Soapy Smith and the Brackett Wagon Road, Skagway, Alaska, 1898

"The Light of Other Days"
A gang of thimble riggers working a dupe
"Thimble rigging" is the shell and pea game, with thimbles
(Credit: friend Tom Frank)

(Click image to enlarge)

uthor Cathy Spude shared a gem from her husband's files.

Cathy writes,

Reading a little farther, I found another article that named Soapy. It is date-lined September 3, and published September 14 [1897]. It is also in the New York World, probably written by Scovel. He worked with a committee of Skagway citizens who were trying to improve the Skagway Trail before Brackett obtained the rights and took over the improvements and construction. This article lists the names of all the businesses and individuals who donated the $1,173 they had raised to date to pay workers on the trail. I list the donors below, alphabetized:

Businesses
Alaska Southern Wharf Company
Battery and Parks
Blockett and White
Dalby and Grant
Fleming and Hornsby
Jackson and Hotchkiss
Klondike Saloon
Klondike Trading Company
The Lighter Company
Manley and Hill
McClellan, A. D. and Co.
Miller and Brogan
Presnall and Sawyer
Richit and Miller
Schmidt, C. and Co.
Sherry and Co.
Skaguay Wharf Company
Troy Laundry
Yukon Bakery

Individuals
Bakers, Jack
Bauer, H. A.
Bennett, C. M.
Brault, T. E.
Brooks, William
Burkhardt, Joseph
Cameron, H. J.
Carcarred, J. J.
Church, Mrs. Anna
Clayson, F. H.
Coselett, J. J.
Davis, William
Dawey, C. E.
Day, J. S.
Deneret, Harry
Dennison, C. H.
Dowling, John
Dunham, F. W.
Edison, John
Forrest, Frank
Graham, James
Henderson, A.
Higgins, Harry
Hoefer, H. R.
Johnson, T. K.
Kelly, Charles
Kirby, John
Klinkowstein, M.
Knight, G. A.
Kossuth, Mrs.
Laure, G. W.
Lengfader, Charles
Littlefield, Dr.
Long, C. B.
Lynch, L. S.
Martin, E. B.
McKenzie, John
McNulty, Ed
Morris, E. W.
Murphy, J. F.
Nugget Saloon
Palmer, James
Pinkham, R. A.
Rays, Charles
Reid, F. W.
Rice, George L.
Runnals, Dr. H. B.
Sedley, H.
Smith, Jeff
Smith, W. B.
Stanley, John
Wadleigh, F. H.
Walker, D. W.
Wise, F. A.

Both Bob and I apologize for not having the page number for this article. He says he was in a time crunch when he was reading these, like decades ago, and was looking for different material. He was good enough to get dates, and has all of the New York World articles in one folder, but not always page numbers. Few publishers require page numbers in their citations these days. ...

Cathy

Thank you Cathy Spude.
 

__________

ALIAS SOAPY SMITH
BOOK SALE

(Click image to enlarge)

Link to purchase
__________

"When I disagree with a rational man, I let reality be our final arbiter; if I am right, he will learn; if I am wrong, I will; one of us will win, but both will profit."

— Ayn Rand

MAY 14

1787: Delegates gather in Philadelphia to begin drawing up the Constitution.

1796: The first smallpox vaccination is given by Edward Jenner.

1804: William Clark sets off the "Corps of Discovery" expedition from Camp Dubois. A few days later, in St. Louis, Missouri, Meriwether Lewis joins the group.

1853: Gail Borden applies for a patent for condensed milk.

1862: The chronograph is patented by Adolphe Nicole.

1864: Five men are hung in Virginia City, Montana Territory.

1870: It is reported that thirty people are killed by Indians between Kit Carson and Lake Station, Colorado Territory.

1874: Tiburcio Vasquez is wounded by George Beers and surrenders, after his hideout near Los Angeles, California is discovered.

1874: McGill University and Harvard meet at Cambridge, Massachusetts for the first college football game to charge an admission.

1878: The name Vaseline is registered by Robert A. Chesebrough.

1878: Regulators led by Billy the Kid steal 27 horses from a ranch on the Pecos River, near Lincoln, New Mexico Territory.

1897: "The Stars and Stripes Forever" by John Phillip Sousa is performed in public for the first time at a ceremony unveiling a statue of George Washington.

