JUNEAU'SHISTORICNEIGHBORHOODS

Volume One "The Kennedy StreetStarr Hill Mineworker's Houses

Community Development DepartmentCity and Borough ofJuneau, Alaska

AlaskaArchives Resource and Records ManagementJuneau and Skagway, Alaska

he research and writing ofthis wouldnot havebeen possible without theefforts put forthby the former Cityand Borough of Juneau Planner, LaurieBender, in the grantapplicationthereby paving the way.

We also owespecial thanks to formerCommunity Development Director Thomas J.Peterson, for his unwavering support of historic preservation projects inJuneau.

Thispublication was preparedby the City and Borough ofCommunity DevelopmentDepartmentand AlaskaArchives Resource and Records Management, Juneau andSkagway, Alaska.

Itwasfinanced in part with federal funds from the National Park Service, Departmentof the Interioradministered through the Office of History and Archeology, and theAlaska Department of Natural Resources. However, the contentsand opinionsdo notnecessarily reflect the views or policies ofthe Department ofthe Interior, nor doesthemention of trade names or commercial products constitute its endorsement orrecommendation.

City and Borough ofJuneau, AlaskaCommunity Development Department

Karen Boorman, DirectorGabrielle Lakoche, Project Coordinator,

Editor, PhotographerJere Smith, Graphic Designer

Alaska Archives Resource and Records Management,Juneau and Skagway, Alaska

GlendaChoate, HistorianArchivistGarryH. Gillette, AlA, Historical Architect

· .... 1

.....-.... 8

............ 9

Riendeau-Brown 501 Kennedy Street . . .

Fries-Fiorella House, 511 Kennedy Street 13

Russell-Wagner House, 517 Kennedy Street 14

Alstead-Dau House, 523 Kennedy Street 15f;Z.'

Jaeger-Daugherty House,~ Kennedy Street 16

Turner-Haight House, 535 Kennedy Street 17

Bibliography 18

FOREWORD

his is the first in a series which will focus on Juneau's historicnnlrthl-.A1I"hA,-.r1co and on within the Ouris to draw attention to Juneau's of its

ouucmzs and and the

IJULL.'Al~\.A.l..I.V.l..I., has fine housesassociated withIn-.T''A1I''t~nt in Juneau's Becauseof limited fundsand was decided

to Starr be chosen and their would beof the hill.

that those housesused to the

T'-1~nn4:\1I" and historian and van,vncnnf'lnrt

we decided that the six houses in a row on I'~II!II~{IV

which are visible in ofStarrHill since would tella ofJuneau'sWe also that these efforts wouldencourageother homeowners to want

to learn more about their and its and that a newsense of n-:ll"'tlr>lT'--:ltlAn

in the historical processwould in each of us.

Asa resultof the and of this wehaveexper-ienceda new ~nr'\va/~l~tlAn forour and those whocreateditswhen we look up at Starr FrankStarr with his dark eyes, ...... .I.1t,.I. ..........'Jl.~.IL.IL ......UJl.1U.l.

and come wonderful of Dan Ken-who came to Alaska and fulfilled the imrrucrant

nYA'nall'''t,r ownerswere theimmigrants who came to buildAlaska: Conrad Knute Bernt Alsteadand Kennedy are only a few of the manywho came to workin the tunnels and mills,and on the fishingboats.

Our history ofStarr Hill is only justbeginning and we haveplanted seeds which wehope will grow as people question and search for answers. This is what it is allabout-the history of a town, neighborhood by neighborhood, to share amongourselves and with those who come to see the Alaskaof their dreams. We who arehere, live the dream and want to share it. Our thanks to FrankStarr, Dan Kennedy,Conrad Fries, and all the others; our livesare richer because of their contribution toour history.

GlendaChoateGabrielle LaRoche

"This is to that R.T.JosephJuneau and N.A. Fuller havethis date recorded 160acresfor pur­poses of erecting a town site, com­mencing at a point one mile abovethe mouth of Gold Creek and run­ning up the coast one-halfmile andalong the bay and anchorage rightopposite Douglas Island, to besurveyed into 59 foot lots runningback 200 feet. Said town site namedand styled Harrisburg. October 18,1880. R.T Harris, Recorder."

R __

TheStarrHillhouses. Circa1913-14. W:H. Case, photographer. Alaska StateUb~

Harrisburg, Rockwell, or Juneau as iteventually came to be known, wassitua­ted on the shore of Gastineau Channelunder the shadows of Mount Roberts andMount Juneau. The town site area en­compassed all available land from thewater's edge up the lower slopes to thesteep scarpsof the mountains. A miningcamp locatedon the beach,Juneau wascomposedof tents and cabins construc­tedofmaterials takenfrom the onlyavail­able sources-trees which grew throughthe town site, and supplies and materialsbrought from Sitka. A heavy stand ofhemlockand spruce wasclearedto con­struct the new settlement and providefuel to keep miners warm through thewinter. George Pilz shippeda pre-framedbuilding from Sitka which became thefirst structure in town. In March 1881,before the first winter was over, MasterGustave Carl Hanus, a Navy Officer fromSitka, ran lines to formally survey thenewtown.

