"Soapy Smith" and Martin Itjen invade Los Angeles, California, 1935.

Capt. Jefferson Smith and Martin Itjen
invade Los Angeles, California
Jeff Smith collection

(Click image to enlarge)

y latest acquisition!

      I remember the first time I saw a photograph of Soapy's effigy on the rear platform of Martin Itjen's Skagway Street car. It was in his book, The Story of the Tour on the Skagway, Alaska Street Car, on page 27. Not a very big photo, and only the upper half of Soapy was showing. Over time, I found larger variations, and this 1935 copy is probably my favorite. A first for me, is that Soapy has a rifle at his side!

The rear of the photograph

Jeff Smith collection

(Click on image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith, Martin Itjen, and Mae West
courtesy of Bob Wieking

Obviously an old library copy, ready for publication, but from 1935, not a modern print. This was taken in Los Angeles, California, when brilliant publicist Martin Itjen insisted on meeting film star Mae West. Had Martin come down from Skagway just to advertise the town, he would not have received much attention, so he came up with a plan. A plan that caught the attention of the newspapers. Martin demanded to see famed movie-star Mae West. Mae came to visit, and so did the reporters.

Want to read more about Martin Itjen?

MartinItjen.com

(operated by Itjen descendant, Bob Wieking)

Martin Itjen (Multiple posts, not in order of importance) 

Martin Itjen: pages 11-13, 453.

The citizens have called a mass meeting to consider what steps are to be taken, and it means a fight, and they look to us to lead them.

— Samuel H. Graves
president of the White Pass and Yukon Railway
Alias Soapy Smith, p. 556

FEBRUARY 5

1783: Sweden recognizes the independence of the U.S.

1846: The Oregon Spectator (Oregon City, Oregon) is the first newspaper published on the Pacific coast.

1848: Female outlaw Myra Belle “the Bandit Queen” Shirley, alias Belle Starr, is born in Arkansas. She married outlaw James Reed and joined the outlaw Tom Starr Gang.

1861: Samuel Goodale patents the moving picture “peep show” machine.

1881: Phoenix, Arizona is incorporated.

1897: Sylvester Scovel (Friend of Soapy Smith), a U.S. war correspondent for the New York World is arrested and jailed in Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. He is held on four counts, including communicating with the Cuban insurgents and traveling with forged papers. The World declares Scovel to be “in imminent danger of butchery.”

Soapy Smith Parlor museum restoration, Martin Itjen bus, part 22

"Martin Itjen" (Douglas Smith) and NPS Ranger Kari Rain
with Skaguay Alaska Street Car

(Click image to enlarge)

estoration of Jeff Smith's Parlor continues through the summer months. It was advertised in Skagway and on the Facebook page for the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park that they would be bringing Martin Itjen's only remaining "street car" out of storage to parade it (very slowly) around town (May 16, 2013) for a good last look before it goes in for restoration. This may be the last time it is seen on the street before it is placed on permanent display next to the Parlor.
      Tour guide, Douglas Smith, went along with the "parade" portraying 'ole Martin Itjen himself. I would have loved to have been there but I was lucky enough to be a passenger in the "street car" in 1977 when George Rapuzzi drove my family in the July 4 parade.
      Numerous photographs were taken that day, and many can be seen on my Facebook page.
      Also, in this post, is the first look of the newly restored Parlor front. It is not to 1898 specifications as that front was changed in the early teens. What is seen today is the front as Martin Itjen made it. Note the "Jeff. Smith's Parlor." sign. There are two periods, one after "Jeff" and one after "Parlor." These are periods showing abbreviation. "Jeff." is the abbreviation for "Jefferson," and "Parlor." is the abbreviation for "Parlors," clearly indication Soapy had other parlors (saloons). One on-going problem I have is writing the name of his saloon properly. To do so, I have to write Jeff. Smith's Parlor. which certainly can confuse readers who see them as periods, stopping a sentence, rather than as periods, indicating abbreviations. I have decided to publish the name as "Jeff Smith's Parlor" to alleviate that possible confusion, even though it is not historically correct.   

 

__________

ALIAS SOAPY SMITH
BOOK SALE

(Click image to enlarge)

Link to purchase
__________

Jeff. Smith's Parlor museum 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 21, 2012 (Part 10)
March 30, 2012 (Part 11)
June 20, 2012 (Part 12)
August 8, 2012 (Part 13)
August 29, 2012 (Part 14)
September 1, 2012 (Part 15)
September 26, 2012 (Part 16)
October 4, 2012 (Part 17)
December 6, 2012 (Part 18)
December 16, 2012 (Part 19)
March 11, 2013 (Part 20)
May 6, 2013 (Part 21)

"Jeff Smith's Parlor had his name in large letters across the front facade of the building. This was Soapy's personal podium, the place where he stood at the bar at shined as the "respected businessman, law abiding citizen, and patriot." I guess you could say that the false front extended into the inside of the Parlor as well. Old timers referred to the Parlor as 'the real city hall.'"