1897: Guglielmo Marconi makes the first communication by wireless telegraph.

1898: Bad man Soapy Smith opens a saloon named Jeff Smith’s Parlor in Skagway, Alaska.

Was Soapy Smith better known that Wyatt Earp? Cathy Spude's concern.

The "good-old-days"

athy Spude's endeavor to prove Soapy Smith was nothing more than a small time crook continues. A few days ago she created a new page on her website with the focus of disproving an old post of mine. Her page is entitled, Soapy graphs: Soapy Smith and Wyatt Earp: Who was Better Known? and revolves around a discovery I made back on October 3, 2010 under the title, Was Soapy Smith more well known than Wyatt Earp?



I acquired the idea of using the Google newspaper archives as a simple comparison tool from a friend who used it on a Tombstone forum to show all the newspaper articles pertaining to Wyatt Earp between the years 1880-1970. I have always heard that Wyatt Earp was not real well known when he was alive, and that his fame came much later. Because of that I invariably wondered if Soapy might have been more well known than Wyatt, while the two men were alive (1860-1898). When I saw the comparison graph on the Tombstone forum I thought it would be interesting to show a comparison between the two men using the articles in the same Google newspaper archives. This was never meant to be a precision study as no online data base contains every newspaper ever published, let alone all the issues of the titles they do have, plus, these online data bases consistently add to their collections, so for this reason I did not bother to show the X and Y axis comparisons. This comparison was just a simple case study. Because of this I did not bother to publish every newspaper title, of which there were many, all across the United States, which included Arizona, where Wyatt Earp was most famous, and Colorado, where Soapy Smith was famous, along with most of the other states, but did not include Alaska, where the figures for Soapy would have dramatically increased. Per a request I performed separate comparisons for New York and Los Angeles.

This does not sit well with Cathy, who writes,

If you take a look at his bar graphs, prepared by Google News Archives, you will see that there are no scales, and no idea of what database of newspapers the articles come from. In other words, we don't know if the Wyatt Earp scale is the same as the Soapy Smith scale, and we don't know if Google News's 1880's newspapers were mostly large cities only (including Denver) and didn't include the smaller towns such as Tombstone, Dodge City and the cow towns where the Earp name would have been more familiar.

Checking up with Google News today, almost two years after this posting was made, it is impossible to determine how Smith came up with his data. The graphing feature he cites doesn't exist and Google News does not talk about its database of newspapers.

Again, it was just a comparison of what Google had available, which was quite a lot. At the time I did not wish to write down every single newspaper title as there were just too many. It never dawned on me that anyone would question the graphs because they were easy to do and figured anyone could do their own study in short order, plus the fact that I knew that new titles would be added as time went on.

Cathy did decide to perform her own comparison and writes,

What I CAN do is provide the kind of data that I found missing on Smith's graphs. GenealogyBank.com is a database of over 6,100 historic newspapers that can be searched on-line for a very reasonable yearly subscription fee. They have made an effort to cover every state for all time periods for both large and small population towns.

Cathy is mistaken when she writes, "they have made an effort to cover every state for all time periods for both large and small population towns." I enjoy reading old newspapers looking for clues to fill in the gaps as to where Soapy traveled. I have thoroughly checked out GenealogyBank.com's list of newspaper titles and I can vouch that some key cities and newspaper titles are missing from their data base. There are enough missing to warrant my not using their service. Even so, if you take a look at her graph, you can see that in the 1880s and 90s Wyatt and Soapy are close together, not a "landslide" as Cathy reports.

On January 23, 2012 I performed another comparison, this time using Gale Primary Source Media and Archival Solutions, the largest data base of digital newspapers in the United States. I used the same method as I did in 2010, between the dates 01/01/1860 - 12/31/1899. Once again Soapy beat out Wyatt, by 210% Wyatt's score is 164 while Soapy won with 345.Although the largest data base it is far from complete so again this is just a simple comparison. Apparently Cathy did not see this comparison study as she does not allude to it on her website. She does, however, try to disprove my graphs with another comparison graph of her own, between Soapy and J. M. Tanner. Cathy writes,

Now, to show you why its all a function of what newspaper base you're looking at and how you ask the question, the graph below shows you the number of newspaper articles about Soapy Smith and J. M. Tanner in Alaskan newspapers in the three decades that Si Tanner lived in Alaska. If Jeff Smith's reasoning is correct, the number of newspaper articles written about a man shows how well known he was known in the place he lived. As you can see, Si Tanner was much better known than Soapy Smith.