Originally, Juneau, Harris and their in­dian guidesattempteda trail alongGoldCreek. Butas the explorers proceeded upthe creek theyfound the brush too com­pact and canyons blocking they way.Soon, however, their Indian guides foundan alternate path up the mountain andover into the basin. Upon reaching thesummit, the exploring party had a beauti­ful viewofwhatcametobe called "SilverBow Basin" and "QuartzGulch:'

Robert N. DeArmond in the Founding ofJuneau speculates "it seems entirelypossible that Chief Cowee of the Auks,anxiousto earn his hundredblankets, allbut led them (theminers) bythe hand upSnowslide Gulch, down Quartz Gulch,and into the Promised Land ofSilver BowBasin:'As DeArmond continued his dis­cussion of the miners' travel to theirclaims:

"The early trail from the beach atMiners Cove to Silver Bow Basinangled up what is now known as

Starr Hill to a point at or near thestart of the present Mount Roberts"ail. It then crossed the ridge intoLnst Chance Basin, crossed GoldCreek somewhere near the upperend ofthe basin and thencefollowedthe creek as nearly as the terrainmade possible. Building a pack trailwas a lot ofwork-brushing out, cut­ting trees both standing and fallen,building bridgesover rivuletsand ra­vines . . ."

Settlement along the beach and establish­ment of a town center continuedwithinthe town site, but to reach many of theclaims, miners had to walk up the trailand overintoSilver Bow Basin.

Construction within the townsite pro­gressed at a steadypace, and during thefirst winter, 12 to 15 cabins were built.Soon the first hotel appeared, then asmallstore, and the town, althoughlittlemorethan a mining camp, began to takeshape. A mining district wasdesignated

Perry. In October 1895 Starrpaid the bal­ance to Perry and a lien on the propertywas removed.

After FrankStarr'suntimelydeath at age49 in 1898, Albert C. Smith,Starr's broth­er, requested the court appoint him asLucy Danielson's guardian. Smith alsoasked the court for permission to sendLucy to live with his and Frank Starr'smother in California. The court gave per­mission but Lucy remained in Juneau.Smith, in his roleas guardian,soldsomeof Lucy's propertyand at the time of herdeath in 1905, she ownedonly Lots 2, 3,4, 5, 6, and 7 in Block 120.All of Block119 had been sold.

Lucy Danielson's death at age 16in 1905adds a sad but curious note to our story.TheDaily AlaskaDispatch reported in itsNovember 20,905 edition that:

2

Perseverance MineinSilverBowBasin.AlaskaStateUbrary.

and land was formally claimed by resi­dents of. the new community. In thespring of 1881 the United States Navyestablished a military postonlyto close itsix months later.

Frank Starr arrived in Juneau in early1881 where he stakedclaims in the SilverBow Basinand townsite area, and beganto establish himself as a man,ofproperty,at leaston paper. Starrwasborn in Maineabout 1849. later he becamea soldierinthe Civil War and in 1873, wasstationedat Fort Wrangell. During the 1880's heclaimed lotsoutsidethe Juneau town siteon a hillside area that later becameknown as StarrHill in hishonor. The trailto SilverBow Basin traversed Starr Hill.Although Starr did stake some miningclaimsand expressed interestin mining,he worked as a builderand contractor forwharves at Sitka, Killisnoo, and Tread­well; Carroll Wharf in Juneau, and No­wellWharfat the Alaska-Union Mill. Healsoput in foundation pilings for someofthe first buildingson the tidelands adja­cent to the townsite.

Frank Starr was also interested in whal­ing and entered into an agreement onJuly 25 1884, to plan a whaling expedi­tion from Juneau. In an agreement madewith five other men which was legallyrecorded, he agreed to furnish twowhal­ing boats with supplies and receive one­half of the proceeds of the expedition.

There is no record ofStarr's proposed ex­pedition beyondthe planningstage.

Forseveral yearsStarr was in and out ofJuneau becauseofhisworkand businessinterests. In 1895 he filed an applicationin court askingto be appointedguardianof "the infant Lucy Danielson:' Lucyownedproperty valued at 250dollars andhad no living relatives. Starrwasappoint­ed Lucy's guardian and remained so untilhis death in 1898. Atthe timeofhisguar­dianship appointment, Starrfiled claimsto lands on StarrHill in LucyDanielson'sname. He claimedfor Lucy a number oflots in Block 119 and 120 on Starr Hill.The lotswere locatedon Kennedy Streetbetween 5th and 6th Streets. Lucy Daniel­son'spropertyon StarrHill includedLots3,4,5,6, and 7 in Block 119 and Lots 2,3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 in Block 120.

On June 25, 1895, George R. PerrysuedFrankStarr, guardianof Lucy Danielson,formoneyowed to him. Earlier that year,Perryconstructed a frame buildingone­and-a-half stories high on Lot 8, Block120forStarr. Undertermsofthe contractnegotiated between the two men on April10, 1895, to buildthe structure, Perry wasto be paid four dollars per day for hiswork. He completed the house in thirty­five and a half days, spent $45.60 onmaterials and paida ferriage feeof$1.50.Perry in his suit indicated that Starr hadpaid $36.00 but still owed $153.10 to

"lucy Donaldson, a young girl six­teen years ofagewho had been veryill of tuberculosis, died at St. AnnsHospital early this morning. Thefu­neral will be held Wednesday withinternment at Evergreen Cemetery.Theyoung girl was an orphan andwas raisedby theSisters ofCharity."

A second Juneau paper, Alaska RecordMiner on November 21, 1905recorded asimilarstorybut withan interesting twist:

"SarahStan; age 16, who has beenill for sometime past of tuberculosisdied at St. Anns Hospital yesterday.Thedeceased who waspossessed of

FrankStarrassketched byRichard 1. Harris. University ofAlaska, An­chorage, Archives & Manuscripts Department. Richard T. HarrisCollection.