―Jeff Smith

MAY 27

1647: Achsah Young, of Windsor, Connecticut is executed for being a "witch." It was the first recorded execution of a "witch" in the colonies.

1668: Three colonists are expelled from Massachusetts for being Baptists.

1813: Americans capture Fort George in Canada.

1837: Famed lawman and gambler, James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok is born in Troy Grove, Illinois.

1870: It is reported that the Indians who had attacked a Kansas Pacific construction crew new Kit Carson, Colorado Territory on May 13, 1870, crossed the Union Pacific tracks at Antelope, Wyoming Territory, with four cavalry companies in pursuit.

1873: Members of the outlaw James-Younger Gang rob the St. Genevive, Missouri Bank of $4,100.

1892: Soapy Smith advertises McGinty, the petrified man, in Denver, Colorado. A surviving photograph shows it is displayed in one of his auction houses.

1896: 255 people are killed in St. Louis, Missouri by a tornado.

1898: The White Pass & Yukon Railway Company arrives in Skagway, Alaska, in force to begin construction.

1901: The Edison Storage Battery Company is organized.

1907: The Bubonic Plague breaks out in San Francisco, California.

Jeff Smith's Parlor - Soapy Smith museum restoration, part 21

JEFF. SMITH'S PARLOR
Skagway, Alaska

(Click image to enlarge)

eff Smith's Parlor (Soapy Smith's saloon) is getting a new facelift. A temporary window will be installed this week while the original one is getting completely restored. check back for more photos later this week to see the finished "new" old look.
      The above information comes from Cindy Von Hale of the Skagway unit of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park.

 










Jeff. Smith's Parlor museum 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 21, 2012 (Part 10)
March 30, 2012 (Part 11)
June 20, 2012 (Part 12)
August 8, 2012 (Part 13)
August 29, 2012 (Part 14)
September 1, 2012 (Part 15)
September 26, 2012 (Part 16)
October 4, 2012 (Part 17)
December 6, 2012 (Part 18)
December 16, 2012 (Part 19)
March 11, 2013 (Part 20)

"A lie told often enough becomes the truth."

— Vladimir Lenin

MAY 6

1835: James Gordon Bennett publishes the New York Herald for the first time.

1851: The mechanical refrigerator is patented by Dr. John Gorrie.

1851: Linus Yale patents the clock-type lock.

1856: The Army from Fort Tejon and Fort Miller ride out to protect Keyesville, California from attacks by Yokut Indians.

1859: John Gregory finds gold at what later is known as Gregory's Gulch, “the richest square mile on earth,” near the city of Denver.

1861: Arkansas becomes the ninth state to secede from the Union at the start of the Civil War.

1868: The U.S. government begins paying annuities to the Crow Indian tribes of Montana Territory.

1877: After defeating General Custer and the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Indian Chief Crazy Horse surrenders 900 warriors, women, and children to U.S. troops at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, whereas, Sioux Chief Sitting Bull leads 1,500 of his followers into Saskatchewan, Canada to ask protection from the Queen.

1882: The U.S. Congress passes the Chinese Exclusion Act. The act bars Chinese immigrants from the U.S. for 10 years.

1948 color film footage of gold-rush town, Skagway, Alaska

onderful color film footage of the old gold rush town of Skagway, Alaska, taken in 1948! The footage was transferred to YouTube from a 16mm home movie.

      Besides fantastic viewing of the town in its rustic state, here are a few moments in the footage I personally found very interesting.

At minute 2:26 - Martin Itjen's "streetcar." Note the sign "Soapy Smith's Museum." Owners, Geroge Rapuzzi is in the drivers seat while Jack Greisbach stands outside the bus.

At minute 2:39 - Jeff Smith's Parlor.

At minute 2:41 - Soapy Smith's Skull.

 

"Keep an open mind…and people will throw a lot of garbage into it."

— Keith C. Cobb, Exceptions to the Rules

MAY 3

1568: French forces in Florida kill hundreds of Spanish soldiers and civilians.

1802: Washington, the District of Columbia, is incorporated.

1855: Macon Allen is the first black-American to be admitted to the Bar in Massachusetts.

1873: Manuel Fernandez is the first in Arizona territory to be legally executed, for the murder of Mike McCartney, a Yuma store keeper.

1882: President Chester Arthur threatens martial law due to the lawlessness in Cochise County, Arizona Territory.

1888: Florence, Arizona Sheriff Peter Gabriel, shoots and kills Joe Phy, an ex-deputy. Both men had been drinking in a saloon previous to the fight. Although wounded in the groin and chest, Gabriel recovers and is exonerated on grounds of self-defense.

