- 1912

Congress passed an Organic Act August 24 creating the Territory of Alaska and a Territorial Legislature with Juneau officially named the permanent capital. The first legislature was elected and a local petition requested that Congress provide for a proper capitol building in Juneau (which took almost 20 more years to do so). The Governor’s Mansion was built.

ANB Founding Fathers posed in 1912. ” Alaska State Library, ASL-Alaska Native Organizations. Photographs. P33-01.”

The Alaska Native Brotherhood was founded in Juneau November 5. Its founding mission statement declared that it was “to afford mutual help, to encourage education among the Indians, and to secure for themselves more of the benefits of civilization.”

The Alaska Daily Empire began publication November 2, which, with various name changes, continues in publication today, the only paper to do so of the nearly 70 newspapers to have operated in the Juneau area.

The most disastrous fire in the history of Juneau to that point, from the aspect of property loss, occurred December 3 when the 100-stamp mill of the Alaska Gastineau Mining Company at the Perseverance Mine in Silver Bow Basin burned to the ground. The company was in the process of going to large-scale production and would be a major producer in the next few years.

A mud avalanche December 6 destroyed a large part of the beach settlement just below Shattuck’s sawmill on the southern edge of town.