, Juneau Igloo Auxiliary No 6, Hansen family Juneau, Hollis family Juneau

Myrtle B Hollis Myrtle Hansen Hollis Myrtle B Hansen Hansen Myrtle Hollis Myrtle

Primary Name: Ellingen, Rena

Filed as: rena_ellingen

Also known as: Rena Ellingen, Rena Smith

Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Juneau Igloo No. 6; Stenographer

Born: November 2, 1900, Juneau, Alaska

Died:

Parents: Edward J. Ellingen; Edna Star Ellingen

Spouse: Ernest Edgerton Smith

Children:

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Camas, Washington

Keywords: Rena Ellingen, Rena Smith, Ellingen Rena, Juneau Igloo No. 6 charter member, Juneau Alaska residents

Biography

Rena Ellingen was a charter member of Juneau Igloo No. 6.

She was the daughter of Edward J. Ellingen and Edna Star Ellingen. Rena was born on November 2, 1900, in Juneau, Alaska. She graduated from Juneau High School in 1918.

She worked as a stenographer in a legal office in Seattle and later for a railroad in Oregon.

Rena married Ernest Edgerton Smith on February 19, 1944, in Camas, Washington.

Sources

1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau, Alaska; 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau, Alaska; 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Portland, Oregon; 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Portland, Oregon; Clark County, Washington Marriage License Application; Washington Marriage Certificate; 1918 Juneau-Douglas High School Yearbook

Rena Ellingen Rena Smith Ellingen Rena

Tags: Rena Ellingen, Ellingen Rena, Rena Smith, Juneau Igloo No. 6, Juneau Alaska residents

Primary Name: Ellingen, Margaret Laura
Filed as: ellingen_margaret_laura
Also known as: Margaret Ellingen, Margaret Sparks, Margaret Giovanetti, Margaret Harris
Occupation / Association: Charter Member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Igloo No. 6; retail saleswoman
Born: Juneau, Alaska
Died: December 25, 1965, Portland, Oregon
Parents: Edward J. Ellingen; Edna Star Ellingen
Spouse: Leonard W. Sparks (m. July 16, 1923; div. July 12, 1939); James J. Giovanetti (m. May 25, 1940); James Harris
Children: Jean V. Sparks (b. September 5, 1924, Juneau); Betty A. Sparks (b. May 8, 1926, Juneau)
Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Vancouver, Washington; Portland, Oregon
Keywords: Margaret Laura Ellingen, Margaret Ellingen Sparks, Margaret Giovanetti, Margaret Harris, Ellingen family Juneau Alaska

Biography

Margaret Laura Ellingen was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Igloo No. 6. She was the daughter of Edward J. Ellingen and Edna Star Ellingen.

Margaret married Leonard W. Sparks on July 16, 1923. The couple had two daughters, Jean V., born September 5, 1924, in Juneau, and Betty A., born May 8, 1926, in Juneau. Margaret and Leonard Sparks were divorced on July 12, 1939.

She later married James J. Giovanetti on May 25, 1940, in Vancouver, Washington. The couple lived in Portland, Oregon, where Margaret worked as a saleswoman in a clothing store.

Margaret Laura Ellingen died in Portland, Oregon, on December 25, 1965. At the time of her death, she was married to James Harris.

Sources

1910, 1920, 1930 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau; 1940 U.S. Federal Census, Portland, Oregon; Washington Marriage Certificate; Alaska Daily Empire, July 21, 1923; Oregon Death Certificate

Margaret Laura Ellingen Margaret Ellingen Margaret Sparks Margaret Giovanetti Margaret Harris Ellingen Margaret