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| "Party of Gold Miners" Hope, Alaska 1895 |
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ou may recall reading here or in my book that Soapy Smith visited Sunrise and Hope, Alaska in 1896. You might remember I posted here that it had been confirmed that he performed the prize package soap sell racket there, or the letter (artifact #11) he wrote to his wife while on board a steamer headed to the gold fields on Resurrection Creek.
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| Hope, Alaska from aboard a ship circa 1895-96 |
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I found three "new" photographs (on eBay) of Hope, Alaska, circa 1895-96 that I want to share with you. One thing that struck me hard is the fact that Soapy successfully performed and won cash and gold from the miners and in this very rough country. It certainly removes any belief that the prize package soap sell racket is a "big town swindle only." It seems obvious to me that one would have to be an amazing master of human nature to convince anyone in this completely primitive and lawless setting, to gamble on buying cash laden cakes of soap in the middle of no-where. Not only did he con the locals, but he freely sailed away without being chased by those who realized they had been taken. One slip-up and Soapy could have found himself swinging from the nearest tree branch.
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| Hope(ful) miners Hope, Alaska 1895 |
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Sunrise and Hope, Alaska
June 9, 2010
December 13, 2010
Sunrise and Hope, Alaska: pages 411-13.
"Every crowd has a silver lining."
—P. T. Barnum
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