LucyDanielson. University ofAlaska, Archives & Manuscripts Department, Anchorage. Richard 1: HarrisCollection.

. a bright, lovable nature, had attend­ed the Sisters school for a number ofyears and had a host of friends a­mong the young people of the citywho will mourn her untimely death.The funeral will be held Wednesday."

Lucy Danielson/Lucy Donaldson/SarahStarr, probably one and the same person,is importantbecauseshe was amongthefirst to own extensive property on StarrHill and interesting because of her rela­tionship to Frank Starr. The FamilyPapers of Richard Tighe Harris, Co­Founder ofJuneau,Alaska at the Univer­sity of Alaska, Anchorage Archives andManuscript Department identify SarahStarras the daughterofFrankand JennieStarr. A native from Killisnoo, JennieStarr was the sister of Kitty Harris whowas the wife of Richard T. Harris, Co­Founder of Juneau and mother of hischildren. The Probate Records identifyJennie Starr as an aunt of Lucy Daniel­son. Jennie is listed in the 1910 censusrecordsas Tlingit, born in'Killisnoo andworking as housekeeper forWilliam Har­ris ofJuneau. Probaterecords filed Janu­ary 10, 1939, for "FinalAccount and Peti­tion ForDistribution of the EstateofJen­nie Starr Menumen" identify her as hav­ing been known as Mrs. W.J. HarrisandJennie Harris. They make no mention ofa relationship with Frank Starr. JennieStarr Menumendid bequeath her estateto her grand nephews, Richard T. Harrisand his brother, Frederick B. Harris.

Albert C. Smith requested the court to ap­point him administratorof Lucy Daniel­son's estate which was valued at $1,500.Bills totalingover $1,700 were filed withthe court which included a bill for serv­ices from Dr. L.O. Sloane and $1,616.50in expensesforLucyat St. Ann'sConventand Hospital from 1900to 1905. Probaterecords show that Dr. H.C. Wyman andR.P. Nelson purchased Lucy's lots inBlock 119 in 1899. Albert C. Smith soldLot 7, Block 120 (with house)from Lucy'sestate to Jennie Starr. She occupied thehouse for a while and later sold to R.T.Harris.

The relationship between Frank Starr,LucyDanielson/Sarah Starr, Jennie Starr,Albert C. Smith, and the Richard T. Harrisfamily is open to speculation. Butwhat isknown is that Lucy Danielson/SarahStarrwasa woman ofproperty evenas an

infant and the property was located onStarr Hill. For whatever reason, FrankStarrand his brother, Albert C. Smith, re­quested and wereappointedbythe courtto be her guardian, claimed propertyinher name and later administeredher es­tate.

Settlement ofJuneau Townsite proceededslowly with houses being built up Main,Seward and Franklin Streets towardChicken Ridge which overlooks Ever­green Bowl and the town site. Buildings

on pilings along Front and lower FrontStreets wereconstructed and this permit­ted the townto expanddownthe Gastin­eau Channel. Cabins for minersbegantoappear on Starr Hill due to its accessibil­ity to the mines and downtown. BasinWagon Road wasbuiltto Last ChanceBa-

. sin in 1885 and 1886 and was extendedto Silver Bow Basin in 1889. Transporta­tion to and from mining claims becameeasierand by 1890, the wagon roadto theBasinwasfive mileslong. The citylimitsin the summer of 1900, for fireprotection

3

4

Basin Road enroute tothelastChance Basin. Circa 1912. Alaska State Ubrary.

purposes, extendedfrom Dixon Streetatthe top ofTelephone to Goldand from BulgarWay northto Fifth Street.

In 1885 Karl Koehler claimedland "situ­ated north of trail leading to Silver Basin,and on or near 3rd Street:' WilliamMcternanin 1888, recorded a claimto a "loton hill, adjoining the town siteofJuneau, 90'x100; and is on what used tobe the trail leading to the Basin and inthe rear of the lot located by PatrickMcKenna about200feet up the Hill:' Therecords in 1888 beganto make referenceto a new addition to the townsite sur­veyor C.W. Garside which included theStarr Hill area. Land on Starr Hill in the1890's had variousclaimants and all in­sistedtheyhad long periods ofoccupancyprior to filing formal claimto specific lotsand blocks.

StarrHill's accessibility to minersmadeitmoreand moreattractive as a location forcabinsand homesites. Somespeculationby local businessmenappearsevidentinclaims to land on the hill. Land wasbought, held, and eventually soldwith afew significant improvements by a num­ber of local businessmen. The list in­cludes B.M. Behrends, William Bosch,C.W. Young and D.M. Summers, R.P. Nel­son, Claude Erickson, ErnestR Jaeger,Conrad W. Fries and Dr. H.C. Wyman. Al­though many mine workers made theirhomes on Starr Hill, none of the localminingcompanies actually builtemploy­ee housing there. In 1914 Juneau news­papers informedreadersof R.P. Nelson'snew park addition located on Starr HillaboveKennedy Street.

