The Ushering of the Gold Rush
Alaska State Library 20-12
 The presence of gold in Alaska had long been known, but not until the 1880 discovery by Joe Juneau and Richard Harris would the mad dash to Alaska known as the gold rush begin. A Tlingit leader named Chief Kowee showed his find of gold to these two prospectors. They were very excited about the discovery. As time went by, both Juneau's and Harris' activity brought more prospectors to the city.

Eventually two main mines were built and resulted in a large flow of prospectors and miners to Juneau. By the 1940's, Juneau was indeed a mining town while bringing thousands of gold-hunting prospectors to the city.
Alaska State Library 01-1156
Photos by: Alaska State Museum
INDEX - Geography - Wildlife - People - Resources - Events - State Facts
Fast Facts - History - Government - Transportation - Climate - Communication