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: Pilz, George

Filed as: Pilz, George

Also known as: George Pilz

Occupation / Association: Mining engineer; prospector; Alaska mining promoter

Associated places: Saxony, Germany; Freiberg, Germany; Sitka, Alaska; Silver Bay, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Chilkoot Pass, Alaska; Dawson, Yukon; Katalla, Alaska; Chitina, Alaska; Forty-Mile region, Alaska; Eagle, Alaska; San Francisco, California; Michigan copper range

Keywords: George Pilz, Alaska mining engineer, Freiberg Mining Academy graduates, Silver Bay lode gold Alaska, Juneau gold discovery promoters, Joe Juneau prospecting party, Richard T Harris prospecting party, Auk Chief Kowee samples, Chilkoot Pass exploration, early Alaska mining development

Biography

George Pilz, one of the first professional mining engineers to work in Alaska, became a leading figure among the miners who entered the territory during the first decades following the United States purchase of Alaska.

Pilz was born in Saxony and educated at the renowned Mining Academy at Freiberg. After working on coal exploration in Germany, he left the country in 1867 to avoid conscription during the Franco-Prussian War.

Initially, Pilz investigated mining prospects in Canada and the United States for a German-owned company. He later left that position to work for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company at Hancock in Michigan’s copper range. In 1869, he departed Michigan to erect a copper smelter in California.

During the following decade, Pilz worked throughout California, Arizona, and Nevada prospecting, developing mines, and erecting mills and smelters. His reputation for blunt and often cantankerous competence assured him steady employment, though it also kept him moving frequently from project to project.

In 1878, Pilz met Nicholas Haley in San Francisco. Haley, who had previously been stationed with the United States Army in Sitka, possessed rich gold-quartz specimens taken from the Stewart and other lodes near Silver Bay south of Sitka. Pilz initially suspected the samples originated from California’s Grass Valley district, but discussions with army officers and soldiers convinced him that the specimens truly came from Alaska.

Pilz secured financial backing and, in February 1879, traveled to Alaska to construct a mine and mill at Silver Bay. Gold processed by his five-stamp mill became the first lode gold produced in Alaska. The mine closed early in 1880 when the deposit proved too low-grade to sustain operations, though later events would vindicate Pilz’s belief that the region held significant mineral potential.

Seeking additional discoveries throughout Southeast Alaska, Pilz enlisted the assistance of several Tlingit communities, who supplied mineral samples from different areas. Pilz then dispatched experienced prospectors to investigate these reports, including Alaska Mining Hall of Fame inductees Joe Juneau and Richard T. Harris.

One of Pilz’s prospecting parties helped open Chilkoot Pass, which later became the principal gateway to the Klondike gold fields. The route was opened after Navy Captain Lester Beardslee negotiated with the Chilkat Tlingit to allow freighting through the pass.

Among the most promising samples received by Pilz were brought by Alaska Mining Hall of Fame inductee Auk Chief Kowee, who lived on Admiralty Island near the site of the modern city of Juneau. These specimens likely originated from the Gastineau Channel area.

Acting on Pilz’s direction, Harris and Juneau made their discovery in early October 1880 in Silver Bow Basin above present-day Juneau. Their earlier trip had taken them to Gold Creek, where they found promising placer gold and quartz fragments containing gold.

A grubstake agreement arranged by Pilz allowed Harris and Juneau to stake placer claims for themselves while granting Pilz a majority interest in the lode claims on a three-to-one basis.

After confirming the discovery in Silver Bow Basin, Harris and Juneau returned to Sitka, where Pilz joined them. Satisfied that the claims had been properly staked, Pilz approved the work and helped promote the new mining district. News of the discovery sparked a rush to the area in December 1880.

Controversy later arose involving N. A. Fuller, a Sitka merchant who had been connected with Pilz’s operations. Pilz maintained that Fuller acted only on his behalf, but the matter eventually resulted in a lawsuit in Sitka in 1886 in which Fuller obtained judgment against Richard T. Harris.