The main flaw in her reasoning is that she starts her graph in 1900, AFTER Soapy was deceased and at the RISE of Tanner's career as a lawman and politician in Skagway. Naturally, Tanner would have been mentioned in the newspaper a lot more than Soapy, because Soapy was dead. What would have been interesting is for her to include the years 1897-1898 in her comparison, when Tanner was a complete unknown.

"Saluting the memory of Soapy Smith, forever inseparable and significant to the Old West history of the Mile-High City."

―Robert Bandhauer

AUGUST 23

1838: The first class graduates from Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in South Hadley, Massachusetts, one of the first colleges for women.

1842: Explorer John C. Fremont carves his name in Independence Rock, Wyoming.

1858: "Ten Nights in a Barroom," a melodrama about the evils of drinking, opens in New York City at the National Theater.

1868: Three members of the 31st Infantry are killed by Indians near Fort Totten, Dakota Territory.

1868: Eight settlers are killed by Indians between Pond Creek, Kansas and Lake Station, Colorado Territory.

1873: Outlaw Tiburcio Vasquez is involved in the “Tres Pinos Massacre.” He is believed to have killed 42 men. On March 19th 1875 Vasquez is hanged for the murders committed during the “Tres Pinos Massacre” at San Jose. California

1877: John Wesley Hardin is arrested by Texas Ranger John B. Armstrong on a train for the murder of Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb in 1874. Armstrong killed Jim Mann and pistol-whipped Hardin until he was unconscious.

1882: Two murders are lynched from a tree in Globe, Arizona Territory.

1892: The printed streetcar transfer is patented by John H. Stedman.

1945: Lawman Elfego Baca dies at age 80 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Photos from the Rapuzzi collection: Parlor restoration part 13.

Locked Horns in Battle
Taxidermy Moose from Jeff Smith's Parlor Museum
Soapy Smith's bar (?) on far right.
(photo by and courtesy of Bob Lyon)

(Click image to enlarge)

ational Park historian, Bob Lyon continues to amaze us with photographs and information about the museum history of Jeff Smith's Parlor. When the Rapuzzi collection was purchased everything had to be cataloged and stored until the Parlor display could hold the collection. Bob sent three photographs to give us an idea of the vast variety of items that had to be filed, restored, and made ready for display. The above storage unit holds the famed Moose battle that was displayed in one of the back building attached to the Parlor. I remember seeing these animals when I was with my parents in 1977 and George Rapuzzi gave us a tour of the Parlor. Along the right side of the photo the front bar that was on display in the Parlor museum can be seen. It is supposed to be Soapy's but comparing it to the original in old photos shows little similarity. It might be possible that the top portion of the bar once adorned the original one. Surely the Park Service will let us know what they were able to find out about the front bar.   

One of many bottles in the collection
(Photo by and courtesy of Bob Lyon)

(Click image to enlarge)

Bob writes, 

A few photographs of the artifacts found in Soapy's. I photographed these for the people designing the exhibit. They're trying to put everything back where it was when Rapuzzi operated the museum. That'll be challenging, but they'll come close. Some of these aren't particularly interesting, but good examples of the incredible variety of things Rapuzzi and Itjen collected. Somewhere I have photographs of the Soapy mannikin on a shelf. I'll dig them out soon.

A scale from the Rapuzzi collection
(Photo by and courtesy of Bob Lyon)

(Click image to enlarge)

We look forward to all the photographs Bob sends us. In the same emails Bob also sent me some newspaper copies that give clues as to when the museum opened to the public. Believe it or not, that is a mystery. I will be making a separate post on that subject very soon.

Jeff Smith's Parlor restoration

February 4, 2009 (Part 1)
February 19, 2009 (Part 2)  
March 31, 2010 (Part 3)  
August 7, 2010 (Part 4) 
February 11, 2011 (Part 5) 
April 5, 2011 (Part 6)
May 8, 2011 (Part 7)
May 17, 2011 (Part 8)
November 20, 2011 (Part 9)
March 30, 2012 (Part 10)
June 20, 2012 (Part 11)
August 8, 2012 (Part 12)

AUGUST 11

1860: The first successful silver mill in America begins operations in Virginia City, Nevada Territory.

