HARD DRIVE TO THE KLONDIKE:
PROMOTING SEATTLE DURING THE GOLD RUSH

A Historic Resource Study for the Seattle Unit of the
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park

Recommendations

Research

An examination of the papers of the Alaska Commercial Company and Northern Commercial Company could reveal much about the development of transportation facilities in Seattle. As noted in Chapter 3, historian Clarence B. Bagley observed that an increasing number of Seattle-owned shipping companies emerged during the early twentieth century. Further analysis of the records of the Alaska Commercial Company -- based in San Francisco -- could help explain this trend. Also, these documents could yield additional information about San Francisco's interest in the Klondike Gold Rush. They are located at the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley and Stanford Library in Palo Alto, California. Further research could be conducted to compile a more complete list of gold-rush era businesses, their activities, and their current status. The Appendix includes a list of such businesses compiled by the Centennial Committee of Washington State. To enhance this list, the names and locations of additional businesses may be obtained through turn-of-the-century newspapers (listed in the bibliography) and Seattle City Directories. To determine the current status of the companies, the Articles of Incorporation for each company could then be obtained from Secretary of State records at the Washington State Archives in Olympia. New information obtained from this research could be added to the NPS database and used for interpretive purposes.

Interpretation

In coordination with the City of Seattle, the NPS could develop signs to interpret historic buildings within the Pioneer Square area. The Pioneer Square Historic District has been chosen as one of Seattle's 37 urban villages, where intensive planning occurs to accommodate growth and commercial development that is neighborhood friendly. In March 1998, the City of Seattle released the "Draft Pioneer Square Neighborhood Plan." One of the top seven projects proposed in the Plan was to "facilitate strong coordination and partnering among projects to strengthen the neighborhood's unique historic character and arts identity." [51] The City proposed the development of a "comprehensive public art and history program" through the creation of legends and public art gateways. Utilizing information provided in this report and the NPS's database of gold-rush era businesses, the NPS could contribute valuable information to the interpretation of historic resources for use in public exhibits.

National Register Nominations

This project identified the house of George Carmack, the discoverer of the Klondike gold, and gold-rush era Mayor William Wood. Both houses appear eligible for the National Register under National Register criteria A and B, due to their association with the Klondike Gold Rush and significant individuals from that period. HRA recommends that a determination of eligibility for both properties be requested from the Washington Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. If the properties are determined eligible for the National Register, the property owner, the Seattle Office of Urban Conservation, and or a non-profit dedicated to historical preservation, could nominate both properties to the National Register, using the information provided in this historic resource study. Local historic preservation organizations that could nominate the properties include, Historic Seattle Preservation and Development Authority, Allied Arts, and the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.

The NPS, in collaboration with the Seattle Office of Urban Conservation, could consider conducting additional research on historic properties located within the Pioneer Square Historic District. Because National Register requirements have changed over the years, important historical and architectural descriptions are missing from the original 1969 nomination, which listed the majority of Seattle's oldest post-fire commercial architecture in the National Register.

Today, new National Register historic district nominations are required to provide detailed information about individual structures within a proposed district. Revising the Pioneer Square National Register nomination would provide an opportunity to both bring the nomination up to current standards and conduct research on the historic use of properties included in the original nomination. Such research is not necessary for the buildings included in the 1978 and 1987 amendments to the nomination, because individual descriptions of the historical use and architectural characteristics of these buildings were included in the boundary extension nominations. The new information could be consolidated into a document that would be a more useful planning tool for both the City and preservation organizations. Furthermore, historical research on the buildings included in the original district nomination would provide the NPS with valuable interpretive information about gold-rush era structures. Utilizing preservation and planning studies created since the designation of the historic district in 1969, the NPS could consolidate information about the current status of the district and its resources. The NPS database could provide information about the historic use of many of the district's buildings and new information obtained in the course of preparing the nomination could be added to the database. This new research material could enhance the Park's interpretive and educational programs, which present the legacy of the Klondike Gold Rush to the public.