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Camp No. 1 Skagway,
Alaska
Camp No. 1 of the Arctic
Brotherhood was established in
Skagway, Alaska in 1899 following the
arrival of the Ocean Steamer "City of
Seattle." The membership roster boasting 11
members soon swelled to more than 300 as the
roots of The Brotherhood spread amongst the
miners readying themselves for the trip up
and over the Chilkoot Pass en route to the
Klondike gold fields.
Historian I.N. Davidson reports "There were
the usual objections to secret orders made
to this new order by the churches, and the
term "Arctic Bummers" on one side and
"Sniveling Hypocrites" on the other were
frequently heard." The skeptics were
silenced when they saw that the lodge looked
after its members in sickness and health,
buried its dead and generally improved
educational and social conditions of the
booming mining camps. It wasn't long
before every northern city, town or
settlement of any importance boasted its
Arctic Brotherhood Camp. Eventually
more than 30 camps were established
throughout the North and, at its height, the
Arctic Brotherhood boasted some 10,000
members. Ken Spotwood for the Klondike Sun. |
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Gold Found In
The Klondike! |
Dawson City, Yukon
Territory, July 1897
40,000 people have found their way
to Dawson City, 4,000 of
them have found gold!
Three Yukon sourdoughs are generally
credited with "The Discovery" in
1896 that launched the great
Klondike Gold Rush. |
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Rush to
Klondike Begun!
Steamer City of Seattle leaves
Victoria B.C., with Over 600 Passengers -
Vessels Scarce. |
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VICTORIA B.C., Jan. 13 - the steamer
City of Seattle left here this
morning for Alaskan ports, having on board
over 600 passengers. The Rush to Klondike
has fairly begun, but in a few weeks a
steamer will be leaving here every day with
that many men.
The New York Times
- Published January 14,
1898 Copyright
© The New York
Times |
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"Soapy Smith" Killed
In Skagway, Alaska!
City Engineer Frank
Reid Kills Smith In
Gun Battle. |
SKAGWAY,
ALASKA, July 8 - On
this day in 1898,
Jefferson Randolph
"Soapy" Smith
tried to crash a
vigilante meeting on
the Skagway wharf,
apparently hoping to
use his con-man
skills to persuade
them that he was no
threat to the
community.
Smith, however, had
failed to realize
just how angry the
vigilantes were.
When he tried to
break through the
crowd, a Skagway
City Engineer named
Frank Reid
confronted him.
The men exchanged
harsh words and then
bullets. Reid
shot Smith dead on
the spot, but not
before Smith had
badly wounded him.
The Engineer died
twelve days later.
The funeral services
for "Soapy" Smith
were held in a
Skagway church he
had donated funds to
help build.
The minister chose
as text for his
sermon a line from
Proverbs XIII, "The
way of transgressors
is hard." |
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