At the time, Pilz might have aided Harris, but was imprisoned in San Francisco, awaiting trial on a fraud charge he always denied. Despite later disputes between the two men, contemporary correspondence shows Pilz regarded Harris as one of his closest associates during the early Juneau mining period.

Miners from Juneau even sent gold dust to San Francisco to help Pilz post bail. The episode reflected the complicated and often contentious nature of Pilz’s career.

Pilz also likely erected the first prefabricated building in Alaska, constructing a pre-built house in Sitka. On February 7, 1881, he chaired a miners’ meeting that adopted revised mining district rules for the Harris district. He was also involved in organizing and platting the early town that became Juneau, then known as Rockwell or Harrisburg.

In later years, Pilz continued working in mining ventures across North America. He was reported in Dawson in 1906, at Katalla in 1907, working on coal projects, and in Chitina in 1911. He later spent many years in the Forty-Mile region.

George Pilz died in Eagle, Alaska, on September 15, 1926, remembered as a brilliant but often combative pioneer mining engineer who played a key role in the discovery and early development of the Juneau gold district.

Sources

Alaska Mining Hall of Fame.

Richard Tighe Harris, Junior was born on November 10, 1885, the youngest surviving son of Kitty Harris and Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris.

His older brother, William John Harris, also survived. A younger sister Mary Kelchine Harris, died at 11 months old.

They family lived at 219 Second Street on the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. Upon his father's death, William inherited this house.

He attended the native school in Juneau. In the mid-1890’s, he began to study at the Indian School at Chemawa, Oregon. The first correspondence in the Alaska Consortium Library's collection between them while at school and their father begins in late 1897.

Dick Harris’ eyesight began to fail by mid-1904, so Richard, joined his father in Juneau in August of that year. A month later, he wrote to his brother at Chemawa that their father had liver and eye trouble.

During this time, Richard helped his father at the Customs Office. He became a musician and carpenter, lived in Juneau for most of his life and raised a large family.

Alaska Consortium Library

Primary Name: Harris, William John, Jr.

Filed as: harris_william_j_jr

Also known as: William John Harris Jr.; William J. Harris Jr.; William Harris

Occupation / Association: Guide; Sign Painter; Political Cartoonist

Born: March 29, 1884, Juneau, Alaska

Died:

Parents: Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris; Kitty Harris

Spouse:

Children:

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill; Chemawa Indian School, Oregon

Property / Address: Harris Family Home, 219 Second Street, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Keywords: William John Harris Jr, William Harris Jr, Richard Dick Harris family, Kitty Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Alaska Native rights cartoonist, Chemawa Indian School students

Biography

William John Harris, Junior was born on March 29, 1884, the oldest surviving son of Kitty Harris and Richard "Dick" Tighe Harris. He was named after Dick Harris's nephew, William John Harris, Senior. An older brother with the same name died in infancy.

His younger brother, Richard Tighe Harris, Jr., also survived. A younger sister, Mary Kelchine Harris, died at 11 months old.

The family lived at 219 Second Street in the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. Upon his father's death, William inherited this house.

He attended the Native school in Juneau. In the mid-1890’s, he began studying at the Indian School at Chemawa, Oregon. The first correspondence in the Alaska Consortium Library's collection between the boys and their father begins in late 1897.

William Harris was a guide and sign painter in Juneau. He inherited the house after his father's death in 1907.

Although 1901 tax records show “lots and a building” and site improvements valued at $1,000, the Edward Bayless House, located on Lot 2 at 211 Dixon Street, is visible in an 1885 photograph. It is recorded that in 1912, Claire Bayless and Edward Bayless purchased Lot 1 and built the Edward Bayless House.

William was a nationally published political cartoonist whose caricature drawings demonstrated involvement in early Alaska Native rights efforts. While at school, he drew cartoons for the Salem Capital Journal, including a lampoon which helped cover his school expenses while he studied caricature.

