Treadwell gold : an alaska saga of riches and ruin Cover Image

Book

Treadwell gold : an alaska saga of riches and ruin / Sheila Kelly.

Kelly, Sheila, 1942- (Author).

Summary:

A century ago, Treadwell, Alaska, was a featured stop on steamship cruises, a rich, up-to-date town that was the most prominent and proud in all Alaska. Its wealth, however, was founded on the remarkably productive gold mines on Douglas Island, and when those caved in and flooded in the early decades of the twentieth century, Treadwell sank into relative obscurity. Treadwell Gold presents first-person accounts from the sons and daughters of the miners, machinists, hoist operators, and superintendents who together dug and blasted the gold that made Treadwell rich. Alongside these stories are vintage photos that capture both the industrial vigor of the mines and the daily lives that made up Treadwell society. The book will fascinate anyone interested in Alaskan history or the romance of gold mining's past.

Record details

ISBN: 1602231184
ISBN: 9781602231184
Physical Description: 271 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
Publisher: Fairbanks, AK : Univ of Alaska Press, 2011.

Content descriptions

Formatted Contents Note:

Treadwell at its peak -- Catalyst for Alaska development -- Treadwell Mines : the story in brief -- An unusual company town -- Company family through boom and bust -- The big hoistman's boisterous family -- Tough grind of the hard-rock miner -- View from the mansion -- Labor troubles and the Western Federation of Miners -- The Tlingit : ancient culture meets modern industry -- Fourth of July's grand celebration -- Double threat of wind and fire -- Intimations of disaster -- The cave-in : rumblings become a roar -- A town brought down -- Reduced to ashes -- The place, the people, the gold.