Buck Choquette
Encyclopedia
Alexander "Buck" Choquette (1830–1898), usually known as Buck Choquette and born Taddée Choquette, was a French-Canadian prospector and adventurer who was the discoverer in 1861 of the gold strike which led to the Stikine Gold Rush
.
Choquette left home on foot in 1849 at the age of 19 and set out first for work in Montreal
, then travelled via Duluth, Minnesota
to Independence, Missouri
, where he joined one of the many wagon trains bound for the California Gold Rush
. Arriving too late to stake a claim, Choquette found work as a mucker or panner. He worked his way north through the Shasta
diggings, and then the Trinity
, Scott
and Klamath River
s, reaching the Oregon Territory
and making it to the Fraser goldfields in 1858. Failing to find his own strike there, in 1859 and 1860 he prospected a while on the remote Nass River
and other rivers northwards of that without much success.
to Fort Stikine
(today's Wrangell, Alaska
), in what was then still Russian America. No longer a Hudson's Bay Company post, the former fur post was under the control of the powerful Chief Shakes
, and had become known as Shakesville. Shake's daughter Georgiana became Choquette's wife, a great honour in prestige-conscious Tlingit society. With his wife and ten men of the Stikine people
, and the chief's blessing, Choquette travelled up the Stikine River
, whose mouth is near Wrangell, and found gold at a location near Telegraph Creek
, about 150 km (93 mi) up that river, at a place marked on the map today as Buck Bar. News of his strike reached Victoria and thousands of men travelled via the Stikine, and overland via another route up the Stikine River and what became Hazelton
. Choquette's own claim was not that profitable, but Choquette opened a trading post near his claim, moving it from time to time over the years. His main post was farther down river, near the Great Glacier, at a location known as Choquette Bar today, near Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park
, and was also known as Ice Mountain
, which was the name of one of the dominant peaks at that location. By 1867 Choquette and his wife were living in Shakesville, where he had operated a post for the Hudson's Bay Company, whose goods he also sold at his upriver stores, and when the Alaska Purchase
of that year saw control of the Alaska Panhandle
to the United States
, Choquette chose to move upriver to his main store on the Stikine, which was at the confluence of the Stikine and Anuk Rivers. He had some disputes with the HBC, and opened up his own store independent of their interests, but preferred to trade in British territory to avoid American taxes and having to buy American goods. Choquette spoke both Tlingit and the Chinook Jargon and was invaluable in intercommunal relations and commerce to all parties acquaintaed with him As business on the river's diggings began to slow, Choquette opened a salmon saltery and in 1886 travelled via one of the first transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway
to testify at hearings in Ottawa concerning the location of the boundary between Alaska and British Columbia
.
. He died in the hospital in Dawson City in June 1898. Among his last visitors was the novelist Jack London
, who had asked to meet an authentic prospector.
, who died in the 1930s. Many of Choquette's descendants by Georgiana still live in Wrangell to this day.
Stikine Gold Rush
The Stikine Gold Rush was a minor but important gold rush in the Stikine Country of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. The rush's discoverer was Alexander "Buck" Choquette, who staked a claim at Choquette Bar in 1861, just downstream from the confluence of the Stikine and Anuk Rivers, at...
.
Early life
Born in St. Benoit de Mirabel (Deux-Montagnes) in a farmer family. His parents were Julien Choquette and Magdeleine Rastoul. His father was a farmer and also a lieutenant in the loyal militia of St. Eustache who took part in the Battle of St. Eustache against the Patriotes (December 1837). His two cousins, Damien Masson and Luc-Hyacinthe Masson, where well known Patriotes. His uncle Basile Choquette was also a captain in the loyal militia of St. Eustache, directed by Maximilien Globensky.Choquette left home on foot in 1849 at the age of 19 and set out first for work in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, then travelled via Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
to Independence, Missouri
Independence, Missouri
Independence is the fourth largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Clay. It is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, where he joined one of the many wagon trains bound for the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
. Arriving too late to stake a claim, Choquette found work as a mucker or panner. He worked his way north through the Shasta
Shasta County, California
Shasta County is a county located in the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The county occupies the northern reaches of the Sacramento Valley, with portions extending into the southern reaches of the Cascade Range. As of the 2010 census, the population was 177,223, up from 163,256...
