Primary Name: Sully, H. V.

Filed as: Sully, H. V.

Also known as: H. V. Sully

Occupation / Association: Undertaker; cabinet shop owner; charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo

Associated places: Douglas, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: H.V. Sully, Sully family Douglas Alaska, Douglas undertakers, Douglas funeral directors, cabinet makers Douglas Alaska, Douglas undertaking parlors, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, Juneau Douglas businesses

Biography

H. V. Sully was associated with the undertaking and furniture trade in Douglas, Alaska, during the territorial period and was a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo.

In the early communities of Southeast Alaska, there were no morticians as the profession is known today. Cabinet shops often produced furniture as well as coffins and caskets, and the owners of these shops commonly served as undertakers for the community.

Advertisements in the Douglas Island News described such businesses as “Undertaking … Manufacturers of Furniture, Carpentering, Jobbing, Store and Office Fixtures.” Other advertisements referred to the “Douglas Undertaking Parlors, Funeral Directors and Embalmers.”

Among those associated with undertaking services in Douglas were H. V. Sully, Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Igloo charter member John A. McKanna, T. P. Sheldon, L. G. Thomas, and Merle Thomas.

These early undertakers provided essential services for the growing mining community and its surrounding settlements during the development of Douglas and the Juneau area.

Sources

Survey and Inventory of Douglas Historic Cemeteries.

Schryer, Minnie May

Association: Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Igloo No. 6

Role: Charter Member

Biography

Minnie May Schryer was a charter member of Juneau Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.

She was born in January 1868 in Brushton, New York. Schryer came to Juneau, Alaska in June of 1895 during the early period of settlement associated with the development of the Juneau mining district.

She married Martin H. Sabin. The couple had three children: Minnie M., born in Washington in March 1893; Charles C., born in Juneau in May 1896; and Harry M., born in Alaska on December 2, 1899. The marriage ended in divorce in October 1920.

Minnie May Schryer died on December 1, 1928. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Juneau.

Sources

• 1900 and 1910 U.S. Federal Census, Juneau, Alaska
• Alaska Daily Empire, October 23, 1920
• Evergreen Cemetery Burial Records

Carol "Carrie" B. Benson was a Charter Member of Juneau Igloo Women's Auxilary No. 6. 

She was born to Mary and Byron E. Benson in June of 1890 in North Dakota. Byron came to Juneau in January 1898 to work as a miner. The family followed sometime after 1900 and they lived in Skagway.

Carrie married Simon M. Tressing who was a Warrant Officer in the U.S. Army. Their daughter Kathleen M. was born 1913 in California. Carrie was living with parents in Juneau in 1920.

Simon retired and they were living in New Hanover, New Jersey in 1940. Carol died on July 10, 1940 in Queens, New York.

1900 U.S. Federal Census Dickinson, North Dakota, 1910 U.S. Federal Census Skagway,
1920/1930 U.S. Federal Census Brooklyn New York Ft Hamilton

Primary Name: Fisk, Fred

Filed as: Fisk, Fred

Also known as: Fred Fisk

Occupation / Association: Restaurant worker; charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Pennsylvania

Keywords: Fred Fisk, Fisk family, Juneau pioneers, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, Juneau Men's Igloo, early Juneau residents, Alaska restaurant workers, Alaska territorial period

Biography

Fred Fisk was an early resident of Juneau and a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men's Igloo, one of the fraternal organizations established to preserve the history and fellowship of Alaska’s early settlers.

Fisk was born in August 1878 in Pennsylvania. Like many young men of his generation, he was drawn north during the closing years of the nineteenth century when Alaska and the Yukon were experiencing rapid growth connected with mining and frontier development.

He arrived in Alaska in 1897, during the same period that thousands of prospectors and workers were traveling north in response to the Klondike gold rush. While many newcomers attempted prospecting, others found work supporting the rapidly expanding communities that served miners and travelers.

Fisk worked in the restaurant business, an occupation that played an important role in frontier towns such as Juneau, where miners, dock workers, merchants, and travelers depended on boarding houses, cafes, and restaurants for daily meals. Establishments providing food and lodging were essential to sustaining the population of early Southeast Alaska communities.

His participation as a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo reflects his presence in the community during the Pioneers of Alaska organization's formative years. The fraternal order was created to promote fellowship among Alaska’s early settlers and to preserve the stories and history of those who helped build the territory’s early towns.

Although only limited biographical details about Fisk survive in historical records, his membership among the charter pioneers places him among the early residents who contributed to the development and civic life of Juneau during Alaska’s territorial period.

Sources

• 1900 U.S. Federal Population Census
• Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo records

Primary Name: Forrest, G. M.

Filed as: Forrest, G. M.

Also known as: G.M. Forrest

Occupation / Association: Charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: G.M. Forrest, Juneau Men’s Igloo, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, early Juneau residents, Alaska fraternal organizations

Biography

G. M. Forrest was among the early residents of Juneau who helped form the Pioneers of Alaska, one of the territory’s oldest fraternal organizations dedicated to preserving the history and fellowship of Alaska’s early settlers.

