Snettisham, Alaska
Encyclopedia
Snettisham is a locale and former populated place in the City and Borough of Juneau
, Alaska
, United States. Based on the mainland coast of Stephens Passage
, it is 31 miles (50 km) southeast of the city of Juneau. The area was named by George Vancouver
in 1794. It was established as a gold- and silver-mining camp around 1895, its operations being linked to those in the immediate Juneau area, and it remained a small harbor village until 1926. The United States Department of the Treasury
designated Snettisham as one of several of Alaska's "special" landing places for vessels carrying "coal, salt, railroad iron, and other like items in bulk". The designation was meant to encourage the construction of facilities to accommodate these shipments, thus stimulating creation and growth of local businesses.
Businesses in Snettisham included the Alaska-Snettisham Gold Mining Company, the Daisey Bell Mine, the Crystal Gold Mining Company, the Pacific Packing and Navigation Company, and a salmon
cannery for the Taku Fishing Company (headquartered in Portland, Oregon
). Snettisham produced the first paper pulp to be shipped out of Alaska in 1917.
Snettisham had a post office
from June 1900 to 1912. It was an intermediary office on a route from Juneau to Sumdum and received mail once a week. The route had expanded to Kake
after 1902 but by 1905.
The name was collected by the United States Geological Survey
between 1976 and 1981, and entered into the Geographic Names Information System
on March 31, 1981.
, Canada, and Superintendent Wythe Denby. Also active in Alaska politics, Tidale joined the American Institute of Mining Engineers
in 1903, Denby having been elected as a member in 1895. Tisdale was also Snettisham's postmaster
for a time.
The company began operations in 1899 and was incorporated on May 31, 1901,. Led by it operated two mines, the Friday and the Crystal. The company developed the Friday mine in 1899, eventually building two tunnels, 750 feet (229 m) and 600 feet (183 m) long. Operations at Friday ceased in 1904; the ore, containing pyrite
and magnetite
, made extraction of gold difficult.
The Crystal quartz ledge, located just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Snettisham wharf (constructed under Tisdale's direction), was discovered in 1895 and independently mined from 1901 to 1903, when the company purchased it. Even before the purchase, the Crystal mine had produced $25,000USD worth of gold. The mine displayed "perfectly terminated" prisms of quartz
, large cubes of pyrite, and crystallized octahedra
of gold. By 1902, the company's capital stock was worth $892,820.
The company discontinued all operations in early 1905. That November, Tisdale drowned in the Harlem River
in New York City. The company's charter, established in New Jersey, became void in 1907 from nonpayment of taxes dating back to 1904.
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, United States. Based on the mainland coast of Stephens Passage
Stephens Passage
Stephens Passage is a channel in the Alexander Archipelago in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of Alaska. It runs between Admiralty Island to the west and the Alaska mainland and Douglas Island to the east, and is about 170 km long...
, it is 31 miles (50 km) southeast of the city of Juneau. The area was named by George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
in 1794. It was established as a gold- and silver-mining camp around 1895, its operations being linked to those in the immediate Juneau area, and it remained a small harbor village until 1926. The United States Department of the Treasury
United States Department of the Treasury
The Department of the Treasury is an executive department and the treasury of the United States federal government. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1789 to manage government revenue...
designated Snettisham as one of several of Alaska's "special" landing places for vessels carrying "coal, salt, railroad iron, and other like items in bulk". The designation was meant to encourage the construction of facilities to accommodate these shipments, thus stimulating creation and growth of local businesses.
Businesses in Snettisham included the Alaska-Snettisham Gold Mining Company, the Daisey Bell Mine, the Crystal Gold Mining Company, the Pacific Packing and Navigation Company, and a salmon
Salmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
cannery for the Taku Fishing Company (headquartered in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
). Snettisham produced the first paper pulp to be shipped out of Alaska in 1917.
Snettisham had a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
from June 1900 to 1912. It was an intermediary office on a route from Juneau to Sumdum and received mail once a week. The route had expanded to Kake
Kake, Alaska
Kake is a town in Petersburg Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 710 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Tlingit word or , which is derived from “dawn, daylight” and “mouth”, i.e. “mouth of dawn” or “opening of daylight”.-Geography:Kake is located at...
after 1902 but by 1905.
The name was collected by the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
between 1976 and 1981, and entered into the Geographic Names Information System
Geographic Names Information System
The Geographic Names Information System is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout the United States of America and its territories. It is a type of gazetteer...
on March 31, 1981.
Alaska-Snettisham Gold Mining Company
The Alaska-Snettisham Gold Mining Company appears to have been the most significant business in the area. It was led by President and General Manager John N. Tisdale of Simcoe, OntarioSimcoe, Ontario
Simcoe is an unincorporated community and former town in Southwestern Ontario, Canada located near Lake Erie. It is the county seat and largest community of Norfolk County....
, Canada, and Superintendent Wythe Denby. Also active in Alaska politics, Tidale joined the American Institute of Mining Engineers
American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers
The American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers is a professional body for mining and metallurgy, with 90,000 members. It was founded in 1871 by 22 mining engineers in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States, being one of the first national engineering societies in the...
in 1903, Denby having been elected as a member in 1895. Tisdale was also Snettisham's postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
for a time.
The company began operations in 1899 and was incorporated on May 31, 1901,. Led by it operated two mines, the Friday and the Crystal. The company developed the Friday mine in 1899, eventually building two tunnels, 750 feet (229 m) and 600 feet (183 m) long. Operations at Friday ceased in 1904; the ore, containing pyrite
Pyrite
The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is an iron sulfide with the formula FeS2. This mineral's metallic luster and pale-to-normal, brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold because of its resemblance to gold...
and magnetite
Magnetite
Magnetite is a ferrimagnetic mineral with chemical formula Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides and a member of the spinel group. The chemical IUPAC name is iron oxide and the common chemical name is ferrous-ferric oxide. The formula for magnetite may also be written as FeO·Fe2O3, which is one part...
, made extraction of gold difficult.
The Crystal quartz ledge, located just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the Snettisham wharf (constructed under Tisdale's direction), was discovered in 1895 and independently mined from 1901 to 1903, when the company purchased it. Even before the purchase, the Crystal mine had produced $25,000USD worth of gold. The mine displayed "perfectly terminated" prisms of quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, large cubes of pyrite, and crystallized octahedra
Octahedron
In geometry, an octahedron is a polyhedron with eight faces. A regular octahedron is a Platonic solid composed of eight equilateral triangles, four of which meet at each vertex....
of gold. By 1902, the company's capital stock was worth $892,820.
The company discontinued all operations in early 1905. That November, Tisdale drowned in the Harlem River
Harlem River
The Harlem River is a navigable tidal strait in New York City, USA that flows 8 miles between the Hudson River and the East River, separating the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx...
in New York City. The company's charter, established in New Jersey, became void in 1907 from nonpayment of taxes dating back to 1904.