1860: Twenty-seven members of the 4th Artillery battle 200 Gashote and Parran Indians in Fagan Canyon, Utah Territory. One Indian is killed and an unknown number are wounded.

1865: Paiute Chief Black Rock Tom is captured and shot by soldiers in Nevada Territory. Colonel McDermit was killed a few days earlier during a skirmish with the chief’s warriors.

1871: Lawmen Mike McCluskie and William Wilson, who were assigned to keep order during an election, shoot it out with one another after arguing who will buy the drinks at the Red Front Saloon in Newton, Kansas. Wilson is killed and McCluskie flees fearing reprisal from Wilson's friends.

1874: A patent for the sprinkler head is given to Harry S. Parmelee.

1877: The two moons of Mars are discovered by Asaph Hall, an American astronomer. He names them Phobos and Deimos.

1896: Harvey Hubbell receives a patent for the electric light bulb socket with a pull-chain.

1900: Outlaw brothers John and Jim Jones rob a Union Pacific train in Hugo, Colorado, taking money from the baggage car. Lawmen pursue the outlaws, finally catching up to them in a small ranch house. Gunfire erupts lasting for several days until lawmen set fire to the building. Not wanting to surrender, Jim Jones shoots himself as the house burns around him. John leaps through the front door, two six-guns blazing. He is killed by rifle fire.

Jeff Smith's Parlor, 1930s. Parlor restoration part 13.

Soapy Smith Museum (Jeff Smith's Parlor)
Tourists 1930s
(Courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks)

(Click image to enlarge)

ob Lyon, National Park Service historian in Anchorage sent me some photographs to share. In regards to the top photo of the Parlor, Bob writes,

I turned up some photos of [Martin] Itjen's museum I hadn't seen before. This one is from the 1930s. Got a few new ones of Itjen on his street car. Send one or two later. These are from the collections at University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Museum of 98 banner
(photo courtesy of Bob Lyon)

This is a sign an architect, Becky Shaffer and I found in the Meyer Building, which we think was an Itjen museum for a couple of years in the 1920s. Becky noticed wood panels blocking the windows had canvas stapled to the edges--had to be a sign, so we took them down and hey, presto! There's a photograph on the Alaska digital archives page of the Skagway waterfront with cruise ship graffiti that shows a very similar sign, so the museum was open, we just can't be entirely certain which building, but only the Meyer Building is likely for that corner and we know [George] Rapuzzi owned it.

Bob Lyon, we are grateful that you share your exciting finds with us!

AUGUST 10

1844: Bringham Young is chosen to lead the Mormons, after the killing of Joseph Smith.

1850: Fort Atkinson is established in what is now Kansas. Located about two miles west of Dodge City, on the left side of the Arkansas River near the site of old Fort Mann, the fort is intended to control the Indians and protect the Santa Fe Trail.

1863: several wagon trains are attacked by Indians east of Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory. Fourteen men are killed and an unknown number of women and children are taken captive.

1865: George Custer and his troops depart for Texas from Alexandria, Louisiana to enforce the federal government's reconstruction policies for one year.

1867: General Alfred Terry reports one citizen is wounded in a 31st Infantry engagement with Indians near Fort Stevenson, Dakota Territory.

1874: Silver is discovered in Mohave County, Arizona Territory. The mines yield $800,000 over the next 30 years.

1876: Thomas Edison receives a patent for the mimeograph.

1889: Flathead Indian chief Arlee dies in Jocko Valley, Montana.

1891: Soapy Smith’s Denver auction house is gutted by fire.

1899: The refrigerator is patented by A. T. Marshall.

Soapy says, "Happy July 4!"

Jeff Smith's Parlor
July 4, 2012
(photo by Donna Smith)

onna Smith and Jerry Stainer, Friends of Bad Man Soapy Smith members, took a trip to Skagway, Alaska recently. It's definitely not their first trip there but Donna wanted to send me some photographs of how things are looking, Soapy wise.

The photo at top shows that the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park is once again taking interest in the July 4 festivities by decorating Soapy's saloon in red, white, and blue. Soapy was indeed very patriotic, and in fact, photos of Jeff Smith's Parlor without patriotic bunting draped all over it are on the rare side.

