- 1911

Douglas, Alaska, after the fire, Mar. 9, 1911. Alaska State Library, ASL Place File Photos, ASL-Douglas-Fires-01, P01-0959..

Major fire in Douglas along Front Street and adjoining blocks destroyed 16 businesses and 2 hotels in the main business district on March 9. The fire started in the Douglas Grill and quickly spread to adjoining buildings aided by strong Taku winds and sub-freezing temperatures, which froze some of the hose lines.  Fire departments from Douglas, Treadwell, and Juneau all fought the conflagration for hours and finally managed to contain the fire before it spread further into the uphill residential and commercial districts. Losses were estimated to be as high as $100,000, including goods that were damaged after removal from various buildings. Later on September 6, seven people died in the worst fire in Juneau’s history when the Juneau Hotel on Second Street burned. Flames spread to nearby buildings resulting in total losses of $50,000.

The old Presbyterian Mission building on Fifth Street was purchased by the federal government to house the Governor’s office, along with 3,000 volumes of the Alaska Historical Library shipped over from Sitka.

The first automobile arrived in Juneau, a Pope Hartford.

Frederick W. Bradley became president of the Treadwell mining company in addition to the Alaska-Juneau company. Under his leadership, the companies became world leaders in gold mining technology and management.  The Alaska Gastineau Mining Company was incorporated January 14 to re-open the Perseverance Mine. Under the aggressive leadership of its president Bart Thane, the company quickly began a series of innovative projects to power the mine and introduced a new milling process to the area in its world-class mill.  While the company set records in its construction, mining and milling projects, and became one of the area’s largest mining operations, its history was swift but short, closing within a decade.