1888: Thomas Edison organizes the Edison Phonograph Works. 

Soapy Smith museum restoration: part 20

Jeff. Smith's Parlor
Restoration work done (Winter 2012-13)
Courtesy KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

he restoration work on Jeff Smith's Parlor for the Winter 2012-13 is completed. Following are some photographs and details of the work they did. Below is the statement from the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park.

Historic Preservation does not take the winter off in Klondike Gold Rush NHP, Skagway. Rehab and repairs continue on Jeff. Smiths Parlor (Soapy's) as west exterior wall gets new and improved siding using interior wood- recycling at its best and keeping original fabric whenever possible.

Jeff. Smith's Parlor
West wall, "before" picture
Courtesy KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

Jeff. Smith's Parlor
Removing deteriorated wood and treatments to improve overall condition of wood
Courtesy KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

Jeff. Smith's Parlor
"new" siding with original wood from interior
Courtesy KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

Jeff. Smith's Parlor
"Before" photo for new/old siding on west wall
Courtesy KGRNHP

(Click image to enlarge)

Jeff. Smith's Parlor museum 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 21, 2012 (Part 10)
March 30, 2012 (Part 11)
June 20, 2012 (Part 12)
August 8, 2012 (Part 13)
August 29, 2012 (Part 14)
September 1, 2012 (Part 15)
September 26, 2012 (Part 16)
October 4, 2012 (Part 17)
December 6, 2012 (Part 18)
December 16, 2012 (Part 19)

"It is reported that there was an attempted hold up on Third street west of Main, Wednesday night, when a stranger alleges that he was stopped in the darkness with the command "hands up." It may be that the stranger was romancing, but if any man or set of men think they can work the hold up business in Skaguay successfully, they will soon realize their mistake. there are still a few trees with good, strong and spreading branches in the city, and rope is to be had at one hundred stores in the town. Our people will not stand any such work as hold-ups. That day has "done" gone. "

— Skaguay News, December 9, 1898

MARCH 11

1791: Samuel Mulliken becomes the first person to receive more than one patent from the U.S. Patent Office.
1824: The U.S. War Department creates the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Seneca Indian Ely Parker becomes the first Indian to lead the Bureau.
1847: John “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman dies in Allen County, Indiana. This day becomes known as Johnny Appleseed Day.
1861: A Confederate Convention is held in Montgomery, Alabama, where a new constitution is adopted.
1865: The forces of Union General William Sherman occupy Fayetteville, North Carolina.
1867: a pony express-type route is established between Helen, Montana Territory and Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1881: US. Army Engineer Paymaster Alexander Smith is robbed of the payroll near Florence, Alabama by three bandits identified as outlaw Jesse James, Frank James, and "Wild Bill" Ryan. They relieve Smith of $500 in gold, $4,500 in currency, his watch, and $221 from his purse. They force him to accompany them until midnight, at which time they return his watch, overcoat, and $21 cash and release him.
1882: The Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association is formed in Princeton, New Jersey.
1887: The local Cheyenne, Wyoming newspaper reports that Calamity Jane is in town.
1887: Major Benteen, of Little Bighorn fame, is discharged from military service after being court-martialed for conduct unbecoming an officer. The charge includes entering a store at Fort Du Chesne, Utah, intoxicated, quarreling with civilians and exposing himself.
1888: The "Blizzard of '88" begins to rage along the U.S. Atlantic Seaboard shutting down communications and transportation lines. More than 400 people die before the storm ends on March 14.
1890: Lieutenant Watson reports two Indians slain and three captured in a battle with the 4th Cavalry near Salt River, Arizona Territory.
1901: U.S. Steel is formed when industrialist J. P. Morgan purchases Carnegie Steep Corporation. The event makes Andrew Carnegie the richest man in the world.
1907: President Theodore Roosevelt induces California to revoke its anti-Japanese legislation.

Soapy Smith museum restoration: part 19

Ticket for the Martin Itjen
museum in the Meyer building
circa 1920

(photo courtesy of Bob Lyon)

ur very fine friend, Bob Lyon, historian over at the National Park Service in Anchorage sent me another gem of information. You may recall in past posts that there was a possibility that early Skagway tour guide icon Martin Itjen may have started a museum in the Meyer building previous to opening one in Jeff Smith's Parlor. Bob now states that,

We can be quite certain Itjen operated a museum in the 1920s, probably the one I mentioned in the Meyer Building at Fifth and State. Attached are a ticket [see above] for that museum (no address given--darn that Martin!) and an ad [see below] from the Skagway Alaskan in the 1920s (also no location). The signs Becky Shaffer and I uncovered, as well as the sign at the docks, all named the museum, "Museum of '98." To complicate the story, Rapuzzi and one of his brothers had a museum in the Pantheon building in the 1920s, as well. It's mentioned in Clifford's book, The Skagway Story--but no address. One of our interns, Aaron Wood, discovered a photograph taken in the 1920s with a large sign on the corner where the Pantheon is, saying "MUSEUM," with an arrow pointing west along Fifth. I've also seen a photograph of a dogsled displayed in front of the Pantheon, but not enough of the building shows to tell if it was part of any sort of museum at that time. Too many questions!