Donna says you can't go to
Skagway without visiting
Soapy Smith's grave.
(photo by Donna Smith)

While in Skagway Donna purchased my book, Alias Soapy Smith at the Skagway News Depot, which had been autographed by me, so they also had the entire cast of the Days of 98 Show autograph it! I thought that was a wonderful idea. Donna and hubby Jerry also took in the Temsco helicopter ride and rode the steam train to Fraser and back again. During the ride they saw two bears. Donna said they even did a little geocaching while they were there. That's a game people play where someone will hide small little prizes and then those with a GPS (global positioning system) application try to find it. My daughter Ashley and her boyfriend just started playing the game. Afterwards Donna told me they saw the play and did the usual tourist shopping in the stores of Skagway.

Thank you very much Donna!

Soapy Smith's Olde Tyme Photo Parlor
A modern business capitalizing on Soapy's name
(photo by Donna Smith)

Donna Smith and Jerry Stainer
April 2, 2011
April 1, 2011 

JULY 3

1775: U.S. Gen. George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1844: U.S. Ambassador Caleb Cushing successfully negotiated a commercial treaty with China that opened five Chinese ports to U.S. merchants and protects the rights of American citizens in China.

1862: Union forces are the victors in a battle with Confederate troops in Locust Grove, Indian Territory.

1863: The Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania ends as a major victory for the Union after three days of fighting.

1865: General Connor arrives in Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory (present day Wyoming), with orders to protect the stagecoaches of the Overland Mail Company from Arapaho Indians.

1867: The 3rd Infantry from Fort Wallace, Kansas, reports one soldier wounded near Goose Creek, Colorado Territory.

1869: Four Indians are killed in a fight with the 8th Cavalry in Hell Canyon, Arizona Territory.

1871: The Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad Company introduces the first narrow-gauge locomotive. It is called the Montezuma.

1873: Vigilantes lynch a rustler who stole a widow's cow in Phoenix, Arizona Territory.

1876: The steamship Far West begins the journey down the Yellowstone River, Montana Territory, carrying the bodies of George Custer and his men, Reno's wounded, and the horse Comanche.

1876: The first newspaper account of Custer's battle at the Little Bighorn appear in the Bozeman Times, Montana Territory.

1878: A posse under command of J. J. Dolan terrorizes San Patricio, New Mexico Territory, as they search for the Regulators. One of the Regulators is outlaw Billy the Kid.

1878: John Wise flies the first dirigible in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

1880: The publication, Science, goes on sale, with inventor Thomas Edison having provided the principle funding.

1884: E. C. Abbott, alias “Teddy Blue,” records that the outfit, under the leadership of Granville Stuart, hung a rustler between the DHS Ranch and Fort Maginnis, Montana Territory.

1888: Wyatt Earp's second wife, Celia "Mattie" Blaylock, commits suicide in Pinal, Arizona Territory. Mattie had accompanied Wyatt to Tombstone and separated (abandoned) from the lawman after they left Tombstone. She worked as a prostitute.

1890: Idaho becomes the 43rd state of the Union.

1897: G. A. Lancaster files a claim on Eldorado Creek in the Yukon, later to be known as Gold Hill, located in the Klondike, Yukon Territory.

1898: During the Spanish-American War, six Spanish warships in Cuba's Santiago-de-Cuba Harbor attempt to flee by shooting their way through a U.S. blockade. U.S. warships destroy all of the Spanish ships killing more than 350 Spanish seamen. The U.S. loses one sailor in the battle. Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst maneuvers his steamer close to the action and captures (rescues) 17 Spanish seamen from the water.

1901: Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, Ben Kilpatrick, “Deaf Charley” Hanks, and an unknown 4th member of the Wild Bunch gang, rob a Great Northern Coast Flyer train near Wagner, Montana, getting away with up to  $65,000, gold watches, and a bolt of silk. After Kilpatrick boarded as a passenger, “Deaf Charley” (or possibly Harvey Logan) snuck onto the coupling between the tender and baggage car, and hijacked the train to a prearranged point where Logan and Kilpatrick then robbed the express car, blowing up the safe with dynamite. Before leaving, the Express Manager asked for a souvenir, and Logan emptied his gun and handed it over, saying, “Thanks for your help.” It is the last recorded Wild Bunch robbery.