diggings, and then the Trinity
Trinity River (California)
The Trinity River is the longest tributary of the Klamath River, approximately long, in northwestern California in the United States. It drains an area of the Coast Ranges, including the southern Klamath Mountains, northwest of the Sacramento Valley...
, Scott
Scott River
The Scott River is a river in Siskiyou County, California, United States. It is a tributary of the Klamath River, one of the largest rivers in California....
and Klamath River
Klamath River
The Klamath River is an American river that flows southwest through Oregon and northern California, cutting through the Cascade Range to empty into the Pacific Ocean. The river drains an extensive watershed of almost that stretches from the high desert country of the Great Basin to the temperate...
s, reaching the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
and making it to the Fraser goldfields in 1858. Failing to find his own strike there, in 1859 and 1860 he prospected a while on the remote Nass River
Nass River
The Nass River is a river in northern British Columbia, Canada. It flows from the Coast Mountains southwest to Nass Bay, a sidewater of Portland Inlet, which connects to the North Pacific Ocean via the Dixon Entrance...
and other rivers northwards of that without much success.
Gold discovery
Then, on a trip to Victoria encountered a group of Stikine Indians, who were a subgroup of the Tlingit, and having suspected the Stikine and rivers farther north were richer and richer in gold, the more one went north, and persuaded them to let him ride in their canoesWar Canoe
A war canoe is a watercraft of the canoe type designed and outfitted for warfare, and which is found in various forms in many world cultures. In modern times, such designs have become adapted as a sport, and "war canoe" can mean a type of flatwater racing canoe.-War canoes as sport:War canoe is...
to Fort Stikine
Fort Stikine
Fort Stikine was a fur trade post and fortification in what is now the Alaska Panhandle, at the site of the present-day of Wrangell, Alaska, United States...
(today's Wrangell, Alaska
Wrangell, Alaska
Wrangell is a city and borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. At the 2000 census the population was 2,308.Its Tlingit name is Ḵaachx̱aana.áakʼw . The Tlingit people residing in the Wrangell area, who were there centuries before Europeans, call themselves the Shtaxʼhéen Ḵwáan after the nearby Stikine...
), in what was then still Russian America. No longer a Hudson's Bay Company post, the former fur post was under the control of the powerful Chief Shakes
Chief Shakes
Chief Shakes is a distinguished Tlingit leadership title passed down through generations.-Origin:The orphan Gush X’een lived at Ch’aal’in. He was a Teikweidí named Joonák’w. The leader of the Naanya.aayí, S.nóok, took a liking to the orphaned boy and raised him as a nephew...
, and had become known as Shakesville. Shake's daughter Georgiana became Choquette's wife, a great honour in prestige-conscious Tlingit society. With his wife and ten men of the Stikine people
Stikine people
The Stikine people are a kwaan of the Tlingit, today based at Wrangell, Alaska and whose territory included the basin of the lower Stikine River....
, and the chief's blessing, Choquette travelled up the Stikine River
Stikine River
The Stikine River is a river, historically also the Stickeen River, approximately 610 km long, in northwestern British Columbia in Canada and southeastern Alaska in the United States...
, whose mouth is near Wrangell, and found gold at a location near Telegraph Creek
Telegraph Creek, British Columbia
Telegraph Creek is a small community located off Highway 37 in Northern British Columbia at the confluence of the Stikine River and Telegraph Creek. The only permanent settlement on the Stikine River, it is home to approximately 350 members of the Tahltan First Nation, as well as another 50...
