Guide to the Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike 1897-1915
Cage 63

Summary Information

Repository
Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Creator
Howard, Mart Albert
Title
Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike
ID
Cage 63
Date [inclusive]
1897-1915
Extent
7 containers., 3 linear feet of shelf space., 800 items.
Language
Collection materials are in English.
Abstract
Correspondence, diaries, financial and legal papers, photographs and lantern slides and other papers of Howard's experiences as a gold miner in the Klondike, 1898-1905.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 63, Mart Albert Howard Papers and Photographs of the Klondike . Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

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Biography/History

Mart A. Howard (1855-1926) was a businessman at Webster, Massachusetts in 1897 when news of the Klondike gold strikes reached the United States. He left from 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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Scope and Content

The papers of Mart Albert Howard, 1855-1926, consists of the correspondence, diaries, bills and receipts, legal documents and photographs which Howard, a Webster, Massachusetts, businessman, 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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Administrative Information

Publication Information

Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections  © 2012

http://www.libraries.wsu.edu/masc/

Terrell Library

P.O. Box 645610

Pullman, WA, 99164-5610 USA

509-335-6691

mascref@wsu.edu

Restrictions on Access

This collection is open for research use.

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 Washington State University, saved his father's papers until his own death in 1944. His widow then preserved the papers until she deposited then with the WSU Library in 1958.

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.

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Digital Archival Object

Business card from Mr. Howard

Names and Subjects

Geographic Name(s)

  • Alaska--Pictorial works
  • Klondike River Valley (Yukon)--Gold discoveries -- Pictorial works

Personal Name(s)

Creator(s) :
  • Howard, Mart Albert, 1855-1926 --Archives

Subject(s)

  • Mines and mineral resources--Yukon Territory--History--Sources
  • Steamboats -- Photographs
  • Photographs
  • Alaska
  • Mines and Mineral Resources

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Other Finding Aids

A lengthy description of the papers in this collection may be found in Mary W. Avery, The Mart A. Howard Klondike Collection,  Pacific Northwest Quarterly, 50 (1959) 53-62.

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Detailed Description of Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series 1: Diaries, letters, papers, records, souvenirs, clippings 

box folder

Diaries of Mart Howard 1897-1900  4 items.

1 1

Letters of Mart Howard to wife and son in Webster, Mass. 1897-1905  120 items.

1 2-3

Letters received by Mart Howard on business matters 1902-1913  30 items.

1 4

Invoices and account book for purchases of supplies from Seattle and Klondike firms 1897-1905  50 items.

1 5

Financial records of mining operations including profit and loss statement, "balance sheets" time books 1898-1905  40 items.

1 6

Contracts, license, writs, deeds and other legal documents (included is 1860 permit to drive cattle through Dudley, Mass. 1898-1905  25 items.

1 7

Souvenirs and mementos of southeast Alaska, Klondike region, including theater bills, boat menus and letterheads 1897-1905   20 items: 5x8 postcards

2 8

General information regarding the territory of Alaska. Interior Dept. 1914 

2 9

Report on reduction of area of homesteads in Alaska to 160 acres, Interior Dept. 1915 

2 9

Mounted Newspaper clippings, re: Mart Howard; trial of George O'Brien at Dawson, Y.T. 1899-1905  40 items.

2 10

Material for lectures on Klondike by Mart Howard 1910  25 items.

2 11

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Series 2: Photographs (Photoprints) of Klondike Gold Rush 