The SanbornFireInsurance Map in 1914records six identical structures on Ken­nedy Street locatedbetween5th and 6thStreets. Situated on Lots 1 and 8, Block120, all six houses appear for the firsttime on tax rolls in 1914. Early news­papers refer to them as "Fries MinersCabins" or "Fries Cabins." A review ofliterature and research into historicaldocuments verifies that the homes in­deed were occupiedand owned by menand their families who, throughthe years,worked in miningand principally fortheAlaska Juneau Gold Mining Company.Arthur Riendeau, Superintendent of theAJ Mine, William Steinback, DouglasMead, James Chapados and manyotherslived in the housescausing them to merit

Map. 1914. Alaska StateLibrary.SanbornFireInsurance

75

5

6

their historic name of "Miners Cabins."Although the AJ was clearly the largestand mostimportant employer in the areaformanyyears, manyJuneauiteshad oc­cupations other than mining priorto andafter their stint in the mines. Certainlyother professions were represented a­mongearlyowners ofthe Kennedy StreetMine Workers Houses: Harley Turner,bookkeeper and credit man for B. M.Behrends and later Juneau City Clerk,William Wakeham, butcherand sausagemaker for the Alaska Meat Company,George Mock, fox farmer, and SamuelGuyot, traveling salesman. In morerecentyears the houses have beenoccupied byacommercial fisherman, federal and stateemployees, a postal worker, an engineer,.and an attorney.

A second characteristic of people whohave occupied the Kennedy Street MineWorkers Houses is their large families.Starr Hill as a neighborhood historicallyis a placewherechildren havethe bestofallworlds-CapitalSchool iswithin walk­ing distanceand the summitofStarrHillis twoblocks from their front doors. Overthe summit young'-'adverturers exploreold mining trails and discover artifactsand structuresabandonedas miningac­tivity ceased. Trails that crisscross moun­tainsand basins wheremen and suppliesonce were moved today provide unlim­ited opportunity for exploration and ad­venture. Whether it'ssledding down Ken­nedy Street, playing in the Chicken Yardor walking along miners trails, livingonStarr Hill offers fun and adventure rightoutside the front door. a

AlaskaGoldMining Company stockcertificate. Circa1903.AlaskaStateUbrary.

AlaskaMeatCom~. AlaskaStateUbrary.

SleddingdownKennedy Street.Winterand Pond,photographers. AlaskaStateUbrary.

The Starr Hill Houses inJuneau

~ NORTH·SCALE· ....•

7

TheStarrHillhousesas theyexistin 1987. Gabrielle IARoche. photographer.

8

he Kennedy Street houses are rep­resentative of houses that werebuilt throughout the Juneau area

to be rented and sold to mine workers.The gold mines of Juneau and Douglaswerethe primarysourceofemploymentbeginning with the discovery of gold inSilver Bow Basin in 1880 until closure ofthe Alaska JuneauMine in 1942. Approx­imately 200housesusingsimple, utilitar­ian design and building materials wereconstructed throughout the local area byboth miningcompaniesand local build­ers for minersand their families.

With lumber from the local sawmill onSouth Franklin Street, the Kennedy Streethouses wereconstructed identical in ar­chitectural style and detail. Houses ofsimilarstylecan be found in the JuneauTownsite and at Salmon and AnnexCreeks wheresixAlaska Gastineau MineWorkers Houses remain.

Built as Craftsman Style Bungalows,which were popular from 1900-1915 on

the West Coast, the Kennedy Streethouses stand in a row between 5th and6th Streets on Starr Hill. The Juneauvariation of the Craftsman Style Bunga­lowis 1Y2 stories in height and cladwithwood shinglesfrom top to bottom. Dou­ble hung windows are characteristic asare the attached front and rear porches.Ofwood frame construction, the houseshave a high pitch roof structure whichprovide headroom foroccupancy on thesecond level. Construction materials ap­pear to have been the same for the sixhouses. All have concrete perimeter foun­dation walls withwood pilings supportingthe main floor beams and joists. Woodshake shinglescovered the roofs. An in­teresting architectural characteristicfound in the houses is the roof beam ex­tensionsand braceson the gable ends atthe roof line.

The original floor plan of the houses in­cluded a living area, kitchen, two bed­rooms, and bath.The addition ofsecond­floor dormersincreased living spaceand

allowed significant interior changes.Through the years, the original front andrearporches were enlarged and enclosed.

The Kennedy Street Mine Workers' Hous­es retain much of their original exteriordetail. Many of the alterations madethrough the years were designed to in­crease the livability of a house allowingcontinuity in ownership and occupancy.Their location on StarrHill and access todowntown Juneau combined with theirhistorical architecture and buildingandoccupancy history provide an attractivefocus for Juneau history. a

The six mine workers houses were in..deed constructed with identical floorplans using similar building materials.With a simple utilitarian design, thehouses appear to be well suited to theirbasic function, a home to working menand their families. An examination ofproperty ownership, occupancyand phy..sical features of the houses reveal theyhave remained true to the original designand purpose. The Kennedy Street MineWorkers' Houseswere probablyJuneau'sfirst tract housing.

readers on thatis putting up three modern dwellingsnear the government hospital on Ken..nedy Street:'A separate item in the samenewspapercolumn also informed readersthat "John R. Scottis buildingtwodwell­ings on 6th Street,Starr Hill. The homeshave already been sold, one to ArthurRiendeau and the other to Mr. Chapi ..deau" Taxrecords reveal that owners oftwo houses on Lot 1 in 1914 were indeedJames Chapados and Arthur Riendeau.John R.Scottwas listedas a carpenter inthe Alaska Yukon Gazatteer and Die..tionary in 1903.

