Annual Meeting

The annual meeting of the Circle District Historical Society will be held at 8:00 a.m. Sunday July 1, 2001. Seats D, E, and F currently held by Lori Wilde, Julie Cooper, and Becky Hendrickson will be filled this year. The 2000 annual meeting was held on July 17, 2000. The members whose terms were up for election were reelected. Current board members are President George Hiller, Vice-president Al Cook, Secretary Lori Wilde, Treasurer Joyce Stockbridge, Jane Williams, Julie Cooper, and Becky Hendrickson.

 

Miner’s Picnic

The annual Circle Mining District Miner’s Picnic will be held on Saturday August 4, 2001, on the Museum grounds. For entertainment there will be children’s games with prizes, volleyball, an equipment rodeo, door prizes and an auction. Last year C.D.H.S. raised $1700 in conjunction with this event.

 

Bazaar

Last year’s Bazaar brought in $122 for the Society. This was obtained from the grab bags, the bake sale, and table space rentals. Bead work, quilted items, fur and leather crafts, scrimshaw, wood crafts, and homemade candies and jellies were on sale. This year’s Bazaar will be held on Saturday, November 24, 2001, from 10:00 A.M. until 5:00 P.M. Once again, donations are needed for the grab bags. To donate, contact the museum at (907) 520-1893 or mail your items to C.D.H.S. Inc., Attn. Lori, P.O. Box 30189, Central, AK 99730.

 

The Gold Rushes of 1902

By the May of 1902, the Circle District had expanded far and beyond the area it had encompassed prior to the Klondike rush, Up the Yukon River from Circle City the district included mining claims from tributaries as far away as Coal Creek. Downstream on the Yukon River claims had been recorded on Trail and Monarch Creeks, tributaries of the Chandalar River. Claims on the Chatanika River, a tributary of the Tolavana River and thus the Tanana River had been staked as far down as Poker Creek. Further up the Tanana River there were claims on the Chena River and also on the Delta River tributaries of Rainy and Eureka Creek. Within the year the Circle District would lose the tributaries of the Tanana River and By 1905 would lose the Tributaries of the Chandalar river.

This loss of territory was due to three men. C.C. (Charlie) Pyne, Felix Pedro and E.T. Barnette. Pedro was a Prospector, Barnette was a Promoter, Pyne was both. Barnette had established a trading post on the Chena River in 1901 after having been dumped there by Charles W. Adams, Captain of the Lavelle Young. Felix Pedro and his Partner, Tom Gilmore, Saw the Steamboat from the hills and convinced Barnette that he was in the “right place”.

On May 24, 1902, Pyne staked #3 on Pyne Creek (Today known as Pine Creek), a tributary of the Beaver River, a tributary of the South Fork of the Chena River. No discovery claim was allowed since the creek, previously known as Drain Creek, had been staked before and recorded at Rampart. On July 1, Pyne staked the Discovery Claim on the Beaver River at the mouth of Pine Creek. It would be early July before any of the claims staked in this area would be recorded in Circle City. Over seventy claims would be recorded at Circle City prior to October 24th. This rush to the Beaver River area brought a number of miners into the area. These miners would benefit from being on hand when word of the next discovery was received.

On July 25, 1902, Pedro staked the Discovery claim on Pedro Creek. Frank Jewett, Joe Miller and John Costa also staked on Pedro Creek that day. The following day, Pedro staked Discovery on Twin Creek, a tributary of Pedro Creek. Pedro followed up by staking Discovery on Gold (Goldstream) Creek on August 10th, Discovery on Gilmore Creek on August 11th, and Discovery on Cleary Creek on August 21st. In Early October the first claims from this area were filed with the Recorder in Circle City. On October 20th Pedro filed his five claims in Circle City.

By this time, it had become obvious that the new mining activity was on the Chena river and its tributaries far from Circle City. Circle City Commissioner, Charles Claypool sent J.T. Cowles, the Recorder in Circle City, to the new mining camp at Fairbanks. Cowles closed out the Circle City book on October 24, 1902 and started the first Fairbanks record book upon his arrival in Fairbanks. All claims recorded in the Circle District during the winter of 1903-03 would be filed in this book. Claim staking activity activity continued throughout the winter, both in the Beaver River area and in the Fairbanks area.

In late winter of 1903 Judge Wickersham set out for the Koyukuk district with a new record book for the recorder at Coldfoot. The news he obtained at Circle City caused him to head for Fairbanks. He arrived there on April 9th and the Fairbanks Mining and Recording District was established.

E.T. Barnette began promoting upon his return to his trading post in September of 1902 and his cook, “Wada the Jap” headed for Dawson City to spread the word. Many miners stampeded to the Fairbanks area during the winter of 1902-03. Most were disappointed. The best claims were already taken and the gold was buried much deeper than in the Klondike or in the old Circle District. The three most valuable creeks were shown to be Cleary Creek, Ester Creek and Fairbanks Creek. The Fairbanks District would later prove to be Alaska’s premier mining district and E.T. Barnette’s “faith” in the area would be justified despite his shamless promotion of the area. His reputation would soar and sink depending on the mood of the crowd until his bank collapsed in Early 1911. Charlie Pyne would find his gold rush pre-empted and would become one of Barnette’s major critics.

 

Memorials

C.D.H.S. has received memorial donations for Ed Gelvin, Don Nelson, Jim Morgan, Ella Hosmer, George Hiller Sr. Henry Choate and Georgia Corey from Bill Ellis, Gordon Fulton, J. & H. Wilde, Gen Nelson, Dick and Sylvia Boullion, Margaret McElligott, Jeanette Beaton, Evolyn Melville, Robert Roth, Jane Brand, Al Cook, Del Choate, Joy Morgan and Earl H. Beistline.

 

Donations

C.D.H.S. Has received donations for the period June 15, 2001, through June 1, 2002 from the following: Yvonne Newman, Gene Hume, Frank and Mary Warren, Fred and Judy Schenk, Mrs. Lilian Beach, William Weir, Otto A. Stoepler Jr., Olga and Jack Lloyd, Alaska Link, Robert and Grace Redding, Kathlene (Mike) Dalton, Evolyn Mellville, Elmer Parkison, Minnie E. Havens, Mr and Mrs. Benton Bejach, Irene Hiller, Hal Sherman, Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Berry, Murial Spetzman, Eunice and Jack Raymond, Jess Bachner, Earl Beistline, Mr. and Mrs. Jack G. Rice, George Stethers, Louise Largen, Genevieve Nelson, Fred Klingener, Charles Richmond, Lavelle Montgomery, Gerald and Carol Fulk, Richard Thibedeau, Carl and LaVene LaFontaine, Ms. Rosalie Whyel, L. Rowinski, H.O. and Jane Williams, Mary Lou Teel, Bert and Betsy Sharp, Rosalie L’Ecuyer, Connie and Carl Jeglum, Roger Jenkins, Andrew and Judith Kleinfeld, Bill and Colette Glanz, Mac and Linda Carter, George O’Leary, Gretchen Lake, Dean Willis, Rick Tyrrell & Family and Chris Kriendler.

 

 

Thank You

The Circle District Historical Society would like to express our appreciation to the above listed donors and also to contributors to our memorial fund. Also a thank you to all of the volunteers who have contributed their work to the efforts of the society.