Downtown Juneau in Juneau Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
The Early Days
Downtown Historic District
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
1. The Early Days Marker
When a Tlingit leader, Kawa.ιe (Kowee), in 1880 guided Joe Juneau and Richard Harris to gold deposits near here, the resulting gold rush put a new town on the map. Named for Joe Juneau, it was the first new settlement after Russia sold Alaska to the United States. Buildings sprang up to serve the miners on both sides of the Gastineau Channel. Some gold was free for the panning, but most of the treasure was locked up within the surrounding mountains. Major mining companies formed to develop hard-rock mines. Miners came from all over the world, bringing their families and turning the boomtown into a permanent community.
Juneau incorporated in 1900, and soon after Congress declared Alaska to be a Territory of the United States. Because Juneau had become the center of America's Alaskan business activity, the territorial capital moved from Sitka to Juneau in 1906. Soon there was a governor in residence and a territorial legislature meeting here. Alaska's population was centered in Southeast Alaska until after World War II. The population center then shifted north due to the permanent military presence, the advent of jet aircraft, and the discovery of oil on the North Slope. Juneau, Alaska's capital city, now is the third largest city in the state, following Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Photo captions, top to
this page online
Juneau, early 1880s.
Kawa.ιe
Richard Harris
Joe Juneau
Erected by Alaska Seafood Company and Others.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1880.
Location. 58° 17.808′ N, 134° 24.136′ W. Marker is in Juneau, Alaska, in Juneau Borough. It is in Downtown Juneau. It can be reached from South Franklin Street. Marker is along the waterfront wharf fence. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 432 South Franklin Street, Juneau AK 99801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Alaska, in Tlingit and Haida & Tsimshian Region. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Inside Passage, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: People's Wharf (here, next to this marker); The History Around You (here, next to this marker); Changing South Franklin (here, next to this marker); Corner of Front & Franklin (here, next to this marker); Corner of Front & Seward (here, next to this marker); Downtown Juneau (here, next to this marker); A Capital in a Rainforest (here, next to this marker); Gold! (a few steps from this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Juneau.
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 25, 2024
2. The Early Days Marker
obscured by visitor
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 2, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
