Category: 49 History

Thu, October 10, 2013

Looking Back: The 1900 Nome Gold Rush

By Laura Samuelson, Director, Carrie M. McLain Memorial MuseumWe continue our look back at the 1900 Nome Gold Rush with more perspective from Wilfred A. McDaniel Sr. Here again are more excerpts from “Alaska Beckons” written by Wilfred in 1943. His love of Nome is quite evident in that his experiences in this wild land are still fresh in his mind four decades later. At the end of last week’s passage, Wilfred noted that “Alaska has her joking moods too,... (Read More)

---

Tue, October 08, 2013

Gaming for Gold, Part II

In this blog’s ongoing series of Alaska-themed board games, we bring you a few more inspired by the Klondike gold rush.First, “Klondike Gold”:In this game that dates to the 1940s, players travel a meandering route that was at least inspired by real geographic locations. Note Skagway in the lower left corner of the board (that’s Soapy Smith’s saloon on the waterfront), followed by the Chilkoot Pass, the Yukon River, and finally Dawson City and the Klondike gold fields.Interesting that the... (Read More)

---

Tue, October 01, 2013

Looking Back: The 1900 Nome Gold Rush

By Laura Samuelson, Director, Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, Nome, AlaskaIn an attempt to reincarnate the spirit of the 1900 Nome Gold Rush, the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum presents “The 1900 Diary of Wilfred A. McDaniel.” Excerpts from Wilfred’s October 1900 passages will appear this month here on “49 History” – the blog of the Alaska Historical Society.  Diarist Wilfred A. McDaniel Wilfred McDaniel was 25 years old when he first landed at Nome in June 1900 in the... (Read More)

---

Sun, September 29, 2013

Gaming for Gold

The discovery of gold in the Klondike in the late nineteenth century set off not only a rush of prospectors to the North, but also a scramble by board game companies to capitalize on the gold craze. The image to the right is the game board of “Horsman’s Game of Klondike,” released in 1897 by E. L. Horsman and Maraquita Bangs of New York.One of many such games produced in this era, Horsman’s promises “a game of surprises and divers... (Read More)

---

Sun, September 22, 2013

Sourdough!

Susannah Dowds, as part of her research for her dissertation, Alaska Sourdough: Bread Beards and Yeast, is gathering sourdough starters from across the state. If you have a starter and a story, bring both to the 2013 Museums Alaska and Alaska Historical Society Conference and become part of the narrative!  Photo credit: Sheldon Museum & Cultural CenterSourdough starter is easily transported when dehydrated; here are instructions on how to dry your yeast:1. Feed your starter a few hours beforehand, so... (Read More)

---