Port of Call: Juneau’s New Gold Rush
By David Noyes
The sun was nearing the horizon as our ship left Juneau through the Gastineau Channel to continue our northerly route on the Inside Passage. The snow-capped mountains provided a stunning backdrop for the dozens of passengers mingling around the Lido deck pool, sharing stories of their day while feasting on grilled Alaskan salmon.
Its dramatic setting on a small strip of land nestled at the base of Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts makes Alaska’s capital city a popular port of call for virtually every cruise ship that tours the Southeast Alaska Panhandle. In the rush to disembark the ship and join one of the spectacular shore excursions or explore the eclectic shops on Franklin Street, visitors often overlook the wild and interesting history of this once isolated city.
Blocked from the North American mainland by mountains and massive ice fields, Juneau is only accessible via sea or air. Threats of avalanche, steep slopes and cold winters make road construction and maintenance difficult and costly. While isolating Juneau, this geologic protection also gives this area a mild, maritime climate that is a prime habitat for bald eagles, sea lions, porpoise, whales and salmon.
Long before European settlement in the Americas, the protected waterways along the Gastineau Channel were favorite fishing grounds for the indigenous Tlingit people of the Alexander Archipelago. Not surprisingly, when rumors of gold in the channel started spreading in the late 1870s, native tribes were offered substantial rewards for locations of gold-bearing ore.
In 1880, the Auk Tlingit Chief Kowee led experienced Canadian miners Joe Juneau and Richard Harris through the rugged wilderness to Silver Bow Basin and a stream they called, simply, Gold Creek. What they discovered changed the course of history. In the days following, the miners staked their claim and marked off a 160-acre town site on the beach.
After the news of their find spread to Sitka, hundreds of prospectors swarmed the growing mining camp at the base of the towering mountains. Within a year, that camp became the first official town founded after Alaska’s purchase by the United States from Russia in 1867. By 1882, the famous Treadwell Mine was operational on Douglas Island, and it was clear that the beautiful spruce-covered mountains around Juneau would produce one of the largest finds of the Gold Rush era.
Today the massive Alaska-Juneau gold mine is a distant memory for the 30,000 residents who call Juneau home. The large mining companies have been replaced by massive cruise ships delivering a swarm of camera-laden tourists to prospect the historic streets in search of precious gold, diamonds and souvenirs in a new form of an Alaska gold rush.
