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Sean O'Meara on a Trails and Rails adventure in late 2011.

Sean O'Meara, lead ranger at the Seattle unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLSE), is retiring on December 31st after 23 years of federal service, 20 of them with the National Park Service.

Sean began his career with the NPS in 1990 as a seasonal employee at North Cascades National Park, later transferring to San Juan Island National Historical Park. In December, 1992, he began his long association with KLSE. On four occasions since then, totaling 1½ years, Sean served as the acting superintendent of KLSE.

Among NPS activities of which he is most proud, Sean counts his work as project manager in developing ranger-led presentations about the Klondike gold rush for passengers about to leave Seattle on cruise ships bound for Alaska. Many cruise ships stop in Skagway, site of the Skagway unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

Sean also has played a key role as the NPS representative in developing the Trails and Rails program for the Empire Builder and Coast Starlight Amtrak routes. Among the various Trails and Rails routes, the two account for the highest number of passengers served and the most volunteer hours. Sean was also involved in developing a solar panel project at KLSE, and in the production of a new film about the Klondike gold rush.

Sean says that most of the NPS staff he has dealt with over the years "has been terrific." He says it has also been "my privilege to share my interest and knowledge of history and the park service with visitors no matter what park I've worked in."

Travel beckons in Sean's future, but not the 5-plus hour round-trip commute he has made for many years between his home in Bellingham, Washington, and KLSE in Seattle. He says he also looks forward to being a coach for the Whatcom Rowing Association in his home town.

A reception for Sean is planned January 7, 2012 from 7 to 9 p.m. aboard the Virginia V, docked at south Lake Union in Seattle. 

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Jacqueline Ashwell with a new Junior Ranger

Jacqueline Ashwell Selected as Park Superintendent 

July 12, 2011

Jacqueline Ashwell has been selected as the new superintendent of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park here in Seattle. She replaces Karen Beppler-Dorn, who was recently named superintendent of Pinnacles National Monument in California.

During the last two years, Jacqueline has served as the Yakutat district ranger for Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves in southeastern Alaska.

Ashwell originally came to the National Park Service as a volunteer at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1993, where she was quickly brought into a student hire position. She worked to document the park's 150+ historic cemeteries. In 2000, Ashwell moved to Alaska, where she began as the lead seasonal archeologist for Kennecott National Historic Landmark inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Parks and Preserves.She eventually moved into interpretation, filling the role of Yakutat district interpretive ranger. In 2004, she switched tracks again - this time to law enforcement. Ashwell served as the Dyea ranger for Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway, Alaska from 2004-2009.

"In my new role as superintendent of Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Seattle, I am very much looking forward to working with gold rush history again and helping visitors connect to this fascinating part of our past. It's a historic fabric woven from the stories of thousands of people, each of whom had unique reasons to head for the Klondike. There's always something new to learn about this event; it never ceases to be interesting." Jacqueline will assume her new role in September.

Park staff, Brendan Tarleton, Caelan Colyer, and Rachel Spence at the Fire Festival Booth on a perfect Seattle summer day in Occidental Park.

 Fire Festival in Pioneer Square 

July 9, 2011

Once again, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park along with the Last Resort Fire Museum and the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum helped commemorated the Great Seattle Fire of 1889.

Taking advantage of a perfect Seattle summer day, hundreds of visitors had a chance to pan for gold, view historic fire equipment and police vehicles. Highlight of the event was a visit from Smokey the Bear.

Sean Smith, NPCA

Klondike Gold Rush superintendent Karen Beppler-Dorn and park guide Ruth Kerr demonstrate gold panning at the First Annual National Parks Family Day.

Second Annual Northwest National Parks Family Day 

June 25, 2011

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park along with several other area national parks and various organizations participated in the 2nd Annual Northwest National Parks Family Day at Magnuson Park.

Families had an opportunity to meet with rangers from Klondike, Oregon Caves NM, Lake Roosevelt NRA, Lewis and Clark NHP, Mount Rainier NP, North Cascades NP, Olympic NP, and the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest.

A variety of activities including gold panning,and the popular climbing wall, exploring the insides of a gigantic salmon and an inflatable cave were the highlights of the event.

Jazz On Jackson Street

February 1, 2011

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Grace Holden, accompanied by Kent Stevenson, performs during the kick-off of the Jazz on Jackson Street exhibit. Ms. Holden, 81, is the daughter of Oscar Holden(1887-1969), the pianist and organist who is often called the patriarch of Seattle jazz.

Between the late 19302 and the early 1950s an exuberant jazz scene flourished in some Pacific Northwest cities, including Seattle. At a time of restrictive liquor laws, the city's Jackson Street was studded with after-hours nightclubs featuring this original Ameican musical style.

An exhibition recalling how things once were began february 1 and will run through May 1 at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park's Seattle Unit - which, as it happens, is located on Jackson Street in the vicinity of the former jazz scene.

" Seattle was a hot town then. believe me," said the late jazz pianist and organist Gerald Wiggins (1922-2008). "The music was good and the money was like dirt. It was everywhere. Talk about high rollers. You couldn't believe it. You know, boom time." Enthusiastic crowds, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, jammed Jackson Street clubs to hear legends ranging from Louis Armstrong, Ray Charles, Oscar Holden and Ernestine Anderson.

The exhibition includes the re-creation of a vanity table from the dressing room at the Basin Street as well as a bar and customer's booth typical of Seattle's nightclubs of the 1930s-1950s era. They and other items are on loan from the Seattle Northwest African-American Museum. Discover Your Northwest, a support organization for NPS units and other public lands in northwestern states, sponsors the exhibition.

The liberalization of state liquor laws in 1949 together with shifts in popular taste, the rise of rhythm and blues, and the integration of black and white musicians unions contributed to the decline of the Jackson Street jazz scene.

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Trail to Treasure design workshop

Trail to Treasure

The Trail to Treasure will be a premiere experience that fosters a sense of community, commemorates heritage, and enriches the lives of residents and visitors to Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square neighborhood. The trail will provide a diverse range of activities and opportunities that allow people to embrace, learn, and care for the region’s natural environment and cultural history. The first phase of implementation is scheduled for spring 2011.

To learn about the trail.

Photo By: Lisa Johnson, Klondike Gold Rush NHP Park Volunteer

Park Guide Kelsey Johnson assists a four year old GirlFest attendee with the “Ton of Goods Challenge.”

Thousands Get a Taste of Gold Rush Adventure

Seattle, WA — Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park staff provided packing expertise to people of all ages during GirlFest on Saturday, August 28, 2010.  

More than 6,000 people attended the event, which celebrated "everything cool about being a girl," according to the Girl Scouts of Western Washington. Park rangers and volunteers shared the hardships and adventures of the Klondike Gold Rush using the "Ton of Goods" activity. Created by park staff, this hands-on activity challenged people to successfully stack "2,000" pounds of goods and supplies onto miniature sleds. This was their chance to imitate a gold rusher and prepare for their own Klondike journey. Girl Scout skills such as knot tying and teamwork were instrumental in completing the challenge. Hidden among the supply boxes was a treasure box that participants could fill with anything they wanted. Popular treasures included pets, family, books, bacon and hot chocolate.

Located in downtown Seattle, Klondike Gold Rush NHP is Washington State's smallest National Park, but is part of a park system that includes four other units and spans two countries. The Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 is known as the "Last Grand Adventure." One hundred thousand people from around the world stampeded westward toward the gold fields of the Yukon Territory. Seventy percent of those gold rushers came to Seattle and purchased the one ton of provisions they would need to survive life in the north.