Soapy Smith to aid Colorado fire victims!

Soapy would be honored and proud!

ust received some amazing news. Dave Elstun, Friends of Bad Man Soapy Smith member and mastermind behind the annual Soapy Wake in Denver, Colorado came up with the brilliant and very humane idea of donating proceeds from this year's event (July 8, 2012) to victims of the Colorado fires that have wreaked havoc on the state and it's occupants.

Dave told me that the idea came to him because of Soapy's history as a charitable man, which he indeed was. I think this is a wonderful way to advertise the Wake, which will hopefully bring in tons of money for the victims. Soapy would be so proud to know that even in the grave, he can still help those in need. The following is from Dave Elstun

The Lumber Baron Inn and Garden's is pleased to announce "Denver's Second Annual Soapy Smith Wake". A special event to raise money for victims of Colorado wildfires. Soapy's Wake takes place at 7:00 PM, Sunday July 8th, 2012 at The Lumber Baron Inn, 2555 W. 37th Ave., in Denver's historic Highlands Neighborhood. The show features the talents of the Three Soapy's, Magician Dave Elstun, Comedian's Darrin Ray and Matt Vander Muelen also featured Lumber Baron Owner and Historian Walter Keller, Songbird of the west Laura Powers and Physical Comedian and Juggler Reid Belstock. Tickets are now on sale at The Lumber Baron Inn (303) 477-8205 for only $15.00 per person. For more information please visit http://www.magicindenver.com/The-MagiCabaret-.html.

Soapy Smith was a scoundrel! He was a Con Man and one of the countries earliest Crime Bosses. Soapy operated In Denver from approximately 1879 to 1889. He was also said to be a large a generous contributor to charities. Soapy Smith is also an important part of the history that creates Denver's unique western character. It is in this spirit that The Lumber Baron Inn is producing "Denver's First Annual Soapy Smith Wake". The Wake is a recreation of and old fashioned Saloon Show just the way Soapy would have liked it. Imagine if in 1890's a group of Soapy's friends had gathered at Denver's infamous Tivoli Club to toast their friend.

Stay tuned as more develops.

JULY 1

1847: The U.S. Post Office issues its first adhesive stamps.

1861: Confederate forces, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John B. Baylor, occupy Mesilla, New Mexico Territory.

1862: President Lincoln signs the Pacific Railroad Act, which authorized the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads to build the first transcontinental railroad. The two railroads were loaned capital at the rate of $16,000 per mile over prairie land and $48,000 over mountainous terrain. The act also granted them ten sections of public land per mile for the track that linked Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California.

1862: The U.S. Congress establishes the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

1863: A victorious Colonel Williams leads 800 members of the 1st Kansas Colored along with 500 Indians against a force of Texas Confederates lead by Cherokee chief and Confederate general Stand Watie at Cabin Creek, Kansas

1863: The first day of fighting at Gettysburg begins, during the Civil War.

1865: Camp Tyler is established on the South Platte River Road in Colorado. It is later renamed Fort Morgan.

1871: Grayson County, Texas - Richard Johnson, a Texas cowboy who sided with the Lee faction in the bloody Lee-Peacock Feud that raged during the 1860s, shoots and kills Lewis Peacock ending the feud. Johnson was never apprehended for the murder.

1874: The Philadelphia Zoological Society zoo opens the first zoo in the United States.

1875: The 2nd Cavalry reports killing two Indians in a battle at the Little Popo Agie River in Wyoming.

1876: The first news of the Little Bighorn battle reaches Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory when Crow scouts, Speckled Cock and Horned Toad, tell the Indians there of a big fight and of a white leader (Custer) who committed suicide.

1877: Soapy Smith’s mother, Emily Dawson Edmundson, dies in Round Rock, Texas.

1883: The stage running through Black Canyon, Arizona Territory is robbed for the second time in three days.

1887: Gunman and rancher, Clay Allison dies in a freak accident. He was returning from Pecos, Texas, with supplies. Allison toppled from his buckboard he was driving and fell beneath the wheel of the heavily laden wagon. The horses jerked forward and the wheel crushed Allison's head killing him instantly.

1890: Prohibition goes into effect in North Dakota.