A third structure on Lot 1 listed on the1914 tax roll, was owned by Conrad W.Fries. A mining man who came to Alaskain 1905for his health, Friesowned prop­erty throughout the local area and prob..ably was financially involved in develop..ment of the Starr Hill neighborhood. Areview of propertyownershipthroughoutthe Starr Hill residential area shows theinterest of many prominent local· bus..

. inessmen and includes Wyman, Beh..rends, Jaeger, Erickson, and Fries. Specu..lation in real estate development beganalmost immediately in Juneau's earliestdays.

1900-1920. Jaeger arrived in Juneau in1895 and immedatelywent into the laun-

business. Hewas also associated withthe building industry. Together withClaude Erickson, the two men construc­ted the Hotel Gastineau in 1914. Jaegeralso built residential homes throughoutthe city and developed other businessproperty in downtown area.

Jaeger was the owner when three struc­tures on Lot 8 appeared on the tax roll in1914. He sold one of the three houses in1918 but retained ownership of the othertwo structures until 1925 and 1927. Allwere rental propertiesuntil their saleandthen were owner occupied for manyyears.

ClaudeErickson was owner of the AlaskaSodaBottling Works in Juneau. The Alas..ka Yukon Dictionary and Gazatteer in1911..1912 advertisedthe companyas bot..tlersof Rainier and TannhauserBeers andcarbonated beverages. Ericksonwasalsoidentified as Proprietor of Hotel Gasti­neau and Cafe.

Juneau Steam Laundry newspaperadvertisement. RN. DeArmond,Collector. AlaskaStateLibrary.

Erickson owned Lot 1 until 1913 but taxrolls in 1914 reveal three structures andthree differentowners sharing Lot 1.Thethree owners were Conrad W. Fries,James Chapado, and Arthur Riendeau.Fries rented his house while Chapadosand Riendeau occupied their houses.(later all three houses were occupied bytheir owners.)All were mining men andhelp verify the designation of the sixhouses as "MineWorkersHouses:'

Historically, the six houses on KennedyStreet, located between 5th and 6thStreets, were known as "Fries Cabins."The Daily Alaska Dispatch reportedto its

:-;ECO:,\D DOOR BEI.OW COO~'S DRl'C STORE.

B.M. Behrends paid taxes on the lots in1907and 1908.A Juneau businessman,Behrends established the 8.M. BehrendsBankand ownedpropertythroughout thecommunity. The Behrends Cabins were

B.M. Behrends newspaper advertisement. RN. DeArmond, Collector.AlaskaStateLibrary.

··~REAM.ERY BUTTERAND CHEESE

A SPECIALTY

Goods delivered free of C'har~e to allY part of tlle CIt

......[) E A J. E R I ~.-

he of Juneau was lnro'i"'\1I'T'\i"'\1I"~_

ted in 1901 and be-gan owners. From

to 1913 taxes were collected on theland only from Lots 1 and 8, Blockand there is no record of a structure oneither of the twolots during this periodoftime. Dr. H.C. Wymanwas the first ownerlisted on City Tax Rolls to pay taxes onLots 1 and 8, Block 120. Wyman, one ofthe first physicians in the area, was em­ployed at the Treadwell Mine. JL,..... &.,,'JJL\.v......JL

daughter was the firstborn in Douglas. Dr. WymanleftJuneauin the early 1890'sbut continued to ownproperty in the area for the nextyears.

four small structures located in the 400Block of Kennedy Street and were alsolow-cost housing for local mine workers.Additionally, Behrends owned rentalproperties on Telephone Hill until the1950's when they were razed for newdevelopment.

Ernest R. Jaeger, Juneau businessmanand developer, purchased LDt 8 in 1909and his friend and business partner,Claude Erickson, bought Lot 1. Togetherand separately, Jaeger and Ericksonwereresponsible for much of the business de­velopment in the downtown area from

9

10

eportedly the builder of the Ken­nedyStreet MineWorkers' Houses,Conrad W. Fries and his wife,

Mary, came to Alaska in 1905. Fries' illhealth in St. Louis caused his doctor torecommend a healthier climate for himand Alaska waschosen. Accompanied ontheir move to Alaska by his wife's com­panion, Lena Kron, the Fries eventuallydecidedto settle in Juneau.

Fries became involved in Juneau busi­ness affairs and the owner of extensiveproperty holdings in Southeast Alaska.Both Fries and his wifewere natives ofBavaria who had immigrated to the Unit­ed States. InAlaska theyfirst journeyed to

ennedy Streeton Starr Hill, loca­tion of the six mine workershouses, was named for Daniel

Kennedy, an Irish-born immigrant whoarrived in Juneu in 1880. He became"Town Watchman and Night Constable"and later "Constable of Police and Fire­man:' Kennedy diedin Juneau in 1913 atthe age of81.

Dan Kennedy was born in County Dub­lin, Ireland in 1832 and wentto sea at ageeleven. He jumpedship in Philadelphiaand spent the following years living in

CONRAD W FRIES

WindhamBay where he workedin min­ing. Fries continuedthis interest afterthemove toJuneau. Gradually Fries acquiredconsiderable municipal investments. In1918, Fries and associates securedan op­tionon property on Chichagof Island andwere successful in financing its explor­ation and development. He also was in­volved in a fox farming venture, a favor­ite activity of many early Juneau resi­dents.

Fries was involved in Juneau municipalgovernment and servedfour termson theCity Council. His wife died in 1917. Friesbecameillon a trip to San Diego, Califor­nia and.died there in 1922.

