WAUDraperHoraceHPHColl324.xmlGuide to the Horace H. Draper Photograph Collection circa 1906-1908 1906-1908Draper (Horace H.) Photograph CollectionFunding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries© 2006 (Last modified: 11/27/2017)
Seattle, WA 98195
Finding aid written in English.Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard).University of Washington Libraries, Special CollectionsPH0324Draper, Horace HHorace H. Draper Photograph Collection1906-190856 photographic prints (1 box) ; various sizesCollection materials are in English.The collection contains Horace H. Draper’s photographs of the Porcupine Gold Mining Company in Porcupine, Alaska

Horace Herbert Draper was born on July 5, 1855 in Rockford, Illinois. Draper developed a partnership with fellow photographer W.H. Case (1868-1920), forming the commercial photography studio of Case & Draper. Before going to Skagway in 1898, they followed the excitement of the Klondike Gold Rush where they remained active photographers from 1898 to circa 1908 in Skagway and Juneau, Alaska. By 1907, the partnership of Case & Draper dissolved, with Draper retaining possession of the business in Skagway, while Case opened a new business in Juneau.

After 1908, Draper worked individually as “Draper & Co.” primarily based in Skagway. While living in Skagway, Draper married a local school teacher named Harriet and became an active member of the community. When he died in 1913, the people in the town of Skagway closed all businesses for the day. The Draper photograph studio was purchased by the Keller Brothers Drug Company of Skagway.

The Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon territory began with the discovery of gold in Bonanza Creek, a tributary of the Klondike River in 1896. Within a span of two years, over 30,000 prospectors occupied the area. In 1900 over $22 million dollars worth of gold was mined. After the depletion of gold deposits in the area, prospectors continued their quest for gold in Alaska.

The Porcupine Mining District was established in November of 1898 after S.W. Mix and his friends Fenley and Wiley, discovered gold near Porcupine River, eight miles from Haines. The Porcupine River flows for 450 miles from the Yukon territory into NE Alaska and is one of the chief tributaries of the Yukon River in Alaska. The three friends staked claims, including Discovery, along Porcupine River and it's tributaries, McKinley, Cahoon and Glacier Creeks. By the end of the mining season, there were 50 men in residence and Jack Dalton, developer of the Dalton Trail, had built a trading post and sawmill to support the miners.

By 1899, $50,000 in gold had been recovered and the 150-acre townsite of Porcupine had 200 residents. As original claims played out and the more traditional methods of mining gold were no longer sufficient, partnerships and companies developed to continue mining operations. It became necessary to use more sophisticated and expensive mining techniques to recover the gold. The Porcupine Trading Company, owned by Dalton, Hanley and John F. Maloney, purchased controlling interest in the original claims. They build a large flume to divert the river, allowing them to recover the harder to mine gold. In 1905, the Porcupine Trading Company flume and all mining operations in the area were destroyed by flooding, ending the gold rush to Porcupine.

In 1905, a road was constructed between Haines and Porcupine, which provided cheaper access to the remote area. In 1907, The Porcupine Mining Company was organized by E.E. Harvey. Additionally, claims in the area were consolidated, providing Harvey with the means to obtain large capital backing for mining operations. In order to mine in the area, a large flume was constructed to divert the river’s water. The flume, the largest in Alaska at the time, was constructed with boards milled on site and spanned a distance of 8,000 feet, 25-40 feet in width, and had a depth of 6-8 feet. Exhausting most of the gold deposits, work ceased after a 1915 flood destroyed the lower end of the flume.

Although salvaged and rebuilt in 1917 by the Alaska Corporation, floods destroyed the flume once again. In 1926, August Fritsche gained control of the site and constructed a new 12,000 foot highline flume, which remained until 1936. Company records show a yield of $1,700,000 in gold.

The collection contains H.H. Draper’s photographs of the Porcupine Gold Mining Company in Porcupine, Alaska. Images include Porcupine Mining Company staff and their families, miners, flume construction, mines and mining operations and surrounding mountains.

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The collection is open to the public.

