JUNEAU ( Ju-Neau / joo-no)
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel. The Alaska state capital, Juneau's economy is based on government, tourism, mining and fishing. Surrounded by an immense ice field, Juneau is the only capital in the U.S. that is inaccessible by road. Since the capital has twice been voted to be moved to Anchorage many feel the city would hardly exist without the government presence.
Juneau merged with the city of Douglas in 1970 and formed the City and Borough of Juneau--the two are connected by a bridge. The Lynn Canal Highway has been proposed between Skagway and Juneau. Proponents of the road argue that it would boost Juneau's economy and make it a top sea port in Southeast Alaska.
History
In the late 1700s, George Vancouver spent six years surveying the Pacific coastline from California to Alaska. He named Douglas Island after John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury. Russian, Spanish, French and English navigators came to Alaska in the 1700s and early 1800s. John Muir was in the area in the mid-1800s.
The Tlingit Indians of the Auk Tribe fished the abundant salmon routes for thousands of years. The Auk Tlingits tried to get prospectors interested in the area and gave them specimens of gold quartz. George Pilz, a mining engineer, ended up with one of the specimens. He offered the Tlingits 100 Hudson Bay blankets for them to guide prospectors to a major find. So, Chief Kowee (or Cowee) of the Auk Tribe, led Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, to the first major gold strike in Alaska, on Gold Creek.
Soon after the Gold Creek find, "French Pete" (Pierre Erussard) found gold-bearing quartz on Douglas Island. John Treadwell bought French Pete's claim on Douglas Island, which produced until 1917. The Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company (A.J.), which Juneau and Harris founded, mined the Silver Bow Basin which continued to produce until 1944 when it was closed due to World War II. The community that developed around the mining activity was first named Harrisburg, then later given the name Juneau.
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel. The Alaska state capital, Juneau's economy is based on government, tourism, mining and fishing. Surrounded by an immense ice field, Juneau is the only capital in the U.S. that is inaccessible by road. Since the capital has twice been voted to be moved to Anchorage many feel the city would hardly exist without the government presence.
Juneau merged with the city of Douglas in 1970 and formed the City and Borough of Juneau--the two are connected by a bridge. The Lynn Canal Highway has been proposed between Skagway and Juneau. Proponents of the road argue that it would boost Juneau's economy and make it a top sea port in Southeast Alaska.
History
In the late 1700s, George Vancouver spent six years surveying the Pacific coastline from California to Alaska. He named Douglas Island after John Douglas, Bishop of Salisbury. Russian, Spanish, French and English navigators came to Alaska in the 1700s and early 1800s. John Muir was in the area in the mid-1800s.
The Tlingit Indians of the Auk Tribe fished the abundant salmon routes for thousands of years. The Auk Tlingits tried to get prospectors interested in the area and gave them specimens of gold quartz. George Pilz, a mining engineer, ended up with one of the specimens. He offered the Tlingits 100 Hudson Bay blankets for them to guide prospectors to a major find. So, Chief Kowee (or Cowee) of the Auk Tribe, led Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, to the first major gold strike in Alaska, on Gold Creek.
Soon after the Gold Creek find, "French Pete" (Pierre Erussard) found gold-bearing quartz on Douglas Island. John Treadwell bought French Pete's claim on Douglas Island, which produced until 1917. The Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Company (A.J.), which Juneau and Harris founded, mined the Silver Bow Basin which continued to produce until 1944 when it was closed due to World War II. The community that developed around the mining activity was first named Harrisburg, then later given the name Juneau.