Arthur C. Pillsbury Collection
See photographs of the Klondike Gold Rush, California, Oregon and Washington taken by Arthur C. Pillsbury (1870-1946) between about 1896 and 1900.
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Prospectors on beach in Nome, Alaska, October 3, 1899
The men in the photo are employing a method known as "cradling." Prospectors would shovel gravel onto the top of a "cradle" or "rocker" box and rock it back and forth to sift through the gravel through to the lower levels and, if they were lucky, reveal gold. One of these boxes can be seen at the right of the photo. Gold was discovered in the area in the summer of 1898. Prospectors rushed to stake claims and Nome's population quickly ballooned to 10,000 people. In 1899, more gold was discovered on beaches near the town and spurred an even greater rush of visitors. By 1900, an estimated 1000 people a day were arriving in Nome. Pillsbury took some of the first available photographs of the city. Following his departure, the winter conditions made it too difficult for others to reach the area. The same photograph appeared in the June 1900 issue of Harper's Weekly. An illustration based on the photograph appeared in the June 1900 of McClure's Magazine.
Identifier: spl_ap_00180
Date: 1899-10-03
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Haines, Alaska and Portage Cove looking SE, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00137
Date: 1899?
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Men and log cabins at Stewart City, Yukon, ca. 1899
Stewart City served as a trading post for prospectors traveling on steamships along the Yukon River.
Identifier: spl_ap_00182
Date: 1899?
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Spanish artist at Nookta
Parker McAllister, born in 1903 in Massachusetts, was a Seattle Times artist from 1924 to 1965. McAllister started his career as an illustrator at 14 for a Spokane publication; he joined the art staff at the Seattle Times in 1920. His first Sunday magazine cover was a poster-type illustration celebrating the University of Washington crew races in spring 1924. During McAllister's career, he created illustrations depicting “local color” events and situations now routinely handled by photographers. As the technology improved, he expanded his repertoire - he illustrated articles, drew covers for special sections and the weekly Seattle Sunday Times Magazine, and drew diagrams, comics, cartoons, and portraits for the Times’ editorial page. In 1956, an exhibition of his watercolor and oil paintings of Pacific Northwest scenes and historical incidents - including some paintings from the “Discovery of the Pacific Northwest” series - were exhibited at the Washington State Historical Society Museum in Tacoma. He was also a member of the Puget Sound Group of Men Painters. McAllister retired from the Seattle Times in 1965; he passed away in Arizona in 1970.
Identifier: spl_art_291985_16.155
Date: 1955
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Interior of Chief Lot's home, Wrangell, Alaska, ca. 1899
Identifier: spl_ap_00103
Date: 1899?
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Practical joke on Chief Maquinna, 1785
Parker McAllister, born in 1903 in Massachusetts, was a Seattle Times artist from 1924 to 1965. McAllister started his career as an illustrator at 14 for a Spokane publication; he joined the art staff at the Seattle Times in 1920. His first Sunday magazine cover was a poster-type illustration celebrating the University of Washington crew races in spring 1924. During McAllister's career, he created illustrations depicting “local color” events and situations now routinely handled by photographers. As the technology improved, he expanded his repertoire - he illustrated articles, drew covers for special sections and the weekly Seattle Sunday Times Magazine, and drew diagrams, comics, cartoons, and portraits for the Times’ editorial page. In 1956, an exhibition of his watercolor and oil paintings of Pacific Northwest scenes and historical incidents - including some paintings from the “Discovery of the Pacific Northwest” series - were exhibited at the Washington State Historical Society Museum in Tacoma. He was also a member of the Puget Sound Group of Men Painters. McAllister retired from the Seattle Times in 1965; he passed away in Arizona in 1970.
Identifier: spl_art_291985_15.141
Date: 1955
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Dancers at Klukwan Potlatch ceremony, Alaska, October 14, 1898
Identifier: spl_ap_00109
Date: 1898-10-14
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Woman outside Long Lake Hotel in British Columbia, ca. 1899
Long Lake lay along the Chilkoot Trail, a Tlingit trade route between Skagway, Alaska and Lake Bennett (on the border of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory) that was used by many prospectors during the gold rush. The hotel was located at the south end of the lake. Signs on the side of the hotel advertise beds, lemonade and a bakery.
Identifier: spl_ap_00086
Date: 1899?
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Pioneer Courthouse on 700 block of SW 5th Ave. in Portland, ca. 1900
View of buildings on 700 block of SW 5th Ave. in Portland between SW Yamhill St. and SW Morrison St. The Portland Hotel is at the left, followed by the Pioneer Courthouse in the center (listed as the Post Office in the photograph) and the Goodnough Block at the right. The Oregonian Building can be seen in the background to the left of the courthouse.
Identifier: spl_ap_00057
Date: 1900?
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