Here Are Some Of The Very First Photos Ever Taken Of Alaska
By Megan McDonald|Published April 08, 2020
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Megan McDonald
Author
Megan McDonald is a writer, photographer, and owner of humu media, an Alaska-based digital media agency. She spends her free time traveling with her husband and daughter around the US and the world.
Alaska has a fascinating history. With evidence of civilization in this amazing state for thousands of years, we have only been documenting it for a very short period of time. In the late 1800s, decades after the first photograph was taken, cameras showed up in Alaska to document the gold rush. These old photos of Alaska are some of the first the rest of the world had ever seen of our stunning and formidable state.
The photograph was invented in 1826, but it wasn't until Jim Mason, Dawson Charlie, and George Washington Carmack struck gold on Bonanza Creek in 1896 that cameras began to journey to Alaska on a regular basis.
With the gold rush came natural curiosity about Alaska. Over 100,000 prospectors came up to Alaska to search for gold, and photographers began to document it.
The National Park Service archives are filled with photos from that time period.
An arduous journey at 35 miles long, it brought the gold rushers up and over Chilkoot Pass to the lakes where they could then float another 560 miles down to Dawson City and the Klondike mining district.
One was in Skagway, and one was in Dyea. They were both owned by Eric. A Hegg, and he and another photographer in his employ made many trips up Chilkoot Pass to document the gold rushers.
This has provided us with an incredible snapshot into Alaska's history, especially during the Klondike Gold Rush.
The roads, mode of transportation, and clothing may be different, but the scenery looks remarkably familiar. Alaska has always been awe-inspiring, no matter which century you live in.
If you want to find more amazing photos of the Klondike Gold Rush, make sure to check out the National Parks Service website and archives.
