Digital Bob Archive

OCTOBER 8, 1887-Colonel M. D. Ball, District Attorney for Alaska, died aboard the Ancon in Tongass Narrows on September 13 when on his way south for medical treatment. He was formerly Collector of Customs for Alaska and was also the man Alaskans sent to Washington in 1881 as their Delegate to attempt to get a seat in Congress. His eldest son, M. Corbin Ball, has accepted a position in the assay office of the Treadwell mine.

A 24-hour go-as-you-please walking match was held here this week with four entries, each of whom put up a fee of $10. The prize of $100 was won by J. A. Snow with a distance of 87 miles and five laps. The race started at the Opera House and the course was through the downtown area, 43 laps to a mile.

Henry Coon has closed down his placers in the Basin for the winter and moved back to his house at Third and Main Streets. His is one of the largest operations in the Gold Creek valley.

George T. Snow has leased the Opera House from Hart & Co.

We will have two steamboats a month this winter, with the Idaho sailing from Portland and the Ancon from Tacoma. Both steamers will call at Victoria, Nanaimo, Wrangell, Juneau, Killisnoo and Sitka. The latest trip of the Ancon brought up a fine lot of fat cattle for Willis Thorp?s meat market.

The tunnel of the Alaska Union Mine on Douglas Island is now in 550 feet. Undoubtedly the vein will be struck in a week or two.

OCTOBER 22, 1887-An all-Indian band played in front of the Opera House on Saturday evening and was well-received.

Dan Kennedy is displaying some fine vegetables from his garden on Starr Hill, at the upper end of Sixth Street. Included is a cauliflower head six inches in diameter. Dan is an old Cassiar man, having come north in 1874, and settled here in the spring of 1881. He is the father of five sons, including Jim who was the first white child born in Juneau.

John C. Wilson and Dave R. Price have challenged any man in Alaska, white or Indian, to a pack race, each man to pack 100 pounds 100 miles, go-as-you-please, with the contest to take place in Juneau. They will put up any sum from $100 to $1000, challengers to put up a like amount.