He lived in Juneau most of his life and raised a large family.

Sources

Alaska Consortium Library – Harris Family Papers

Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey

Tags: William John Harris Jr, Harris William John Jr, Kitty Harris, Richard Dick Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Alaska Native rights advocates, Juneau pioneers

William John Harris Jr William J Harris Jr Harris William John Jr William Harris Jr W J Harris Jr

Primary Name: Harris, Kitty

Filed as: harris_kitty

Also known as: Kitty Newcomb Harris; Katherine Harris, Kate Harris, 

Occupation / Association: Early resident of Juneau; Tlingit resident of Hoonah

Born: circa 1867, Hoonah, Alaska

Died: February 1893, Juneau, Alaska

Parents:

Spouse: Richard Harris (m. circa 1880)

Children: William J. Harris (1882–1882); William J. Harris, Jr.; Richard Tighe Harris, Jr.; Mary Kelchine Harris (1888–1889)

Property / Address: 219 Second Street, Telephone Hill, Juneau, Alaska

Associated places: Hoonah, Alaska; Juneau, Alaska; Harrisburg (Juneau), Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Keywords: Kitty Harris, Katherine Harris, Harris Kitty, Richard Harris wife, Telephone Hill residents, Harrisburg Alaska families, Tlingit residents Juneau, Hoonah Alaska families

Biography

Kitty Harris, a Tlingit woman from Hoonah, believed to be of the Wooshkeetaan clan, married Richard Harris around 1880.

In March 1881, the couple purchased Lots 1 and 2 on Telephone Hill from George Pilz and his wife. They later sold Lot 1 and built a home on Lot 2 at 219 Second Street.

The couple had four children. Their first son, William J. Harris, was born on May 14, 1882, but died two days later. A second son, William J. Harris, Jr., was born on March 29, 1884. On November 10, 1885, their son Richard Tighe Harris, Jr. was born. Their daughter Mary Kelchine Harris was born on March 22, 1888.

Kitty Harris and three of her children were baptized on Sunday, July 15, 1888, by Reverend Eugene S. Willard in the Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg, Alaska.

Mary Kelchine Harris died on February 24, 1889, at the age of eleven months. Kitty Harris died in February 1893 at the age of 26.

Sources

Alaska Consortium Library; Telephone Hill historical records; Juneau Independent, "Telephone Hill Was Built Around a Tlingit Home"

Kitty Harris Katherine Harris Harris Kitty Tlingit Harris Hoonah Harris

Tags: Kitty Harris, Katherine Harris, Harris Kitty, Richard Harris, Telephone Hill residents, Hoonah Alaska families, Harrisburg Alaska families, Tlingit residents Juneau

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

Primary Name: Bayless, Edward

Filed as: bayless_edward

Also known as: Edward Bayless

Occupation / Association: Attorney; Republican Party member

Born:

Died:

Parents:

Spouse: Claire Bayless

Children:

Associated places: Juneau, Alaska; Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Keywords: Edward Bayless, Bayless Edward, Edward Bayless House, Juneau attorneys, Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood

Biography

Edward Bayless was married to Claire Bayless.

Bayless was a registered Republican and practiced law in partnership with Louis P. Shackleford.

The Bayless family was the original owner of the Edward Bayless House in the Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood. Bayless purchased Lot 1 from Juneau founder Richard Harris in 1912.

Tax records from 1913 indicate that a building was situated on the Bayless lot, and a 1916 entry lists a law library on the premises valued at $175. The Bayless family retained ownership of the property until 1921.

Sources

Juneau tax records; Telephone Hill Historic Site and Structures Survey, 1984

Edward Bayless Bayless Edward

Tags: Edward Bayless, Bayless Edward, Edward Bayless House, Telephone Hill Historic Neighborhood, Juneau attorneys

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).