DAN KENNEDY

California, Oregon, Idaho, Washingtonand British Columbia. Kennedy immigra­ted to Sitka in 1876and two years latermarriedChatherin Kvasnihoff, daughterofa Russian Missionary, In late 1880 Ken­nedy came to Juneau, staked land, andeventually moved his growing family tothe new community. He became nightwatchmanforJuneau in 1883.

Kennedy ownedpropertyin the townsitearea which included part of the areawhere B.M. Behrends DepartmentStorebuilding nowstands, a portion ofthe land

Atthe time ofhis death, Fries' estatewasvalued at $43,000. The Fries estate wasinherited by Mrs. Fries' formercompan­ion, LenaKron. Kron marriedJohn Mar­shall in 1926 and for many years theywere prosperouspropertyowners in Ju­neau. Lena Kron Marshall owned twoofthe Kennedy Street Mine Workers' Hous­es as well as other real estate includingthe Fries' family home on 6th Street.

The records do not clearly show thatFries was the builder of the six houses.Whatthey do showis that he ownedoneofthe housesand waslikely the financialinvestorforthe others.

occupied by Alaska Electric Light andPower Company, and a home on the siteof the present Baranof Hotel. Kennedyalso owned property up on Starr Hillwhich includeda largegarden plot.

His initial jobin 1883 as townwatchmanand nightconstable, waspaidfrom fundsraisedbysubscription. In 1892 Kennedyand his family, whichbythat time includ­ed five sons, moved temporarily to Katch­amak Bay. Upon return to Juneau, he re­sumed his work as "Constable of Police &Firemen" which continued until 1911.

DanielKennedy. Winterand Pond, photographers. AlaskaStateUbrary.

11

RIENDEAU·BROWN HOUSE501 KENNEDY STREET

was re-

inalwindows. A large plateglass windowwasinstalled in the front porchaddition.The roof beam and extensions are in

but werecut flat

BellGoldstein Simpson withSonsand Daughters of '87 Pioneers.AlaskaStateLibrary.

laude Erickson ownedLot 1 from1909 until 1913 and may havebeen responsible for construction

ofthree houseson the lotin 1913. ArthurRiendeau owned the house at 501 Ken­nedy from 1914 until 1924. Arriving inAlaska in 1899, Riendeau worked for theEbner Mine in Silver Bow Basin. Helaterworked at Placer Mine at Lisianki Inletand at the Jualin Mine in Berners Bay. In1922, Riendeau becamemineforeman atthe AJ Mine and superintendent twoyears later. He retiredfrom this positionJanuary 1, 1949.

George Guffason, owner from 1956 to1961 was Commander of Alford JohnBradford Post No.4, Juneau AmericanLegion. His wife was President of theJuneau American-Legion Auxiliary. BelleSimpson, member of Juneau's pioneerGoldstein Family and local businessowner, acquired this property in a legalaction. She rented and then sold thehouse to Austin and Elsie Brown whocontinue to own and occupy the property.The Brown Family has lived in the housetwenty-four years and raised a family ofeightchildren.

William and Jeanette Wakeham ownedand occupied the house from 1927 until1934. He worked for the Alaska MeatCompany in Juneau as butcherand sau­sage maker. In lateryears, Wakemen too,was a miner. Fred Jaeger continued thetradition of mine worker's ownership ofthe property. Later owners includedGeorge and Irma Purlington, Leo andHelen Jewett and Harold Lockwood.

The Riendeau-Brown house was exten­sively remodeled in 1982. Adormer wasadded to one sideofthe upper level thuschanging the original roof line.The frontand rear porcheswereenclosedand twosmall additions addedto the rear. The ex­terior ofthe housewastotally redoneandvertical cedarsiding wasapplied. All win­dows have been replaced and most aredoublehung whichis similarto the orig-

12

I"',",-ynn.i"\Clt'l,",-n roll

Most windows appear to bethe added windows are ofthe of construction. The house is

dark brownwith trim.

owned the boats Seaand Louhelen. His widow owned the1n.V,",-1n.£"hVt''tT until 1943 when it was sold toNormaand AlleneCook. The house was

Dan and Eileen Colefromthe Cooks in 1955. An forAlas-ka Public Cole and hislived there until 1962 when it wassoldtoLouis and Fiorella. Fiorellawas forthe Veter-ans of ofAlas-ka. raised their in this houseand since his has con-tinued to liveon Street.

hllCh':lT,rf John Mar-a

1936whencommercial tlcholl'nn':ln

Alaska in 1900 fromhis arrival his first

uAt' ....,........ h" ....1"'1: where he fished. Later heseveral years for Carlson

Canneries near Juneau. In 1914 Hildrebegan for halibut. Duringthe years to his death in 1939 he

A minimal amount of has beenmade to exteriorof the Fries­Fiorella house. The front andrear have been enclosed and asmall roof added over the front

An addition with a shed roofwason the sideofthe house.The

inal shingle siding is in place as well asthe roof beam extensions. The originalroofing material was replaced with an as-

13

14

RUSSELLWAGNER HOUSE517 KENNEDY STREET

Architecturalrendering by GaryGillette

laude Erickson, owner of AlaskaSoda Bottling Works and partnerof Ernest R. Jaeger in the Gastin-

eau Hotel and other business enterprises,owned Lot 1, Block 120 from 1909 to1913. It is not known if the three housesconstructed on Lot 1 in 1913 were builtunder his directionor that ofConradW.Fries or John R. Scott. It is known thatthis house was owned in 1914 byJamesChapados, a miner at the AJ Mine. TheDaily Alaska Dispatch reportedMay 27,1913 that:

''John R. Scott was building twodwellings on 6th Street, Starr Hill.The houses have already been soldto Arthur Riendeau and one to My.'Chipadeau'"

It appears that the houses noted by theDaily Alaska Dispatch were.located onKennedy Street near 6th Street, as twoKennedy Street Mine Workers' Housesappear on the tax roll in 1914 with Rien-

deau (501 Kennedy) and Chapados (517Kennedy) as owners.

