University of Washington Libraries, Special CollectionsPH0314Kinne, A. B. (Albert Barnes)Albert B. Kinne
Photographsapproximately
1903-19102 boxes (50 photographic prints and 2
labels)21 negatives : glass ; 8 x 10 in.1 negative : nitrate ; 8 x 10 in.Collection materials are in
English.Images of the
gold mining industry and the Alaskan towns of Council, Deering, Candle, and
Nome, taken by San Francisco public affairs activist and
photographerAlbert Barnes Kinne was born around June 1, 1853. He resided in San
Francisco, where he was actively engaged in public affairs and ran an
unsuccessful bid for Congress. Kinne also operated a photography studio in San
Francisco, located at 1040 Shotwell Street. Around 1900, he relocated to Nome,
Alaska, where he set up a new studio and worked with the Wild Goose Mining and
Trading Company. By 1903, he had formed a partnership with well-known Nome
photographer Beverly B. Dobbs. Their studio, Dobbs & Kinne, was dissolved
when Kinne moved eighty miles east to the gold mining camp of Council (aka
Council City), and started a new photography business around 1905. In 1911,
Beverly Dobbs sold the Nome studio and its glass negatives, including some made
by Kinne, to photography entrepreneurs the Lomen Brothers, who created prints
of the images under their own imprint.
Kinne took a job as manager of the Alaska Telephone & Telegraph
Co. around 1907 and may also have held a teaching job in Council in 1910, when
the U.S. Bureau of Education set up schools to educate native populations in
the area. On Nov. 20, 1913, Kinne was appointed postmaster of Council. He
married his wife, Nellie, in 1921, and continued to live and work in Council
until Jan., 1925, when he returned to Nome and established a mercantile
business. Although his business was reportedly thriving in Nome, he became
despondent, possibly over ill health, and shot himself to death in Aug.,
1925.
After Kinne's death, his wife apparently abandoned their home, along
with hundreds of photographs contained there. In 1941, a visitor managed to
save a few samples of the poorly preserved photographs and glass and nitrate
negatives from the collapsing home.
At the turn of the 20th century, gold discoveries
on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska led to the development of four communities:
Nome, Council, Candle, and Deering.
Nome, located on the peninsula's southwest corner,
became one of Alaska's major gold mining areas when gold was discovered in
nearby Anvil Creek in 1898.
Council, situated 65 miles northeast of Nome on
the Niukluk River, was founded by prospectors in 1898 after a gold strike
occurred there the previous year. Mines on nearby Ophir Creek, primarily owned
by the Wild Goose Mining and Trading Company, produced $4.5 million in gold.
During the summers of 1897-1899, Council’s population was estimated at 15,000,
but many people left for Nome when more gold was discovered there in 1900. By
1910, Council's population had dwindled to just 686.
Candle, named for Candle Creek, was established
about 1901 in the northern part of the Seward Peninsula on the Kiwalik River.
Although it was the largest community on the north side of the peninsula,
Candle's population decreased after its mining industry suffered a sharp drop
in production around 1907. By 1910, the town numbered only 204 inhabitants.
Deering, a village located about thirty miles
north of Candle on the Kotzebue Sound, was established in 1901 as a supply
station for gold mining on the interior. It was probably named for the
ninety-ton schooner Abbey Deering , which traveled
nearby waters around 1900.
Arranged in 10 series.
- Nome, Alaska (Nome County, Seward Peninsula)
- Council (or Council City), Alaska (Nome County, Seward
Peninsula)
- DeSoto Mining Company (Nome County, Seward Peninsula)
- Gold mining (Nome County, Seward Peninsula)
- Wild Goose Mining and Trading Company (Nome County, Seward
Peninsula)
- Deering, Alaska (Northwest Arctic County, Seward
Peninsula)
- Candle, Alaska (Northwest Arctic County, Seward Peninsula)
- Kiwalik Area (Northwest Arctic County, Seward Peninsula)
- People
- Kinne Photography Studio Labels
The collection contains scenes of the gold-mining towns of Council
City, Candle, Deering, and other areas on the Seward Peninsula of Alaska during
the early years of the 20th century. Included are photographs documenting the
activities of the Council Volunteer Fire Department, the DeSoto Mining Company,
and the Wild Goose Mining and Trading Company. All of the photographs were made
by Albert B. Kinne.
Photographic prints made from the negative originals are available for
reference purposes.
No restrictions on access to prints. Negatives are not available for
viewing.
Request at
UW
Glass plate negatives and modern contact prints possibly made in the
1970s; source: Michael Maslan, 2002.
Nineteen vintage prints and modern contact prints possibly made in the
1970s; source unknown.
Processed by Linda Corets, 2003.
Two acquisitions have been combined. One consisted of modern contact
prints, glass plate negatives, and one nitrate negative; the other consisted of
19 modern contact prints and vintage prints from an unknown source.