Forrest was a charter member of the Juneau Men’s Igloo, indicating that he was part of the founding membership when the local lodge was organized. Charter membership in the Pioneers of Alaska typically comprised individuals who had lived in Alaska during the early years of settlement and contributed to the civic and economic life of their communities.

The Juneau Men’s Igloo served as one of the principal fraternal organizations in Southeast Alaska, bringing together early residents of the region for social fellowship, mutual assistance, and the preservation of Alaska’s pioneer history. As a charter member, G. M. Forrest helped establish this organization and laid the foundation for the traditions that continue within the Pioneers of Alaska today.

Although few surviving records describe Forrest’s personal life in detail, his status as a charter member places him among the early group of settlers who helped organize the Juneau Igloo and maintain the institutional memory of Alaska’s territorial era.

Sources

• Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men’s Igloo records

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.

Primary Name: Northrup, Willard

Filed as: Northrup, Willard

Also known as: Willard Northrop

Occupation / Association: Prospector; steam engineer; charter member, Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Wrangell, Alaska; Cassiar District, British Columbia; Sitka, Alaska; Sitka Hot Springs, Alaska; Taku River, Alaska; Windham Bay, Alaska; Berners Bay, Alaska; Glacier Bay, Alaska; Lituya Bay, Alaska; Yakutat, Alaska; Yukon Territory; Dawson, Yukon

Keywords: Willard Northrup, Willard Northrop, Juneau pioneers, Pioneers of Alaska charter members, early Alaska prospectors, Cassiar mining district, Wrangell Alaska miners, Sitka Hot Springs miners, Taku River exploration, Windham Bay prospectors, Berners Bay mining history, Glacier Bay prospecting, Lituya Bay beach placers, Yakutat beach placers, Klondike Gold Rush miners, Dawson Yukon miners, Alaska territorial prospectors

Biography

Willard Northrup was an early Alaska prospector and a charter member of the Pioneers of Alaska Juneau Men’s Igloo. Born in 1850 in New York State, he came north during the early mining era of Alaska and British Columbia.

Northrup first traveled to Wrangell in 1877 and from there went into the Cassiar mining district. In the fall of 1879, he moved to Sitka, where he spent the winter at Sitka Hot Springs along with seventeen other Cassiar miners.

In the U.S. Navy census of April 1880, Northrup was listed as an American citizen, age thirty. During the summer of that year, he was prospecting throughout Southeastern Alaska and may have been the man sent by George Pilz to explore the Taku River region.

By 1881, Northrup was in Juneau, though he did not stake claims in the immediate area. Instead, he used Juneau as a base while prospecting throughout the region, including Windham Bay, Berners Bay, and the Glacier Bay country.

Beginning in 1887, he was among the first miners to work the beach placers along the Gulf of Alaska coast between Lituya Bay and Yakutat.

In 1892, Northrup traveled to the Yukon, and by 1895, he was briefly back in Juneau while en route to the Interior again. He was reported to have been among the earliest miners to reach Dawson following the Klondike gold discovery and apparently did well there.

In addition to prospecting, Northrup also worked as a steam engineer during his years in the North.

Sources

Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo No. 6 Biographical Sketch.

Orme, Robert

Association: Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6

Role: Charter Member

Biography

Robert Orme was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.

He was born in January 1855 in England. Orme immigrated to the United States in 1868.

In September 1880, he came to Alaska during the early years of American settlement in the territory. Like many early arrivals along the Inside Passage, he worked as both a seaman and a longshoreman, occupations essential to the maritime supply networks that supported Alaska’s developing mining communities.

Through his work along the waterfront and his early arrival in the territory, Orme was part of the generation of pioneers who helped establish the economic and transportation foundations of Southeast Alaska.

Sources

• 1900 U.S. Federal Population Census
• 1910 U.S. Federal Population Census

Otterson, Charles

Association: Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6

Role: Charter Member

Biography

Charles Otterson was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.

He was born in June 1862 in Norway. Otterson immigrated to the United States in 1876.

He came to Alaska in 1900, where he worked as a rigger. Rigging work was an essential occupation in Southeast Alaska’s maritime and mining economy, supporting ships, docks, and heavy industrial operations tied to the region’s developing communities.

Otterson lived in Juneau during the territorial period and remained part of the community for many years.

He died on March 29, 1955, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Juneau on June 1, 1955.

Sources

• 1900 U.S. Federal Population Census

Overman, Evan "Jack"

Association: Pioneers of Alaska, Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6

Role: Charter Member

Biography

Evan "Jack" Overman was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo No. 6 of the Pioneers of Alaska.

He was born in August 1849 in Iowa.

Overman came to Alaska in June of 1884 and settled in Juneau in 1887 during the early years of the territory's mining development.

By 1900, he was living in Circle City, where he worked as a miner during the height of Interior Alaska’s gold mining activity. He later returned to Juneau and worked as a miner for the Alaska Juneau Mining Company, one of the largest gold mining operations in Alaska.

In his later years, Overman purchased property near Tenakee, Alaska, where he resided for a time.

He died on February 2, 1931, at St. Vincent Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Sources

• 1900 U.S. Federal Population Census
• 1910 U.S. Federal Population Census
• Daily Alaska Empire, February 3, 1931