Primary Name: John Wagner

Filed as: Wagner, John

Died: August 4, 1942 – St. Ann’s Hospital, Juneau, Alaska

Associated places: Skagway, Alaska; Chilkoot Pass; Juneau, Alaska

Occupation / Association: Packer, Chilkoot Trail

Affiliation: Charter Member, Juneau Men's Igloo

Keywords: Chilkoot Trail packers, Klondike Gold Rush, Chilkoot Pass history, Alaska pioneers, Pioneers of Alaska

Biography

John Wagner was a charter member of the Juneau Men's Igloo.

He first appeared in Skagway in 1896 during the Klondike Gold Rush and worked as a packer on the famous Chilkoot Trail.

Wagner became known as the strong man of Chilkoot Pass and was reputedly the only packer strong enough to carry a complete cook stove over the trail.

Wagner “mushed over the Great Divide” at St. Ann’s Hospital in Juneau on August 4, 1942, at the age of 80.

Sources

• Alaska Sportsman, January 1943, p. 19
• Pioneers of Alaska Men’s Igloo No. 6 Biographical Sketch