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Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike, 1897-1915

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Howard, Mart Albert, 1855-1926
Title
Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike
Dates
1897-1915 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 Linear feet of shelf space, (7 Boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 63 (collection)
Summary
The papers of Mart Albert Howard consists of the correspondence, diaries, bills and receipts, legal documents and photographs which Howard retained from his experience as a gold miner in the Klondike gold rush of 1897.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Mart A. Howard (1855-1926) was a businessman in Webster, Massachusetts in 1897 when news of the Klondike gold strikes reached the United States. He left home in October of that year, taking a train to Portland, then on to Seattle where he outfitted for a trip to Alaska. Leaving Seattle in January 1898, he traveled north via coastal steamer to Dyea, then across Chilkoot Pass and along inland waterways to his eventual destination at Dawson, Yukon Territory. In the fall of the same year, he returned to Seattle and purchased a shipment of supplies, which he retailed in the Klondike the following spring. Using the profits of this mercantile venture, he became a mine operator, purchasing interests in various mines on the creeks north of Dawson. He returned briefly to Massachusetts in 1900 after which he took his third trip to the Klondike, this time accompanied by his wife and son. Howard remained in Dawson until 1905, after which he returned to Massachusetts permanently. In later years he became a public lecturer on the Klondike gold rush.

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Content Description

The papers of Mart Albert Howard consists of the correspondence, diaries, bills and receipts, legal documents and photographs which Howard retained from his experience as a gold miner in the Klondike gold rush of 1897. Approximately two thirds of the collection are photographs taken by Howard or purchased from other Alaskan and Canadian photographers. Most photographs are glass-mounted transparencies.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

The Series 4 lantern slides have been digitized and are availible online as the Klondike Photographs digital collection.

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike, 1897-1915 (Cage 63)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is organized into 4 series based on material type. Series 4, Lantern Slides, is further divided into subseries based on general subjects of the photographs.

Custodial History

Mart Howard's son Louis, who was 14 at the time of his trip to the Klondike, and who was later Dean of Mining at the State College of Washington, saved his father's papers. Louis's widow preserved the papers after his death in 1944.

Acquisition Information

The Howard Papers were acquired by the Washington State University Library in 1958 from Howard's daughter in law, Mrs. Louis O. Howard.

Bibliography

Avery, Mary W. "The Mart A. Howard Klondike Collection." Pacific Northwest Quarterly 50, no. 2 (1959): 53-62.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Mary Avery and Lawrence Stark
2025

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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