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Processed by Sayaka Ito, October 2005, and Megan Peacock, 2006; processing completed in 2006

Williamson, Ike--PhotographsPorcupine Gold Mining CompanyPorcupine (Ont.)--PhotographsKennicott (Alaska)-- PhotographsAlaska--PhotographsGold miners--Alaska--PhotographsMountains--Alaska--PhotographsFlumes--Design and construction--Alaska--PhotographsGold minines and mining--Alaska--PhotographsLogging--PhotographsLoggers--PhotographsLogging--Machinery--PhotographsSawmills--PhotographsVisual Materials Collections (University of Washington)Mines and Mineral ResourcesAlaskaPhotographsPhotographs

 

Porcupine Gold Mining Company11-2Ike Williamson and crewcirca 1906-1908 13Ike Williamson and crew in front of logging enginecirca 1906-1908 14Ike Williamson and crew in front of logging roadercirca 1906-1908 15Large group outside mess hall at 12 nooncirca 1906-1908 16Four women, one man, and two young people on porch circa 1906-1908

"Porcupine Ladies at Manager's Cottage"

17Four women, one man and a young girl standing at fence of the President's cottagecirca 1906-1908

"Porcupine Ladies at President’s Cottage"

18-10Porcupine Mining Company social gatheringcirca 1906-1908 211View from above of men working in gravel pit circa 1906-1908 212Men working in gravel pit No.2 belowcirca 1906-1908 213Pit No. 2 below showing temporary sluice boxcirca 1906-1908 214Saw mill and lumber yardcirca 1906-1908 215Saw mill from mill pondcirca 1906-1908 216 Miners with supplies on mountain trailcirca 1906-1908 217Men working in the snow circa 1906-1908Construction of flume 318View from hillside of supplies on already planked flume bedcirca 1906-1908 319Men planking flume bed near machine shopcirca 1906-1908 320View from hillside of a completed stretch of flume circa 1906-1908 Flume intake and dam421View from flume bed of men laying planks on sills looking towards portable steam sawmill at flume intakecirca 1906-1908 422Cutting end of sills to angle for spillway next to portable steam sawmillcirca 1906-1908 423View from hillside of dam, intake and spillway under construction circa 1906-1908424End of spillway, intake and hill behind flume viewed from river bed circa 1906-1908 425View from river of Porcupine Gold Mining Company workers and families standing hand-in-hand across the width of the flume at the intake spillwaycirca 1906-1908 426Five women, two men and one young girl sitting on planks at flume intakecirca 1906-1908 427-29View from riverbank across from intake of men working on planking the walls of the intake and spillwaycirca 1906-1908 Station No. 1530-31View from hillside of workers laying stringers and sills on flume above No. 1circa 1906-1908 532View from river of river, Flume structure of posts, spills and piles of lumber below No. 1circa 1906-1908

"Substructure 1 below."

Station No. 2633View from hillside of lumber on flume near Station No. 2circa 1906-1908 634Buildings and flume under construction as seen from sillscirca 1906-1908 635View from spillway of tail-race of station and side of flumeOctober 1, 1908 636Man standing at intersection of bedrock flume and spillway tail-raceOctober 1, 1908

"View looking north showing 300 feet of bedrock flume completed and the spillway of tail-race from No. 2 penstock."

637Station viewed from above Pit No. 2circa 1906-1908638-39Probably Station No. 2 under construction circa 1906-1908 640Men planking flume, probably near Station No. 2circa 1906-1908 641Building materials on riverbank, in river, under and alongside flume, probably near Station No. 2circa 1906-1908642Distant view from alongside flume posts in winter circa 1906-1908 643Station and flume in winter as seen from across the rivercirca 1906-1908

"No. 2 below after closed down October 29, 1908."

644Station in winter from above Pit No. 2circa 1906-1908 645Snow covered spillways and running river next to flume posts, possibly Station No. 2circa 1906-1908 646Side view of flume and possibly part of Station No. 2 in winter circa 1906-1908647 View from ground of possibly part of Station No. 2 in winter circa 1906-1908648Spillway in between crossbeams and posts of flume in winter, possibly Station No. 2circa 1906-1908Near Discovery749Three women, one man and a young girl standing on nearly completed flume bedcirca 1906-1908

"Jenks faction and Discovery."

750View from bed of flume of flume and scenery with not-yet planked side postscirca 1906-1908

"Sect. 3 - On Discovery."

751View from hillside of unplanked side posts, planking on bed of flume and distant stationcirca 1906-1908

"Sect. 5.2 below Discovery."

752Looking out flume spillway into gravel clearing and forestcirca 1906-1908

"Sect. 7 Spillway 3 below Discovery."

Mountains 853Gray Mountaincirca 1906-1908 854Phillips Mountain, copper river regioncirca 1906-1908 855Bonanza Mine, Kennicott Mountaincirca 1906-1908

"Limestone overlaying greenstone. Bonanza Mine, Kennicott Mt. 30' shaft, 100' drift, 200' tunnel, 1906. Vein 4' - 30' wide, outcrop 700' long crosses contact, extends into greenstone and limestone."

856Dock with pilings and high tide watermarks visiblecirca 1906-1908

"Mt. Andrews dock without barge loading."