ghost towns – Scribbling For Fun

When the Excelsior pulled into Seattle with a “ton of gold” mined from a small tributary of the Klondike River in 1897, a million people made plans to head north. One hundred thousand people crossed the Canadian border. Forty thousand people passed through Dawson City during the summer of 1898, only to find that most of the claims had already been taken. Tough conditions, disease and back breaking work weeded out the weakest.

Ghosts of the Yukon

It’s not surprising that the Alaska-Yukon Goldfields are riddled with ghostly tales. Spectre dog-teams in the night, towing evanescent passengers. Haunted ships cruising on empty lakes under the midnight sun. But one of the most famous haunted places is Dawson City’s Palace Grand Theater.

The Palace Grand Theater, built in 1899 by Arizona Charlie. One of the Most haunted buildoings in Dawson City.

The Finest Theater in the Paris of the North

Built by showman Arizona Charlie, The Palace Grand Theater didn’t open until 1899. By then, Dawson’s boom was almost over. People were already moving on to the next strikes in Nome and Fairbanks. But the Palace Grand was the finest theater in the “Paris of the North.” When the boom finally faded, Dawson’s historic buildings were abandoned and left to decay. In the 1960’s Parks Canada made an effort to restore the buildings and retain the Gold Rush history.

History of the Palace Grand Theater

https://www.pbs.org/video/klondike-gold-rush-palace-grand-theatre/

The Palace Grand Theater puts on multiple shows a day as part of their historic presentations. Multiple people working in the theater have recounted paranormal tales and activity. I have included a link to this video from Yukon paranormal.

Yukon Paranormal, Episode 3 Ghosts of the Klondike

Some believe the footsteps echoing through the second story belong to Arizona Charlie, the famous showman and friend of Buffalo Bill. Does he come back and visit his box to watch over his theater? Or is it one of the other “Kings of Dawson,” who dug a fortune out of the Yukon and lavished it on the “Goodtime Girls”?

“The poor ginks just gotta’ spend it, they’re scared they’ll die before they get it out of the ground.” –“Diamond Tooth” Gertie Lovejoy on the miner’s spending habits

As I have mentioned in previous blog posts, one of the disappointing aspects about researching is that you can’t include ALL of the fascinating things you find. While writing my series about Dawson City in 1898, I have tried to include as much as I could about the real characters of the Klondike Rush.

Kings of Dawson

Some of the other potential candidates for the male ghosts haunting the Palace grand would be “Big Alex” Mc Donald who dug a fortune in gold out of his claims, but died a pauper in 1909 after spending it all, always assuming there would be more. To his credit, he didn’t spend it all on ladies of the demimonde. He was known for donating money to charity or lending money to people in need. During the Typhoid outbreak in Dawson when the first crudely build hospital burned down, he donated money to fund the building of a new one, earning him a knighthood from the pope.

“Swiftwater Bill” was well known for making a fool of himself with the ladies of the redlight district of Dawson. According to Lael Morgan’s book, Good Time Girls of the Alaska Klondike Gold Rush, he made and lost three fortunes during his stint in Dawson. He frequented the saloons and dance halls, lavishing gold on his wives and mistresses. He even commissioned this gold belt for Rose Blumpkin.

Gold nugget belt made for Rose Blumkin. Image UAF-1964-79

Klondike Kate: “Queen of the Klondike”

“To us she was laughter and beauty and song. She was forgetfulness of hardship and homesickness. But she was more than that, she was our friend—a square shooter.”—The introduction as Klondike Kate was honored at the annual Alaska-Yukon Pioneers Stampede in Oregon in 1931.

*Klondike Kate Rockwell, Queen of the Klondike*
*ASL-P-41-56*
*P. E. Larss Photograph Collection, 1898-1904. ASL-PCA-41*

A Lonely and Queenly Presence

Multiple people have described encountering a presence in the dressing room that once belonged to the most famous and boldest of the “Good Time Girls,” Klondike Kate. Others have seen a lonely red-haired woman on the second floor in the boxes or on stage after the theater closes when they are locking up for the night.

Sweetheart of the Sourdoughs

A woman ahead of her time, she made her way north to seek her fortune, purportedly disguising herself as a man to get around the Mounty’s restrictions around women rafting over the “Five-Finger” Rapids.* She was determined to get to the Klondike, where she was sure fortune awaited. When she got to crowded, muddy Dawson city, she set about making a name for herself. She was known for her famous “Flame dance,” where she would use fans to keep 200 yards of chiffon airborne while she danced in front of red lights. She was also known for roller-skating on stage in a skimpy leotard. While a talented actress, she was well known amongst the miners for her kindness, and quickly became the “Sweetheart of the Sourdoughs.”

*The Five Finger Rapids was one of the more treacherous parts of the “weeding-out” process. Especially considering many of the rafts were home-made. So many of the boats wrecked going through the canyon that the RCMP started inspecting the rafts before they launched. They felt that women should not shoot through the rapids and forced them to hike around.