, about 150 km (93 mi) up that river, at a place marked on the map today as Buck Bar. News of his strike reached Victoria and thousands of men travelled via the Stikine, and overland via another route up the Stikine River and what became Hazelton
Hazelton, British Columbia
Hazelton is a small town located at the junction of the Bulkley and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1866 and has a population of 293...
. Choquette's own claim was not that profitable, but Choquette opened a trading post near his claim, moving it from time to time over the years. His main post was farther down river, near the Great Glacier, at a location known as Choquette Bar today, near Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park
Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park
Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park is a provincial park in the Stikine Country region of northwestern British Columbia, Canada. Despite the park's name, the official and most commonly used name of the springs it was established to protect is Stikine River Hot Springs...
, and was also known as Ice Mountain
Ice Mountain
Ice Mountain is a mountain ridge and algific talus slope that is part of a preserve near the community of North River Mills in Hampshire County, West Virginia, United States....
, which was the name of one of the dominant peaks at that location. By 1867 Choquette and his wife were living in Shakesville, where he had operated a post for the Hudson's Bay Company, whose goods he also sold at his upriver stores, and when the Alaska Purchase
Alaska purchase
The Alaska Purchase was the acquisition of the Alaska territory by the United States from Russia in 1867 by a treaty ratified by the Senate. The purchase, made at the initiative of United States Secretary of State William H. Seward, gained of new United States territory...
of that year saw control of the Alaska Panhandle
Alaska Panhandle
Southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as the Alaska Panhandle, is the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Alaska, which lies west of the northern half of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The majority of Southeast Alaska's area is part of the Tongass National Forest, the United...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Choquette chose to move upriver to his main store on the Stikine, which was at the confluence of the Stikine and Anuk Rivers. He had some disputes with the HBC, and opened up his own store independent of their interests, but preferred to trade in British territory to avoid American taxes and having to buy American goods. Choquette spoke both Tlingit and the Chinook Jargon and was invaluable in intercommunal relations and commerce to all parties acquaintaed with him As business on the river's diggings began to slow, Choquette opened a salmon saltery and in 1886 travelled via one of the first transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
to testify at hearings in Ottawa concerning the location of the boundary between Alaska and British Columbia
Alaska Boundary Dispute
The Alaska boundary dispute was a territorial dispute between the United States and Canada . It was resolved by arbitration in 1903. The dispute had been going on between the Russian and British Empires since 1821, and was inherited by the United States as a consequence of the Alaska Purchase in...
.
Later years
After the passing of his wife, with whom he had had many children, at the age of 70 Choquette struck out again for newer goldfields still farther north, opening a store in the KlondikeKlondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush, also called the Yukon Gold Rush, the Alaska Gold Rush and the Last Great Gold Rush, was an attempt by an estimated 100,000 people to travel to the Klondike region the Yukon in north-western Canada between 1897 and 1899 in the hope of successfully prospecting for gold...
. He died in the hospital in Dawson City in June 1898. Among his last visitors was the novelist Jack London
Jack London
John Griffith "Jack" London was an American author, journalist, and social activist. He was a pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction and was one of the first fiction writers to obtain worldwide celebrity and a large fortune from his fiction alone...
, who had asked to meet an authentic prospector.
Legacy
In addition to the Choquette River, its source the Choquette Glacier, and Choquette Hot Springs Provincial Park (the springs themselves are the Stikine Hot Springs), and Buck Bar and also Buck Riffle near Telegraph Creek, another bar on the lower Stikine, Choquette Bar, which also was known as Buck's Bar like its upstream counterpart (as were other locations where he had at times had his store), a Mount Johnny to the southeast of Choquette Bar was named for his son, a trapper and miner on the Iskut RiverIskut River
The Iskut River is the largest tributary of the Stikine River in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, entering it a few miles above its entry into Alaska....
, who died in the 1930s. Many of Choquette's descendants by Georgiana still live in Wrangell to this day.