1892: The outlaw Dalton Gang stops a train, near Red Rock, Cherokee Strip. They force the express car door open taking $11,000 from the safe.

1893: The first wooden bicycle race track in the U.S. opens in San Francisco, CA.

1898: Theodore Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" wage a victorious assault on San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

1898: U.S. forces attack Spanish troops entrenched at El Caney and on the San Juan heights, east of Santiago-de-Cuba. The Americans win tactical victories, driving the outnumbered Spanish defenders to the outskirts of Santiago.

The innards of "Dangerous Dan" McGrew: Parlor restoration part 12

Preparing to X-ray "Dangerous Dan McGrew" 
Dahl Memorial Clinic (Skagway, Alaska)
(L to R) Med. Asst., Sarah Phillips, Interns N. Peters and K. Bonanno, Med. Asst., Melissa Horman
photo courtesy of Sarah Phillips

knew from visiting inside Jeff Smith's Parlor back in 1977, how the animatronic figure of Soapy Smith functioned. Using auto parts, gears, and chains tucked neatly beneath the floor, Martin Itjen made the effigy of Soapy come to life when visitors opened the front door to enter. The internal workings made Soapy's head turn towards the front door and his eyes, made of light bulbs, would light up. At the same moment his right arm (holding a mug of beer) would raise, in a welcoming toast to the visitors to his saloon. I did not, however, know how "Dangerous Sam" operated. Several books have given descriptions of the little play that is performed each time the door is opened, which includes Soapy shooting Sam. From what I have learned thus far I do not believe there was a shootout of any sort. I am beginning to believe that the shootout scenario came to be in the fertile imagination of someone who probably never imagined that the animatronic figures would ever be operating for the public again. It surprises me that no one from the old days in Skagway can or has given a full play-by-play account.

The Soapy automaton was carefully removed from the Parlor and made a trip to the State Museum in Juneau for a temporary exhibit. It now resides in storage in Skagway awaiting completion of the Parlor restoration, so that it may once again welcome visitors. I hope they can set up the mechanism so that modern visitors can see them perform. "Dangerous Dan" remained pretty much a complete mystery to me, until recently.
 

Jeff Smith's Parlor Museum
(1930s-1940s)

Animatronic figures of Soapy Smith and Dangerous Dan McGrew
photo courtesy of the KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

I was browsing through Facebook one day when I came across the photograph at the top, with the following comment by Sarah Phillips.

Melissa Horman and I got to x-ray this guy for the Parks Service last week. He came out of Soapy Smith's Parlor on 2nd Ave. Martin Itjen made him a long time ago and the NPs are fixing him up to put him back into the parlor when it's done getting renovated. Shandra L. Nelsen and Julie Ann; you jealous? We got to x-ray history.

Another angle of "Dangerous Dan" and his crew
photo courtesy of the KGRNHP

I contacted Sarah to find out what I could about the X-ray project and she sent back the following.

Hey Jeff,

The National Parks people brought over some of the mannequins that Martin Itjen made and had put into your Parlor.

We X-rayed them at the clinic so the curators could see what was inside and figure out how they worked since it appeared they had moving parts. It was a big deal and I was really excited to be a part of it. We figured out the guy we were working on (Dangerous Dan McGrew) had tapping feet and it looks like he nods his head as well. Fun little discoveries thanks to the X-ray.

They took several pictures of the process and we gave them a disc with the X-ray images we took. It wasn't perfect but we took enough that they may be able to figure it out once all the images are printed and layed out like a puzzle.

They also invited us to go over to their shops and see the other fun things that were in your parlor that they are restoring and will put back into the building once restorations are complete.

I am taunting Shandra a bit because I know how much she loved your parlor and history in Skagway.

Sarah, I must admit, I very envious too! Oh how I would love to have been there for the X-ray and for the coming visit to the storage building where they are keeping and working on all the items that were once housed in the Parlor.

X-ray of "Dangerous Dan's" head
photo courtesy of KGRNHP

Sarah was also kind enough to send me the news release put out by the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park which furnished me with the following information.

• The animatronic figures were made by Martin Itjen in the 1930s.
• They were certain that "Dangerous Dan" moved but not in what capacity. The X-ray showed that he moves his head, taps his foot, and his eyes light up.
• There were three animatronic figures, the third being "Lady Lou." Nothing about X-raying her was mentioned.
• The re-opening of Jeff Smith's Parlor is scheduled for 2016. 