The Wrong Man

Unfortunately, she fell for the wrong man. Head-over-heels for bartender Alexander Pantages, he fleeced her for thousands of dollars then dumped her for a younger woman. Heartbroken, she tried to recover the money by suing him (they were business partners). But after a year she was only able to recover a few thousand dollars. A few years later he was accused of raping an underage girl and was sentenced to 50 years in San Quentin. He served 2 years before being later acquitted, he died five years later never recovering from the ordeal. Some accounts speculate that the entire crime was a set up by some of the miners who loved Kate and had a spite at Pantages for the heartbreak he had caused her.

“I was the flower of the north, but the petals are falling awfully fast honey.” Klondike Kate at 71, in an interview she gave before her death in 1956.

She lived life to the fullest, marrying 3 times. Now when the lights go low in the Palace Grand Theater, her ghost walks the stage and the boxes. People smell roses or rosewater in her dressing room. Perhaps this summer when we visit Dawson again as part of my research, I’ll get the chance to say hello to the spirit of this amazing pioneer woman.

A picture of me at one of our favorite surprise stops in Dawson, the Sternwheel Graveyard

The Dark Land, horror novella by DM Shepard — The Dark Land, Available on Amazon

Lured by her high peaks and vast forests, adventurers swarm to the siren call of Alaska’s backcountry. Her harsh bite scars many. Some never return

The legend of the Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. Its hunger for human flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter.

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Even as the snow continues to fall, the days are getting longer and we feel spring is right around the corner. Ray and I are planning for not only the 1^st Chicken Run of 2020 (tentatively the last weekend in April), but placing orders for our summer projects. We have a lot of plans for this summer and we can’t wait to get started.

Travelling the Taylor and Top of the World Highways

But as some of you who follow me regularly know, Ray and I have a passion for Historic Ghost Towns. We’re planning on getting out this summer and visiting a few more in the region. We are going up the Taylor and Top of the World Highways toward Eagle and Boundary to obtain large chunks of quartz and granite for landscaping and sculptures. We are also going to drive to Dawson, the setting for my Historical Fiction/Paranormal Romance, A Drink of Darkness.

Yukon River, looking north from Midnight Dome

Ghost Town of 60-Mile and the Lonely Spectre

One of our stops along the way will be the Ghost Town of 60-Mile. On the Canadian side of the border, people were mining in this area more than ten years before the discovery of gold on the Klondike. During its heyday, almost 2000 people lived in this remote area. Before the highway was built, it was the direct route between the mining towns of the 40-Mile district of Alaska and the Klondike goldfields. Most people packed up and headed for Dawson when they heard of the big strike. But a few stayed and continued to mine (there are still some small mining operations to this day).

From the Ghost Town of Chicken, AK; a the former residence of a hermit miner featured in some of my blogs, Toad

Hermit Miners

According to resources, one character in particular was a hermit miner named John Stockton. One of the interesting things about the miners who come to the region, and really people who come to Alaska in general, they are true loners. Many really want to just work their claims and be alone. They might come into town on once or twice in a summer, pick up their supplies, and head back out only giving the occasional greeting. From all accounts John was one of these. Not hostile, but not social.

The Ghost’s Background

John was born in Oregon circa 1866* and was found deceased by the Northwest Mounted Police near his claim in 1944. He filed 6 mining claims with the government. He was buried on top of the hill in a spot he had pre-selected, overlooking the 60-mile valley. According to numerous stories and legends, his ghost still haunts the hill, and can be seen from time to time watching the new mining operations in the distance. He apparently doesn’t like anyone mining on the claim on which his grave rests. Anyone who tries experiences unexplainable equipment problems and bad weather.

Greeting the Ghost

We plan on checking out the ruins of the old town of 60-Mile. Most of this Ghost Town has succumbed to the elements. We’ll also say hi to John. According to legend, he’s amicable to people saying hi and visiting his grave, he just doesn’t like it if they disturb things, linger long, or try to find out anything about him. Mediums and other people trying to reach out to him purportedly have gotten a stern, “Leave me alone,” in response to their well-meaning efforts.

After having our cabin out in Chicken, I could understand wanting to live my eternity undisturbed out in such a beautiful, peaceful region. It sounds like the “Lonely Miner of the 60-Mile” is content with his afterlife.

Who wouldn’t love to enjoy this view forever?

Much of my information on this story, I got from the book, Ghosts of the Klondike Gold Rush by Shirley Jonas.

https://www.yukonbooks.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=2343

Thanks for reading. My horror novella set in the Alaska backcountry, The Dark Land, is coming to Amazon May 4th. (pre-sale starts April 16th). If you sing up for my newsletter, you’ll get a sneak preview of a scene from the Dark Land.

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In my next blog post, I will talk about one of the most famous ghosts and hauntings of the Klondike Rush, and Dawson City’s Palace Grand Theatre.

Ancient evil stalks the frozen trails of Alaska’ boreal forests. The legend of the Headless Ravine is steeped in blood. The Dark Land’s hunger for flesh never sleeps, even in the deepest cold of winter

*I did notice a minor typo in her book about John’s DOB, which is why I note the year of his birth as approximately 1866. It is listed in her book as 1886, which doesn’t add up to his death in 1944 at the age of 79. According to her notes, he filed his first claim in 1909 at age 44.

Tag: ghost towns

The Ghosts of the Palace Grand Theater

The Lonely Miner of the 60-Mile