WAUFelchCWPHColl1659.xmlGuide to the C. W. Felch Photographs July 1910Felch (C. W.) PhotographsSpecial Collections, University of Washington Libraries2022 (Last modified: 12/28/2022)
Seattle, WA 98195
University of Washington Libraries, Special CollectionsPH1659Felch, C. W.C. W. Felch PhotographsJuly 19109 photographs (1 folder)Collection materials are in English.Photographs of Iditarod, Discovery, Dikeman and Flat, Alaska and their surrounding creeks and gold fields

Charles William "C.W." Felch (1868-1949) was born in Eugene Oregon, and lived in Seattle until his death in 1949. He was a salesman, commercial broker and amateur photographer. As a commercial traveler, he was the Alaska representative for Crescent Manufacturing Company, for Fisher Flouring Mills, Munsing Wear, Goodyear Rubber Company, Alpine Milk, Pacific Coast Biscuit Co., Cudahy Packing Co., and Hamilton-Carhart Overall Co.

The Iditarod gold field, the site of one of the last great stampedes in Alaska, was discovered by John Beaton and William Dikeman. The Iditarod mining district lies between the lower Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers in southwestern Alaska. The discovery of gold on Otter Creek in 1908 made the Iditarod area one of the more important mining areas in Alaska. Gold was discovered on December 25, 1908 near the head of Otter Creek where it comes together with Flat Creek. Less than six months later in June 1909, prospectors arrived and built a small camp they called Flat City. It became the largest mining camp in the Iditarod district. By 1910, more gold deposits were identified, and the city of Iditarod was founded June 1st of that year to accommodate more prospectors. The major gold fields at this time included Flat, Discovery, Otter, Dikeman, and Willow.

The collection consists of photographs of the towns of Iditarod, Discovery, Dikeman and and Flat, Alaska and their surrounding creeks and gold fields. All the photographs were made in July 1910 by C.W. Felch.

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view original photographs.

Request at UW

Status of creator's copyrights is unknown; restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Users are responsible for researching copyright status before use.

Processed by Liam Patrick Bryant, 2022.

Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)PhotographsAlaska

 

11View of Iditarod River and Dikeman, AlaskaJuly 1910 12Street scene with log cabins and tents in Discovery City, Alaska on Otter Creek 1910 13 Pack train with supplies crossing Otter Creek at Flat, AlaskaJuly 4, 1910 14 Street scene with log buildings and tents in Flat, Alaska July 4, 1910 15View from hillside of Flat, Alaska July 4, 1910

Although the photographer's note on the photograph says, Flat Creek, Iditarod, Alaska, it is not a photo of the town of Iditarod. Flat is on the confluence of Otter Creek and Flat Creek; Iditarod is on the Iditarod River

16 Street scene with business in tents, Iditarod, Alaska July 3, 1910 17 Horses and cart stuck in mud in front of business in tents on 1st Street, Iditarod, AlaskaJuly 15, 1910 18 View of 1st Street with business in tents, Iditarod, Alaska July 20, 1910 19 View of Iditarod River and Iditarod, Alaska July 23, 1910