University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html



Guide to the Alaska Mining and Prospecting Company Records, 1897-1901


Bx 001





Finding aid prepared by Jenny Palm

Finding aid encoded by Jenny Palm, November 2003
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Overview of the Collection

 
Repository Name:
 

University of Oregon Libraries
Special Collections & University Archives

1299 University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97403-1299
URL: http://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/index.html

 
Collection Number:
 

Bx 001

 
Creator:
 

Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co.

 
Title:
 

Alaska Mining and Prospecting Company Records

 
Dates:
 

1897-1901 (inclusive)

 
Quantity:
 

1 linear feet
2 containers

 
Languages:
 

Collection materials are in English. 

 
Summary:
 

The Alaska Mining and Prospecting Company records contain the correspondence between Andrew Sherwood and the Alaska Mining and Prospecting Company. The letters concern an expedition to Alaska in search of gold. The collection also contains printed matter and maps concerning the expedition. Finally, it contains two journals by Andrew Sherwood spanning the time of the expedition.

 
Location of Collection:
 

Collection is located with other small manuscript collections.

 

Historical Note

The Alaska Mining and Prospect Company was formed in Elmira, New York in 1897 and incorporated on December 24, 1987 in Colorado. Sale of stock in the company was to support and expedition to the Klondike to locate and mine gold. The president of the company was John M. Dixon of Elmira. Andrew Sherwood, geologist from Mansfield, PA, was hired to lead a party of prospectors and miners. The group left in May 1898 and reached the Klondike via the Teslin Trail. They wintered in Wrangell and returned to the stated in the spring having located no mines and extracted only a few samples of gold. Andrew Sherwood and his son, Hugh, later settled in Portland, Oregon.

Content Description

The Alaska Mining and Prospecting Company records consist of correspondence and other documents that reflect the Company's expedition to the Klondike. The first box primarily consists of correspondence. The letters present are company letters both to and from Andrew Sherwood, the general manager of the company and leader of the Alaskan expedition. The subject of the letters range from the sale of stock for the funding of the expedition to the selection of the ten members to the preparations for the expedition. There are also letters concerning the status of the expedition both to and from Sherwood. In addition to correspondence, the first box contains reports about the status of the expedition written by Sherwood to John Diven, secretary of the company. The first box also contains letters written by Sherwood to various newspapers promoting the expedition and the sale of stock.

Besides correspondence, the first box also contains the articles of incorporation and the by-laws for the Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co., the bonds and agreements for the members of the expedition and various printed material concerning the sale of stock and the generation of funds. There are also three photographs present in the collection of the expedition. The first box concludes with newspaper clippings concerning the company and the expedition and a book about the genealogy of the Sherwood family, written by Andrew Sherwood.

The second box contains journals by Hugh M. Sherwood. The journals are in five volumes and range in dates from May 17, 1898 to September 9, 1899. After the journals are maps taken on the expedition which label trails, coal and gold deposits and various travel maps. The conclusion of the box contains various magazines and publications concerning Alaska and the Yukon area. The dates range from 1897 to 1912.

The Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Records is a small collection, as the Company was primarily concerned with the expedition to Alaska and its only endeavor. The collection lacks any financial records or meeting minutes by the stockholders or board of directors.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into one series: Records.

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Access 

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections & University Archives Reading Room.

Restrictions on Use 

Property rights reside with Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Manuscripts Librarian in Special Collections & University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation 

[Identification of item], Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. records, Bx 001, Special Collections & University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co.--Records and correspondence
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co.--Travel
Diven, John M
Diven, John M
Sherwood, Andrew
Sherwood, Hugh M
Sherwood family
Gold mines and mining--Yukon Territory--Klondike River Valley
Diaries
Familiy histories
Maps
Alaska-Yukon magazine

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.


 

Records

 
Container(s)
Description
Dates
 
box
1
folder
1

Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Letters
  1897
 
2
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Letters
  January 1898-March 1898
 
3
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Letters
  April 1898-December 1898
 
4
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Letters
  1899-1901
 
5
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Reports by Andrew Sherwood to John Diven, secretary. 6 reports
 
 
6
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Letters of Andrew Sherwood to newspapers, describing expedition
 
 
7
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Articles of Incorporation, by-laws, agreements
 
 
8
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Broadsides and printed matter
 
 
9
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Clippings
 
 
10
Sherwood, Andrew. Daniel L. Sherwood and his Paternal Ancestors. Portland: Ryder Printing Co.
  1929
 
2 1
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Diaries of Hugh M. Sherwood, five (5) volumes
  1898-1899
 
2
Alaska Mining and Prospecting Co. Trial maps, General maps
 
 
3
Alaska-Yukon Magazine, vol. 8 no. 3
  June 1909
 
4
Pacific Monthly
  June 1906
 
5
The Strand Magazine vol. 14
  November 1897
 
6
The Alaska Club's Almanac
  1906
 
7
Songs Sacred and Sentimental, by Andrew Sherwood
 
 
8
Alaska-Yukon Magazine, vol. 10, no 2.
  July 1910
 
9
The Outlook
  January 14, 1899
 
10
Alaska-Yukon Pacific Exposition, Seattle
  June 1, 1909-October 16, 1909
 
11
The Finding of an Empire
 
 
12
Alaska-Yukon Magazine, vol. 4, no. 1
  September 1907
 
13
Alaska-Yukon Magazine, vol. 10, no. 1
  June 1910
 
14
A Trip to Wonderful Alaska
 
 
15
Alaska-Yukon Magazine, vol. 13, no. 3
  July 1912
 
16
Overland Monthly, vol. 30, no. 178
  October 1897
 
17
Maps of Pacific Coast Steamship Co. Routes
 
 
18
The Alaska Indian Mythology
 
 
19
Canadian Pacific Railway
  March 13, 1899
 
20
Canadian Pacific Railway Annotated Timetable
  January 9, 1899