Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-05-25
Dawson City Described,

GuWoSh SiNy NRoki'bbNh
Dawson City, named after the great
Canadian explorer, who discovered the
gold in the Klondlke regions, was
mainly built in 1897 It was situated
on the uorth bank of the Yukon, and
close to the mouth of Klondike river,
being erected on low boggy site be-
tween the hills and the river Joseph
Harper, Of Fort Sellkirk, and Joseph
Laude, of Slxty-Mlle, put up the first
cabin on the site, having removed
their trading stock Immediately on the
receipt of the news of the discovery OF
gold in August, 1896. In less than a
year after the entry of the town site,
Dawson had over 1000 inhibitants,
with hotels, stores and wharves.
The managers of the Alaska Com
merclal Company, of San Francisco,
of which Louis Sloss is the president,
and which had offices at Juneau City,
Alaska, saw there would be a ready
market for lumber in Dawson City, and
thousands of feet were sent over Chill
coot Pass for the erection of buildings.
The town was soon thriving one,and
street were lafd out by the Canadian
police Third avenue was one of the
principal thoroughfares. The Alaska
Commercial Company erected a large
warehouse on this street, as did Thom-
as Magee, of San Francisco, who, with
his sons, Walter Magee and Thomas
Magee, Jr., started a large provision
business. Some of the other promi-
nent concerns on the same street were
William B. Styke ("Swiftwater BilP), |
who conducted large sporting place: |
G. w. Kent C Co., dealers in mining |
equipments; the Dawson City hotel; |
the vaudeville theatre, which was
owned and operated by H. B. S. Mar
Gus, who was in New York City in No
vember last, and the post office, which
was destroyed by fire in October.
Near the post Office was the Green Tree |
saloon, the scene of many revelries,
and also the office Of the Klondike |
Nugget, Dawson's only paper. The
Oregon Navigation Company, the
Klondike Development Company, A. T.
White & Co., the Alaska Trading Com
pany and Watson & Co. all had large
buildings in the business section.
The fire department of Dawson City
owned only one engine, worked by
hand, and on several occasions when it
was dragged from its shed to be used
in eXtinguishing small blazes it was
found to be next to useless. The last
big fire in Dawson, on October 16,
1898, when forty buildings were burn
ed, including the post Office, caused a
loss of 100000. 1t started in the
Green Tree saloon, where two women
were quarreling. One threw a lighted
lamp at the other, setting the place on
fire. On this occasion 1000 men turn
I'd out and worked with wet blankets,
buckets of water and axes, and with
he aid of the fire engine, succeeded in
the whole city from being
destroyed.
John P. Barrows, a theatrical man
Of juneau, Alaska, who is in New York
said:
Il am not surprised to hear that the
whole town has been destroyed, for, IL
ihe inhabitants of Dawson were ever
'areless of anything they were of fire.
All buildings were of wood and built
PRETTY close together. When was in
Dawson some three months ago, mo-
iced that many new buildings were {
'eing erected on the site swept by fire
asst year There was plenty of lumber
n the city at the time, and If that had I
'een destroyed there is still plenty
With which to build again. At that !
ime a friend up there said to me,
This place will go up in smoke some
ay;' and l guess he was right"