by Kirby Laney, posted 7 May, 2018
Throughout the month of May – it’s National Preservation Month – the Fremont Historical Society (FHS) has its annual display installed at the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library. This year, the all-volunteer FHS has assembled a collection of maps and photos, letters and newspaper clippings, from the Klondike Gold Rush era, specifically 1897-1898, involving Fremont couple A.J. and Clara Goddard.
For Saturday, May 12th, following a reception at 11a, the FHS has organized an engaging, educational program, about a shipwrecked steamboat owned by the Goddard’s, and an iconic Foss tug. For this free presentation, the FHS has invited Richard Miller, of Northwest Seaport, to speak on the haul-out of the tug, which served in the Klondike before it was owned by Foss Maritime.
The Shipwreck Backstory, In Fremont
However, at noon on May 12th, the FHS will share stories on the Goddards, particularly about one of two steamboats they outfitted and hauled to Alaska in 1897.
Early residents of Fremont, A.J. and Clara Goddard had a business on N 34th St, near Lake Union. There they took two steamboat hulls, built in San Francisco, and outfitted them with boilers and machine works, christening them the F.H. Kilbourne and the A.J. Goddard. They also gathered up saw mill parts, which they shipped, with the steamboats, up to the Yukon Territory of Canada.
During the Gold Rush, Seattle served as jumping off point for prospectors hoping to make their fortune, with most of the wealth going to the people who provided the adventurers with provisions and services. The Goddards delivered the steamboats, and saw mill provisions, to Lake Bennett, by hauling them through the mountain pass near Skagway.
The Goddards took prospectors up the Yukon river, from Lake Bennett to Dawson, during the summer of 1898, with Clara Goddard being the first woman captain to work that area. Their effort, however, only lasted one season, with A.J. returning to Seattle in 1899, to sell the boats and the business.
While the couple never had children, the Goddards’ descendants kept their albums of newspaper clippings, and other ephemera. Added to this is research done by members of the FHS, especially Valarie Bunn, and photos collected for the display at the Fremont Library, organized by Judie Clarridge.
After the Goddards returned to Fremont, the A.J. Goddard steamboat went missing during a storm on Lake Bennett, in 1901. On May 12th, the FHS will screen a documentary called, ‘Finding the A.J. Goddard,’ about discovery of the vessel in 2008, with the ice having preserved, nearly perfectly, all of its contents.
History, And More History
The second half of the May 12th presentation will also talk about shipping during the Klondike Gold Rush, and the Arthur Foss tugboat. The Foss family, particularly Thea Foss, have a close relationship with the maritime community in our area, and their history is closely tied with Fremont’s. The Arthur Foss, now 129-years-old, is considered the world’s oldest wooden tug still afloat.
Hear from Miller about the haul-out of the Arthur Foss in 2017, and the fascinating history of this historic vessel, during a short presentation in the library meeting room. Following Miller’s talk, members of the FHS will be on-hand to narrate the photo display upstairs in the Library lobby.
The FHS will begin the reception at 11a, before the presentation proper, with plenty of volunteers available to discuss the connections between the Klondike Gold Rush and Fremont. They may also be able to answer other questions about Fremont history, and the creation of the Center of the Universe.
Find out more about the FHS by attending one of the monthly meetings of this educational organization, held on the second Saturdays at 11a at the Fremont Branch Library. Or, contact them at fremonthistoricalsociety@gmail.com
This summer, also check out the new FremontHistory.org website, being made possible through a grant from 4Culture. The FHS discovers and shares the stories of our neighborhood, including its relationship to the Klondike Gold Rush. Learn more in May at the Fremont Library.
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©2018 Kirby S. Laney. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.