James Chapados ownedthe propertyforten yearsand then soldto Douglas Mead,a fellow miner at the AJ Mine. Mead soldthe house in 1930 and builta newdwell­ing on the corner of 6th and NelsonStreets. His new house became "JuneauRoom's," a rooming house which Meadoperated for a number of years. MinerJohn Sutherland owned and livedin thehouse until 1948 when it waspurchasedby Fred and Mabel Schmitz. He camefrom Washington State to work in themine but after its closure, worked forvarious transfer companies in the city.Schmitz, an avidbaseballplayer, died atan early age. Hiswidow married SimonRussell, a local shipwright. Bornin Scot­land, Russell came to Juneau and re­paired fishing boats.The Russells madetheir home here until the housewassoldto Thomas and Eileen Wagner. The Wag­ners continue the Kennedy Street tradi-

Han ofbeinga home to a growing youngfamily. Wagner, an attorney, and hiswife,a former school teacher, haveownedthehousesince 1979.

There havebeen changes to the Russell­House. Dormers were added to

both sidesof the upper level thusthe roofline. The roofbeam

extensions were retained and theThe

1I"r'\...,.I~r>d"\ri with three-The

front and rear wereenclosed. Agarage addition at the street level wasadded as well as a enclosed

the front of the house. The en­closed usesauthenticdividedwin-dows similarto window of the per-iod.The houseis greenwithwhite trim and red foundation.

523 KENNEDY STREET

rnest R. Jaeger, Juneau business­man and entrepreneur, owned Lot8, Block 120 when three of the

Kennedy Street Mine Workers' Houseswere constructed on Lot 8 in 1913. Thehousewasrental property for Jaeger from1913 to 1927. One occupant during theearlyyearswasSamuelGuyot, a travelingsalesman, sometime fox farmer, wholater became a miner. In 1927, Jaegersold this house to Bernt (Bert) Alstead,who lived here until 1969.

Alstead, a commercial fisherman, cameto Alaska in 1918. He bought the boat,Thelma, from his uncle and fishedcom­mercially until he was past 75 years ofage. Alstead married his childhoodsweetheart in Norway who immigrated toAmerica with him. The Alstead home onKennedy Streetwas the scene of gather­ings of young fishermen who came atChristmas and other times for parties.Mrs. Alstead and her neighbor, Mrs.Knute Hildre, played the piano, Berntthe

violin, and all would dance. In 1969Alstead sold the house to Eugene andMarian Dau. Dau came to Alaska fromWashington State to work for the U.S.Postal Service. He had been active inscouting in Washington and continuedthis interest in Juneau. Their family grewup in the house and the Dausstill liveintheir family homeon Kennedy Street. To­day, Marian Dauis employed bythe Stateof Alaska and Eugene Dau continuedwith the PostOffice.

The Alstead-Dau Househas been exten­sively remodeled. The front and rearporches wereenclosed.An additionwasaddedto the rearas well as a garage addi­tion on the street level and a living roomaddition on the main level. An openporch was added to the front of thehouse. The original windows were re­placedwith doublehung windows whichare in characterwith the period. Horizon­tal vinyl lap siding has been installedover the original siding. The roof beam

Mrs. BerntAlstead, March 1938. Alstead-Dau Collection.

extensions are in place although theyhavebeen cut flat and covered withvinylcaps. The original roofing material hasbeen replaced with three-tab asphaltcomposition roofing. The house iswhiteand the trim is lightgreen. a

15

525 KENNEDY STREET

beamextensions are in The houseis painteddeep redwith black trim.

StarrHillboys. Fromleftto right, JimmyMay, ChrisThomas, andTomDaugherty. 1958-1959. Daugherty family photograph collection.

16

wned by Juneau businessmanand entrepreneur, Ernest R. Jae­ger, the housewasusedas rental

property from 1913 to 1926. Miners WR.Ducey, J.M. Ousby and WL. Martin livedhere as renters. The property wassold toGustav E. Anderson, a miner, in 1926,and then toJuneaubusinessman, LudwigNelson, in 1927. Nelson, a jeweler, hadhis own business for a number of yearswhich was located on South FranklinStreet.

Willian Steinbach, carpenter and miner,ownedthe housefrom 1929 to 1932. TheAlaska Yukon Gazetteer and Dictionaryin 1911-1912 listedWilliam Steinbach asjailerat the U.S. Jail. He reportedly builtotherstructures throughout the city. Johnand Lena Kron Marshall, investors in lo­cal real estate and owners of the Fries­Fiorella House at 511 Kennedy, acquiredthe propertyfor a time and then sold toRay S. Day in 1948. The John DaughtertyFamily owned and raised a family ofeight

childrenin the house from 1955 to 1979.Elizabeth Daugherty wasa school teacherwhile John Daugherty worked for the De­partment ofRevenue. Thehousewassoldto Gladys TinneyForis in 1979.