Jeff Smith's Parlor restoration

February 4, 2009 (Part 1)
February 19, 2009 (Part 2)  
March 31, 2010 (Part 3)  
August 7, 2010 (Part 4) 
February 11, 2011 (Part 5) 
April 5, 2011 (Part 6)
May 8, 2011 (Part 7)
May 17, 2011 (Part 8)
November 20, 2011 (Part 9)
March 30, 2012 (Part 10)

JUNE 20

1782: The U.S. Congress approves the Great Seal of the United States. 

1793: Eli Whitney applies for his cotton gin patent. The cotton gin initiated the American mass-production concept. 

1863: West Virginia becomes the 35th state to join the Union. 

1863: The National Bank of Philadelphia, PA, becomes the first bank to receive a charter from the U.S. Congress. 

1867: Major Frank North leads a company of Pawnee Indian scouts against the Sioux in Black Hills, Dakota Territory. 

1876: George A. Custer and the 7th Cavalry begin the march towards the Little Bighorn River, Montana Territory after scouts inform Custer that 2,000 to 4,000 warriors are camped on the Little Bighorn. 

1876: General Crooks command is joined by Crow and Snake Indians at Goose Creek, Montana Territory as they begin marching, to find Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Crow scouts report a large Sioux village on the Tongue River. 

1887: Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show performs for Queen Victoria in London, England. 

1889: Soapy Smith’s Tivoli Club receives its first newspaper report of a swindled victim since its opening in 1888. 

1898: The U.S. Navy seizes the island of Guam in route to the Philippines to fight the Spanish.

The story of Vena Blanchard: Employed by Soapy Smith. Part II

Early postcard
circa 1900-1915

March 24, 2012

n March 24, 2012 I posted a story about the possibility of  Vena Blanchard, a madam supposedly employed by Soapy Smith in Creede, Colorado in 1892. Since then I was able to locate and contact Gary and Gloria Meier, the authors of the book, Those Naughty Ladies of the Old Northwest, where Friend's member, Leah found the information. To initially contact them I had to use the USPS ("snail mail"), and I feared being that the book had been published 12-years ago, there was a chance they had moved. Not only was I in luck, but Gary and Gloria have the internet so their response was quick. Unfortunately it was not what I hoped to hear. Following is the response I received.

Hi Jeff,

Thanks for the letter.

We regret to report that we no longer have any of our research material for the book. Over the years it has all been distributed to various historical societies.

We lived in Skagway in the early 1980s, and we both seem to recall that our Soapy info came from the museum there. (But it was a long time ago.) Perhaps you could contact them and find what you are looking for.

Skagway Museum and Archives
Box 521
Skagway, AK 99840

Wish we had more for you.

Regards from Oregon,
Gary and Gloria Meier

I emailed and thanked them for the quick and honest reply, and I thank them here again. At this time I have not located this particular story in the archives of the Skagway Museum but I will forward the story and see if I missed something.

JUNE 15

1607: Colonists in North America complete James Fort in Jamestown.
1752: Benjamin Franklin experiments by flying a kite during a thunderstorm to show the relationship between lightning and electricity.
1775: George Washington is appointed head of the Continental Army by the Second Continental Congress.  
1836: Arkansas is admitted into the Union as the 25th state.
1844: Charles Goodyear is granted a patent for the process that strengthens rubber.
1846: Great Britain and the United States agree on a joint occupation of the Oregon Territory.
1864: An order to establish a military burial ground is signed by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. The location becomes Arlington National Cemetery.
1867: Indians and the 3rd Infantry battle at Big Timbers, Kansas.
1877: General Howard reports four civilians are killed by Nez Perces Indians at John Day's Creek, Idaho Territory.
1877: Henry O. Flipper becomes the first African American to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
1878: A military escort takes Jesse Evans from Lincoln to Mesilla, New Mexico Territory to stand trial for the murder of John Tunstall.
1881: The James-Younger gang robs the Chicago and Rock Island train of $1,000 in Winston, Missouri. 1883: The first eastbound Northern Pacific train arrives in Helena, Montana Territory.
1898: The U.S. House of Representatives approves the annexation of Hawaii.
1898: The White Pass and Yukon Railway begins laying track rail in Skagway.