Publications

Our publications detail the rich history of the region.

The Gastineau Channel Historical Society promotes the study of the Gastineau Channel area and has produced a number of books on varying subjects. Our books are available at finer Alaska bookstores, museum shops, and gift shops. Available online at wildspruceartworks.com.

Wholesale inquiries regarding our publications should be made to Wild Spruce Artworks at wildspruceartworks.com or 907-315-3151

HARD ROCK GOLD
David Stone and Brenda Pugh

Hard Rock Gold is the fascinating story of the “Big Three” gold mines that put Juneau on the map as a world-class gold mining center. Though each of the mines operated on low-grade ore deposits, the Treadwell mine complex on Douglas Island (1882-1922), the Alaska-Gastineau (Perseverance) mine (1911-1921), and the Alaska-Juneau (1897 -1944) each pioneered innovative techniques and management that successfully reduced costs and extracted profits that impressed the outside world. At their production peaks, the Treadwell and the AJ were the largest gold mines in the world and were the heart-beat of the Juneau area.

Hard Rock Gold was originally published by the Juneau Centennial Commission in 1980 with a second printing in 1983. The popularity of the book meant it sold out quickly and has been out of print since. It was a long-held desire of David Stone and many local mining history buffs that the book be re-printed. Over forty years after its original publication and ten years after David’s passing, that dream became a reality through the cooperative efforts of David’s family and Juneau’s two historical societies – the Gastineau Channel Historical Society and the Treadwell Historic Preservation and Restoration Society.

Commemorative edition, 2022
Softcover, 108 pp.: $25.00

NAMES ON THE CHART
R.N. DeArmond
Names on the Chart is a handy, compact reference for anyone navigating the waters of Southeast Alaska. Originally written by renowned Alaskan historian, R.N. DeArmond and last revised in 1995, this new third edition features more than 400 place names of prominent features, including manned lighthouse sites historical notes about the names and the namers, larger type face with a lay-flat spiral binding.  Proceeds of the sale of this revised edition support the Gastineau Channel Historical Society and their work in providing publications that educate readers about the historical record of Juneau, Douglas, and the surrounding region.

ISBN 978-0-9861569-9-1
Paperback, Wire-O Bound: 145 pp.: $16.95

PictureTHE JUNEAU GOLD BELT
A HISTORY OF THE MINES AND MINERS
Earl Redman
The Juneau Gold Belt is a comprehensive record of the fascinating mining history of the areas in and around Juneau, Alaska. From the A.J. to the Treadwell and the lesser-known areas in between, Earl Redman paints a detailed picture of mining life, expectations, disappointments, and tells the stories of the miners who lived it.

In 1984, Earl Redman took a job with the U.S. Bureau of Mines for the study of the mines and mineral deposits of the Juneau Mining District. For the next four years, he spent his time crawling in and out of every overgrown, mud-and-water-infested hole in the ground he could find. His tireless exploration and countless hours of research on the hundreds of old mine workings is reflected in this important contribution to the historical record of Juneau, Alaska.

978-1-59433-159-6
Softcover 408 pp.: $27.95

PictureOLD GOLD
HISTORICAL VIGNETTES OF JUNEAU, ALASKA
compiled by R.N. DeArmond
The Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company Mill was constructed in 1916. The once mighty A.J. Mill, which is slowly disappearing from the mountainside above town, is one of the last physical vestiges of the gold mining heritage of Juneau.  Carefully preserved within these pages are another valuable form of OLD GOLD – a collection of historical vignettes compiled about those Juneau early days.

ISBN 0-9704815-4-3
Softcover, 68 pp.: $21.95

PictureQUILTS OF ALASKA
A TEXTILE ALBUM OF THE LAST FRONTIER
June E. Hall
The art and history of early quilts in Alaska are brought together in this beautifully illustrated full color publication. The five chapters were written by Alaskan scholars, historians and quiltmakers. Each chapter features quilts registered during the Alaska Quilt Survey project that spanned ten years and covered Nome to Ketchikan. How the quilts are intertwined with Alaska’s cultural and social history is explored against a backdrop of the boom and bust cycles of the 49th state. Stories of early quiltmakers who pioneered Alaska, and those who brought quilts as family heirlooms unfold with captivating detail. The development of quiltmaking on the Last Frontier, and its connection to quilting traditions of “Lower 48” states is compared. Cross-cultural influences shared between western quiltmakers and Native groups in Alaska is also examined. One chapter is dedicated to Native quiltmaking and includes the fascinating use of quilts in traditional Nelson Island Eskimo culture.

ISBN 0-9704815-0-0
Softcover $24.95

PictureI REMEMBER TREADWELL
Charlotte L. Mahaffy

This book is Charlotte L. Mahaffy’s charming account of childhood in the town of Treadwell. Mahaffy was born in Juneau in 1903, and spent the next 14 years growing up in Treadwell until the 1917 cave-in forced the family to relocate. I Remember Treadwell details life outside the mines, in the community that sprang up around the largest gold mine in the world in its time.

Softcover, 42 pp.: $8.95

PictureALASKA SOUVENIR SPOONS & THE EARLY CURIO TRADE
June E. Hall
This rich full-color volume presents a fine history of the souvenir spoon craze and other curio collecting in the 19th century. Chapters include: early tourism development in Alaska, suppliers and jewelers who manufactured souvenir spoons & curios, the rise of Alaska Native craftsmen and women who made souvenir spoons and other curio items, Gold rush era and Alaska souvenir spoons are presented with examples of early silver and ivory and gold spoons. Illustrated with historical photos and literature, bibliography, and fully indexed.

ISBN 0-9704815-3-5
Softcover $19.95

PictureIN THE MINER’S FOOTSTEPS
AN HISTORIC OVERVIEW AND GUIDE TO THE MINING TRAILS OF THE JUNEAU-DOUGLAS AREA
Willette Janes
Published by the Gastineau Channel Historical Society.  Hike into history with this trail guide as it takes you In the Miners’ Footsteps to a time when the Juneau-Douglas area was world-famous for its gold mining operations.

Softcover, 19 pp.: $7.95