The first steamers on the lower Yukon River were work boats for the Collins Overland Telegraph in 1866 or 1867, with a small steamer called Wilder. In 1879 they launched the St. Michael. They proved an important role in accessing the interior of Alaska and Yukon which were hindered by mountains and distance. In 1897 there were 7 steamers operating in the Yukon, by 1899 there were 30. In 1900, the White Pass & Yukon Route completed its railroad line between Skagway, Alaska and Whitehorse, Yukon. In 1901, the company entered the steamboat business to complete the service to points on the Yukon River. Beginning in 1901, the White Pass was almost the exclusive operator on the Upper Yukon River (Whitehorse–Dawson City). The service also included Tagish Lake and Atlin Lake, the headwaters of the Yukon River.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboats_of_the_Yukon_River
Photograph album of scenes likely from a couples trip. Includes scenes of Seattle and West Seattle, the Treadwell Mine in Alaska, scenes in Skagway including H.C. Barley's photography studio, African American troops marching through town, "returning from the funeral of F.H. Reid killed by Soapy Smith", graves of Soapy (Jefferson) Smith and Frank H. Reid, Steamboats on the Yukon River, Railroad excursion on White Pass Railroad, Native Americans, St Michaels on the Yukon River, Nome and vicinity, Native Alaskans (probably Inupiat), picnic scenes, Elks Carnival, ships, and other scenes.
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Purchased by Special Collections 2022