Fremont and the Klondike Gold Rush: Exhibit and Talk at The Seattle Public Library May 12
release date: May 2, 2018
During the month of May, The Seattle Public Library and the Fremont Historical Society will co-host an exhibit highlighting the Fremont neighborhood's connection to the Klondike Gold Rush. The exhibit will be on display at the Fremont Branch until May 31.
The public is invited to a reception for the exhibit from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 12 at the Fremont Branch, 731 N. 35th St., 206-684-4084.
Library programs are free and everyone is welcome. Registration is not required. Metered street parking is available near the branch, and there is a pay parking lot across the street.
The display includes historical photos, maps and stories that focus on the lives of Albert J. and Clara Goddard, early Fremont residents and owners of Pacific Iron Works. In 1898, the Goddards had two river steamboats shipped to Skagway, AK, in sections. The sections had to be hauled by relays over the pass and assembled on Lake Bennett. When the ice broke up, they became the first to pilot a steamboat to Dawson -- a distance of over 400 miles.
At the reception, at noon there will be a screening of "Finding the A.J. Goddard," a documentary about one of the steamboats the Goddards brought to the Klondike. Richard Miller, Northwest Seaport Arthur Foss project manager, will give a maritime history presentation after the film screening. The Arthur Foss is the oldest wooden tugboat in the U. S. that is still afloat. Miller will cover the tugboat's 129 years of service, which included support of the Klondike mining efforts.
This display is presented by the Fremont Historical Society in honor of National Preservation Month. The Fremont Historical Society is dedicated to building awareness and appreciation of the history of the Fremont neighborhood in Seattle.