box

1. Panorama of Fairbanks June 13, 1905 

Oversize
box folder

2-4. Dawson, Y.T. 70-0200 1901 

2 12

5. Episcopal Church and Hospital, Fairbanks 

2 12

6. Footbridge, Fairbanks 

2 12

7. Roll Call at the "N.C.C. Store" Fairbanks (liquor Wholesale) April 9, 1905 

2 12

8. (Log) Jam formed above Cushman St. Bridge, Fairbanks July 1, 1905 

2 12

9. Pack Train Arriving with Gold Dust, Washington and Alaska Bank, Fairbanks. 

2 12

10. Removing Jam from above Cushman St. Bridge 

2 12

11. Removing Jam from above Cushman St. Bridge. 

2 12

12. Below Bonanza (diggings) of Howard, Magaw and Collins 

2 12

13. Sluicing on Checaco Hill May 11, 1901 

2 12

14. Below Bonanza, Howard, Magaw, and Collins Diggings 

2 12

15. Below Bonanza, Howard, Magaw, and Collins 

2 12

16. Panorama of Dawson City 

2 12

17. No. 4 El Dorado, looking up Gold Hill 

2 12

18. No. 6 Below on Bonanza 

2 12

19. Midnight Scenic of Dawson June 21, 1899 

2 12

20. Hoisting Gold 1000 ft. to surface-winching machinery. 

2 12

21. Group of men on porch of building 

2 12

22. Stores in Fairbanks (with M.A. Howard in scene) 

2 12

23. Top of tramway or ore chute 

2 12

24. Our Klondike home July 12, 1901 

2 12

25. T.M. RR Train at the Junction between Fairbanks and Chema 

2 12

26. Seattle waterfront March 4, 1901 

2 12

27. 1000 Ft. Underground Cripple Creek, Colorado 

2 12

28. Mining Gold in Cripple Creek District 

2 12

29. The Elkton Mine, Cripple Creek 1908 

2 12

30. National Hotel, Cripple Creek 

2 12

31. Bennett Ave., Cripple Creek 

2 12

32. Mary McKinney Mine Cripple Creek District 

2 12

33. Portland Mine 

2 12

34. Economic Mill, Cripple Creek District 

2 12

35. Victor, Colorado 

2 12

36. The Center of the Great Mining District, Cripple Creek Colorado. 

2 12

37. Adams Gulch 

2 12

38. The Portland, Colorado’s Greatest Gold Mine 

2 12

39. The Center of Cripple Creek Mining District 

2 12

40. (Old Dominion?) Alaska or Yukon Mine Head, Sluice Box 

2 12

41. Below Bonanza (Howard, Magaw, and Collins) 

2 12

42. Ice in Yukon River at Dawson May 19, 1901 

2 12

43. Ice Cakes at Forty-Mile, Yukon Territory, 15 feet thick May 19, 1901 

2 12

44. Log Jam-Fairbanks 

2 12

45. Mart Howard en route to Klondike Gold Fields 

2 12

46. Mart Howard en route to Klondike Gold Fields (Chilkoot Pass) 

2 12

47. Mart Howard en route to Klondike Gold Fields 

2 12

48. Flood at Fairbanks July 6, 1908 

2 12

49. No. 7 Below Bonanza—(Sluice Box and people) 

2 12

50. Below Bonanza, Howard, Magaw and Collins 

2 12

51. Howard, Magaw and Collins Mine (?) 

2 12

52. El Dorado 

2 12

53. Midnight Street Scene—Dawson 

2 12

54. Mining Scene on (Gold Sun?) 

2 12

55. Below Bonanza—Howard, Magaw, and Collins Mine 

2 12

56. Fairbanks, Alaska, from across Chena river. oversize 70-0203, 70-0204. June 13, 1905 

2 12

57. Military Post 

2 12

58. General Store 

2 12

59. Steamer Clifford Siftor in Miles Canyon 

2 12

60. Enroute to Klondike Gold Fields (Chilkoot Pass) 

2 12

61. Shooting White Horse Rapids 

2 12

62. S.S. Cutch in Port at Skagway 

2 12

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Series 3: Lantern Slides: Copy Negatives 

