The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-06-14
Alaska Steamship Co.
 Has Stirring History

A1oO Ot1111AA6 AAAOtOA The June number of the Railway and Marine News contains a brief resume of the history of the Alaska Steamship Company, as follows
 In the well-equipped steamship company today serving throughout the entire year all ports of South eastern and Southwestern Alaska and during the summer seasons the more remote sections of Boring Sea and the Arctic, the Alaska Steam- ship Company is the outgrowth of that pioneer company which had its inception in days prior to the gold rush.
 Previously the Alaska trade was almost wholly confined to the South eastern panhandle and had been controlled by the Pacific Coast Steamship Company, pioneer steam ship carrier on this coast, operating from Mazatlan, Mexico, to Juneau, Alaska, but it's chief activities at that time centered around San Fran cisco.
 In the year 1893 the original Alaska Steamship Company was formed by Chares E. Peabody, Geo. Roberts, George H. Lent of Seattle, and Walter Oakes of Tacoma. Their idea was to go into the promising territory of Southeastern Alaska which, with it's famous Treadwell mine and indications of future ie. velopment of a steamship service That was thirty years ago before the news of the discovery and five years prior to the great rush of '98.
 Their pioneer boat was the Will lapa of about 250 gross tons, which had been purchased on the Columbia River, and with this small boat the four pioneers began the develop ment of their steamship service. On the day following the memorable news of the Klondike discovery, that is in July, 1897. MT. Peabody ar ranged the purchase of the steam ship Rosalie for he could well see what a wonderful traffic was sure to follow the news of the rich find. At the beginning of 1898, the com pany had in preparation for the great rush the steamships Rosalie, Dirigo and Farralone.
 Over in Tacoma, Hugh c. Wallace had organized the Washington Alaska Steamship Company and had chartered from the Northern Pacific what was then considered a magnifi- cent steamship called the City of Seattle. This company was amalga- mated and under MT. Peabody's management the company had the two fine steamships, Seattle and Ro- salie with the freight steamships all ready mentioned. Over in Western Alaska, John Rosene had organized his several companies bearing the name Northwestern which compa- nies were designed to operate in far away Siberia and in Arctic Alaska. Of this series of companies, the Northwestern Steamship Line was one. It served Western Alaska and in 1908 came the consolidation of the original Alaska Steamship Com pany with the Northwestern Steam ship Company under the name of the former.
 r Rich copper deposits had been dis covered in the Copper River Valley and the owners of the mines were building a railroad from Cordova to Kennicott and as it was necessary for them to have an assured steam ship service to the great smell ter at Tacoma, the purchase of stock in the two companies and their Consolidation had been effect ed and from that day to this the company has been steadily increas- ing its fleet by purchase and con- Struction of vssssis 60 that for thiF.