TheJaeger-Daugherty House has had ex­tensive changesto its exterior. Adormerwasadded to one side of the upper leveltocreatespacefor a small apartment withoutsideentry byexteriorstairs. The rearporchwas enclosedand a largeadditionplaced on the back of the house. Thefront porch has been enlarged to run theentirelength ofthe front ofthe houseandenclosed. Agarage on the street level hasalso been added. Afireplace wasinstalledand the chimney appears on the front fac­ade of the buildingand extendsthroughthe roof. The original roofing materialwasreplaced with three-tab asphaltcom­position roofing. Large sliding glass doorswere placed on the front addition. Orig­inal shingle siding remainsand all addi­tion work was sided to match. The roof

Architectural renderingby GaryGillette

ne of the three houseson Lot 8,Block 120 owned by Ernest R.Jaeger from 1913 to 1919 was

soldto Gunnar Blomgren in 1919. Blom­gren, a Juneau businessman, purchasedtheSanitary Grocery in 1913, and enteredthe grocery business. In 1924, he builtthe Blomgren Building on Front Street tohouse his grocery store. Blomgren alsoserved on the Juneau City Council. In1938 Blomgren drowned when hiscanoecapsized at Point Louisa. A fellowbusinessman, J.W. Gucker, was withBlomgren at the time and narrowlyescapedlosinghis life.

W.L. Martin, a miner, owned the housefrom 1920 until it was sold to HarleyTurner in 1922. Turnercameto Alaska in1899, and was first employed by C.W.Young Hardware Company. For overtwentyyears he was office managerandcredit man for the 8.M. BehrendsCom­pany. Turner served two terms as CityClerk ofJuneau.The property wasowned

by the Jerome Halowka Family, CharlesCartmill and Robert Cousart during the1950's. In 1958 Frederick B. and DorothyHarris purchased the house and livedthere foralmosttwentyyears.

Harris is a descendantofRichard T. Har­ris, co-founder of Juneau. Ben and KrisHaight and their children have lived inthe house since 1977. Haight, an elec­trical engineer, is remodeling the struc­ture. The Haights are continuing the trad­itionof raising a family in their KennedyStreethome on Starr Hill.

The Turner-Haight House has been ex­tensively remodeled in the interior butthe exteriorchangeshavebeen minimal.Much of the original architectural char­acter has been maintained. The roofingmaterial is not original but is similar tothe original in character. A dormer wasadded to one sideof the upper level thuschanging the original roof line. Plate glasswindows in the dormerand at the front of

the house have been added. The frontand rear porcheswere enclosed and anaddition placed on the backofthe house.Original shingle siding has been retainedand was used in the addition work. Theroof beam extensions wereretained. Thehouseispainted dark grey withbluetrimand accent.

17

18

1. Atwood, Evangeline and Robert N. DeArmond, Compilers. Whos VWzo inAlaskaPolitics: A Bibliographic Dictionary of AlaskanPolitical Personalities, 1884-1974.Binford & Mort, Portland, Oregon. 1977.

2. Bayers, L.H. Collection. Juneau Historical File, People and Places Index, Vols. 1&1£ 1890s-1950 's. Alaska StateLibrary, Juneau, Alaska. (Annodated Bibliography­Review ofHistorial Articles in Juneau Newspapers.)

3. City and Borough ofJuneau, Alaska. ''Assessment and Iax Rolls" on file, Tax As­sessor'sOffice, City and Borough ofJuneau, Juneau, Alaska. 1901-1951.

4. City and Borough of Juneau Planning Department and Laurel McCarley, HistoricalConsultant. AlaskaHeritage Resources Survey in theJuneau Area 1980. Juneau,Alaska. 1980.

5. City and Borough ofJuneau Planning Department and Alaska Archives, Resource&Records Management, Inc. Inventory of Historic Sites and Structures City andBorough ofJuneau 1986. Juneau, Alaska. 1986.

DeArmond, Robert N. Some Names AroundJuneau. Sitka PrintingCompany,Sitka, Alaska. 1957.

DeArmond, Robert N. TheFounding ofJuneau. Gastineau Channel CentennialAssociation, Juneau, Alaska. 1967.

DeArmond, Robert N. OldGold ACollection ofHistorical Vignettes. Compiled byR.N. DeArmond to Commemorate the 50thAnniversary ofKINY. 1985.

7. Eppenbach, Sarah (ed.). The Centennial Gazetteer, A Guide to Juneau, AlaskaPlace Names. (Juneau Centennial Edition 1880-1980.). Gastineau ChannelCen­tennialAssociation, Juneau, Alaska. 1979.

8. Newspapers and Periodicals. Alaska News; Daily AlaskaEmpire; Daily AlaskaDispatch; ThePathfinder.

9. Platofthe Townsite ofJuneau. U.S. Survey No.7, SitkaLand District. 1894.

10. Polk, R.L. Inc. Alaska-Yukon Gazetteer and Business Directory. Seattle, Washing­ton. 1902-1918; 1923-1924.

11. Sanborn Fire" Insurance Company: Maps ofAlaskan Cities and Towns. Materials onfile, Alaska StateLibrary, Juneau, Alaska. 1904; 1927.

12. Stone, David and Brenda. HardRock Gold. (TheStoryof the Great Mines thatwerethe Heart Beat ofJuneau.)Juneau Centennial Committee, City and BoroughofJuneau, Juneau, Alaska. 1980.