box folder

#3 Enlarged Map of Chilkoot, Chilkat, and White Pass Routes, 70- 0207 

2 13

#4 Map of Klondike Mining District 

2 13

#6 Map of Klondike Gold Rush Area 

2 13

#10 Steamers Colombian and El Dorado racing 70-0208 

2 13

#11 Steamer El Dorado in ice 70-0209 

2 13

#13 Steamer Canadian 70-0210 

2 13

#14 Steamer John C. Barr 70-0211 

2 13

#15 Steamer White Horse 70-0212 

2 13

#26 Steamer 

2 13

#98 Second Avenue, dawson 70-0214 

2 13

#99 Front Street, Dawson 70-0215 July 5, 1901 

2 13

#101 Street in Dawson 70-0216 

2 13

#108 Administrative Building, Dawson 70-0217 

2 13

#127 Canadian Bank of Commerce (Dawson?) 70-218 

2 13

#143 (Front Street, Dawson?) Crowd scene 70-219 

2 13

#144 (Front Street, Dawson?) Crowd scene 70-220 

2 13

#185 Rocker Box 70-222 

2 13

#309 Scow dealers 70-0233 

2 13

#313 A Yukon stove 70-224 

2 13

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Series 4: Lantern Slides 

Maps 

box slide

Northwest North America 

3 1-2

Chilkoot, Chilkat and White Pass Routes 

3 3

Klondike Mining District 

3 4-5

Klondike Gold Rush Area 

3 6

Utah, Colorado Area 

3 7

Transport 

Steamboats 

box slide

Victorian 

3 8-9

Colombian and Eldorado racing 

3 10

Eldorado in ice 

3 11

Canadian 

3 12-13

John C. Barr at Hootalinqua, Y.T. 

3 14

White Horse 

3 15

Cutch in ice 

3 16

Susie 

3 17

Dolphin 

3 18

Alki 

3 19

Wharves 

3 20-21

Steamboats and barges 

3 22

Coastal steamer in ice 

3 23

Crowd awaiting 2 steamers 

3 24

(Steamboats) in winter quarters 

3 25

Steamers 

3 26-27

Roping a steamer through 5-finger rapids 

3 28

Miners leaving Seattle on Ohio 

3 29

On board steamer to Alaska 

3 30-32

Boats 

box slide

Boat landing at Dawson, Y.T. 

3 33

Small Boats, some in sails 

3 34

Canoes 

3 35

Railroads 

box slide

Train in deep snow 

3 36

Locomotive with Snowplow 

3 37

TMRR train 

3 38

Track, trestlings, grades, bridges 

3 39-43

Wagons 

box slide

Teams and freight wagons 

3 44-47

Sleds 

box slide

Dog teams and sleds 

3 48-52

Horse drawn sleds 

3 53-59

Hand sled 

3 60

Trails, Packing-In 

box slide

Trail Depot 

3 61

Packing over Chilkoot Pass 

3 62-65

Trails 

3 66-71

Pack Animals 

box slide

Pack Mules 

3 72

Pack Train with Shipment of gold 

3 73

Cities, Settlements 

Panoramas 

box slide

Cordova 

4 74

Dyea 

4 75

Fairbanks 

4 76-77

Forty-Mile 

4 78

Grand Forks of Bonanza and Eldorado 

4 79-80

Juneau 

4 81

Ketchikan 

4 82

Log Cabin, B.C. 

4 83

Moosehide, Y.T. 

4 84

Port Townsend, WA 

4 85

Seattle 

4 86

Skagway 

4 87

Stewart, Y.T. 

4 88

Vancouver, B.C. 

4 89

Victoria, B.C. 

4 90

Wrangel 

4 91

Unidentified cities 

4 92-97

Streets 

box slide

Dawson, Y.T. 

4 98-101

Skagway 

4 102-103

Sitka 

4 104

Flooded village 

4 105

Unidentified 

4 106

Buildings 

box slide

Administrative Building, Dawson 

4 107-108

Fire Station, Dawson 

4 109

Church and Hospital 

4 110-111

Parliament, Victoria 

4 112

Parliament, Ottawa 

4 113

Empress Hotel, Victoria 

4 114

San Francisco Post Office 

4 115

GAR post, Worcester, Mass. 