Kinne, A. B. (Albert Barnes)DeSoto Mining Company--PhotographsWild Goose Mining and Trading Company--PhotographsGold mines and mining--Alaska--PhotographsGold miners--Alaska--PhotographsGold rushes--Alaska--PhotographsFrontier and pioneer life--Alaska--PhotographsFire departments--Alaska--Council--PhotographsFire fighters--Alaska--Council--PhotographsAlaska Natives--PhotographsPioneers--Alaska--PhotographsAlaska--Gold discoveriesCouncil (Alaska)--PhotographsNome (Alaska)--PhotographsCandle (Alaska)--PhotographsDeering (Alaska)--PhotographsSeward Peninsula (Alaska)--PhotographsPhotographsGlass negativesVisual Materials Collections (University of Washington)AlaskaPhotographsMines and Mineral ResourcesCity and Town LifeExpeditions and AdventuresPioneersNative AmericansCivic Activism
Nome, Alaska (Nome County, Seward
Peninsula)11View of road and
harbor at Nome (Kinne 501) Council (or Council City), Alaska (Nome
County, Seward Peninsula)22View of river
with ice, probably near Council (Kinne 717) 23Distant view of
Council and landscape (Kinne 514) 24View of Council,
waterway, and small boat from Melsing Creek (Kinne 842) 25 View of Council
and waterway from Melsing Creek (Kinne 556)26Rope strung
between buildings in winter to guide people during blizzards (Kinne
1220) 27 Man standing on
wind-carved snow drift in Council (Kinne 1210) 28 Bags, possibly
containing coal, in the snow (Kinne 1253)29 Sanborn,
Marshall & Co. general store on the main street (Kinne 511) 210 Men and dogs in
front of the Beach Saloon and Bakery 211 Men in front of
the Ophir and Headquarters log (Kinne 845) 312Men on ladders
and in building during Council’s Volunteer Fire Department fire drill (Kinne
824) 313 Bucket brigade
at the Ophir Saloon fire (Kinne 782)Dec. 30, 1904 314 Bucket brigade
along the waterfront at the Wild Goose Mining and Trading Company (Kinne
720) 315 Trustees of
Council’s Volunteer Fire Department DeSoto Mining Company (Nome County, Seward
Peninsula)416 DeSoto Mining
Co. camp on the Niukluk River (formerly Neukluk) near Council (Kinne
553)July 24, 1903417DeSoto Mining
Co. camp on river at White Mountain (Kinne 115) 418 DeSoto Mining
Co. workers unloading the steamer Dusty Diamond at
White Mountain (Kinne 117) 419 DeSoto Mining
Company’s steamer Dusty Diamond at White
Mountain 420 Blasting ice
around the DeSoto Mining Company’s dredger with discarded gravel bar in
background (Kinne 719) 421[DeSoto Mining
Company’s?] dredger and pile of wood for its boiler, White Mountain Gold mining (Nome County, Seward
Peninsula)522 Distant view of
steam dredge at work near mouth of Ophir Creek (Kinne 862) 523 Day shift
miners at Northern Light Mining Co., Ophir Creek (Kinne 225) 524 Miners at
mining operation, probably at Council525 Large group of
miners at Council526 Two men in
mining camp, one with mosquito netting on his hat 527 Men and dog
team in front of cabin at gold camp, probably at Council (Kinne
704) 528 Men playing
with dogs in front of tent at gold camp, probably at White Mountain
The tent features the logo for Seattle Tent & Awning Co. of
Seattle. Beginning in 1897, the company supplied tents to gold prospectors en
route to Alaska.
Wild Goose Mining and Trading Company (Nome
County, Seward Peninsula)629 Barges towed by
the Wild Goose Company’s sternwheeler tow boat Pauline on the Fish River630 Barges towed by
the Wild Goose Company’s sternwheeler tow boat Pauline on the Fish River (Kinne 111) 631 Wild Goose
Company’s horse teams hauling lumber from the company mill on Duncan Creek
(Kinne 784) 632 Workers,
lumber, and horse teams, probably from the Wild Goose Company’s mill on Duncan
Creek (Kinne 789) 633 Workers and
lumber, probably from the Wild Goose Company’s mill on Duncan Creek (Kinne
788) Deering, Alaska (Northwest Arctic County,
Seward Peninsula)734 Local residents
and visitors from the town of Candle in front of cabin in Deering (Kinne
835)Apr. 13, 1905 Elmer “Slim” Rydeen stands at center, holding tray. Rydeen lived
in Candle and Nome and served on the territorial legislature.
735 Family and dogs
in front of cabin in Deering (Kinne 822)736 Men and dogs in
front of cabin in Deering (Kinne 816/817) 737Teachers and
Iñupiat children at mission in Deering, Alaskabetween 1900 and 1910 Candle, Alaska (Northwest Arctic County,
Seward Peninsula)838 View of the
town (Kinne 203)Apr. 9, 1907 839 Men standing in
front of the Lacey building (Kinne 1242) 840 Men working at
homestead, Candle1910 "'King Olaf's Place. O.A. Lundberg."
Kiwalik Area (Northwest Arctic County,
Seward Peninsula) 941 Dog teams and
men at Keewalik Hotel, probably Kiwalik (formerly Keewalik) (Kinne
815) 942 Robert Wakely
Snyder family at winter house, 22 miles up the Kiwalik River (Kinne
800)1904 From left: daughter Tacoma, 4 years; Susie, wife, Alaska Native;
family friend; Robert Wakely Snyder; son Roy, 5 months. This is the winter
house that turned into Snyders Road House.
People1043Iñupiat hunter
with gun and dog, Seward Peninsula, Alaska (Kinne 723)between 1900 and
1910 1044 Iñupiat men
whipsawing lumber in snow, Seward Peninsula, Alaska (Kinne 694)between 1900 and
1910 1045 Male and female
patrons inside a saloon, possibly Nome or Council 1046Woman reading in
cabin decorated with Alaska Native artifacts and fur pelts, Seward Peninsula,
Alaska (Kinne 518)between 1900 and
1910 1047 Little girl
holding flowers and dressed for confirmation, possibly in church (Kinne
711)ca.
1905 1048 Woman in ornate
dress, probably in Council (Kinne 706) 1049-50Naked body of
man inside cabin (Kinne 701)Kinne Photography Studio Labels1151-52Kinne's
photography label with San Francisco studio addressLabels removed from the backings of items 39 and 40.