Historical Perspectives: Juneau Alaska

The early days

This unit will focus on one very small, but significant area of Alaska: The capitol city of Juneau. Population 32,000, and the only land-locked capitol in the United States. The only way a person can get to Juneau is by boat or plan. No roads lead to Juneau!

[Juneau Alaska circa 1895 or earlier. Public Domain Image. ]

Originally fishing grounds for the local Tlingit Indians, the Gastineau Channel caught national attention when a Tlingit named Kowee gave rich gold ore samples to a Sitka engineer, George Pilz. Pilz set up Richard Harris and Joseph Juneau to explore the area for gold. They found plenty in Gold Creek. But not the Mother Lode.

Eventually Harris and Juneau explored Snow Slide Gulch at the head of Gold Creek and found rich gold deposits in Silver Bow Basin.

Here's a short video from "The Alaska Gold Project Juneau" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrBZgy1bjHk

Over the years Juneau changed from a mining town into the seat for state government.