4 116

The Royal Fuel Factory 

4 117

Fort Selkirk buildings 

4 118

White Horse Depot (?) 

4 119

Stores 

4 120

Canadian Pacific RR Offices, Victoria 

4 121

Canadian Development Company Trading Post 

4 122

Nugget Lunch House 

4 123

Interior of Russian Orthodox Church 

4 124

Cabin Fever 

4 125

Canneries at Petersburg, Alaska 

4 126

Canadian Bank of Commerce 

4 127

Unidentified public buildings and dwellings 

4 128-132

Encampments on Lakes Bennett and Lindeman 

4 133-135

Camps 

4 136-140

Tennis Courts at Valdez 

4 141

Encampment and City Scenes 

box slide

Scenes around Dawson 

5 142-144

Crowds in Streets 

5 145-147

Log Jam behind footbridge in Fairbanks 

5 148-150

Mining 

Panoramas 

box slide

Adams Gulch 

5 151-152

Bonanza 

5 153-157

Chechaco Hill 

5 158-159

Eldorado 

5 160-161

Unidentified 

5 162-168

Dredging 

box slide

On Bonanza 

5 169-171

On Lower Hunker Creek 

5 172

On Klondike River 

5 173-174

Tramway 

box slide

The Fassbender and May Tramway 

5 175-180

The Fassbender and May Tramway 

6 181-183

Hand Tools and Simple Mining Operations 

box slide

Group with rocker and pans 

6 184

Rockers 

6 185-188

A Long Tom 

6 189

Panning 

6 190

Hand winches or windlasses 

6 191-193

Hydraulic mining 

6 194-195

Sluices 

6 196-202

Mine Interiors 

box slide

Cage 

6 203

Driving steam points 

6 204

Digging by Hand 

6 205

Timberwork 

6 206-207

Steam Equipment 

box slide

Steam pipes 

6 208-210

Steam hoists at mine heads 

6 211-215

Ore Cars 

6 216-218

Ore Stackers 

6 219-220

Miscellaneous 

6 221-225

Assay Labs 

6 226-227

Surface Mining, probably in Southwest United States 

6 228-239

Landscapes 

box slide

Rivers or Inlets 

7 240-251

5-Finger Rapids 

7 252-254

Glaciers 

7 255-256

Waterfalls 

7 257-259

Forest 

7 260-261

Desert 

7 262-263

Gold Hill 

7 264

Portraits 

Individual and dual 

box slide

Robert Henderson 

7 265

George Carmack 

7 266

Unidentified, including miners, Indians, laborers 

7 267-278

Groups 

box slide

Violet Basketball Team 

7 279

Group at Rapids 

7 280

Midnight Dome June 21 

7 281

School Children 

7 282

Border Officials 

7 283

Groups and crowds 

7 284-291

Novelty Portraits, including women panning, miner doing laundry, etc. 

7 292-295

Miscellaneous 

box slide

Building a road 

7 296

Totem Poles 

7 297

Shooting a rapid 

7 298

Firewood pile 

7 299

On a sandbar 

7 300

Log Pile 

7 301

A saw pit 

7 302

Color photos of vegetation, mostly flowers 

7 303-306

1/2 Million Dollars worth of gold 

7 307

A typical Malumute dog 

7 308

Scow dealers (peddlers) 

7 309

Milk Stand 

7 310

Milk Cows 

7 311

Shipment of Gold 

7 312

A Yukon Stove 

7 313

25,000 Salmon at Anacortes, WA 

7 314

Ice Cakes from Yukon River 

7 315

United States Flag 

7 316

United States and Imperial Flags 

7 317

Machinery Fairbanks, Morse, and Company stamp and amalgamation mill 

7 318-326

Steel Crystallography 

7 327-366

X-Ray of a key and coin 

7 367
box

Newspapers: Dawson, Yukon Territory; Skagway, Alaska. 1899-1905  7 items.

Oversize

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