Itjen Museum of '98 ad
Skaguay, Alaskan
circa 1920s

(photo courtesy of Bob Lyon)

      The Meyer block was constructed in 1899 by Herman Meyer for his Arctic Meat Company. The gymnasium on the far end was constructed between March-May 1900. It closed in December 1901. In 1902 Meyer purchased the gym to expand his meat market. In 1903 Meyer's meat business closed and the buildings closed to renters in 1910. By 1914 the buildings were listed as abandoned.

AMENDMENT:
My original post had the following passage. 

Before 1920 Martin Itjen purchased the buildings and opened his Museum of '98. Later, he purchased and placed his collection inside Jeff. Smith's Parlor. 

Mr. Lyon sent me the corrections and additional information below (thanks Bob!). 

Actually, Rapuzzi bought these buildings in 1921 and 1922. The YMCA he bought from the city (unpaid taxes, I'm guessing) for $60 in gold. Doesn't say if it was dust or coins (I really wanted to record it as 60 pieces of gold or doubloons or something, but NPS wouldn't go for that sort of joke). The Meyer Building he bought from Carstens Bros. Packing Company of Tacoma--a meat packing company that bought the building and business (Arctic Meat Company) from Herman Meyer in 1902. They must have kept up the taxes on the Meyer Building. Itjen didn't own them at any time, but, considering his friendship with Rapuzzi, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Itjen had a museum in a Rapuzzi building.

    There's a very convoluted history of Meyer and Carstens. Meyer bought the lot from Carstens in 1899 for $1. He'd been a partner with Frye-Bruhn Co., another meatpacking firm from Seattle. As such he was sued by Carstens for not paying for a shipment of meat. Then Carstens bought the business from Meyer in late 1902, but didn't actually buy the lot from Meyer until a year later, for $1. When Meyer left Skagway for Valdez in 1903, he was a partner with Carstens in a local trading venture. In 1918, he was back in Seattle and a partner again with Carstens in a nut importing business. There's more, but I'll spare you. Actually, if you look at who owned what in early Skagway, at one point Meyer owned the lot that Soapy's is on now. Lots were divided and sub-divided and it can be very difficult to figure out who owned what when.

      When Itjen passed away George Rapuzzi inherited the business and kept the museum in the Parlor going, while using the Meyer building as storage. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (National Park Service) now owns all the Meyer buildings and Jeff. Smith's Parlor and his restoring them.

The Meyer block
Fifth Street and State
Skagway, Alaska

(photo courtesy of Jim Wayne)

*SPECIAL NOTE*

     I've mentioned this probability but selfishly hoped something would change in our favor. We knew this day was coming, but still, I am sad to report that we are losing Mr. Bob Lyon as a contact for Skagway, Alaska restoration progress. Mr. Lyon writes,

I'm done with Skagway for now, working on a National Register nomination for the first NPS building at Glacier Bay National Park.

We are so thankful for all he has done for us, and of course we hope the very best for him in whatever he does. He is always welcome here!

 










Bob Lyon and museum 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 21, 2012 (Part 10)
March 30, 2012 (Part 11)
June 20, 2012 (Part 12)
August 8, 2012 (Part 13)
August 29, 2012 (Part 14)
September 1, 2012 (Part 15)
September 26, 2012 (Part 16)
October 4, 2012 (Part 17)
December 6, 2012 (Part 18)

Today's quote is in honor of Bob Lyon

"It is frustrating as hell, yet exhilarating at the same time, to know that historical research never ends."

—Jeff Smith

Jeff Smith's Parlor restoration: Martin Itjen, part 18

Left, believed to be the original Packard engine from the first
Martin Itjen Skagway Street Car shown in the photo on the right.
  George & Edna Rapuzzi Collection, Klondike Gold Rush NHP

artin Itjen is a hero with the fans of Soapy Smith, for without him Jeff. Smith's Parlor would not have been saved, along with many other Skagway historical artifacts. The National Park Service continues to research the items along with the Rapuzzi Collection. One recent find is believed to be the original engine to his famed tour bus. The story is told in the following article published in The Skagway News.

Original Itjen Street Car engine located in Rapuzzi Collection

     Local Skagway car restorer Tobias Parsons recently identified the original motor to Martin Itjen's Street Car #1 while assisting National Park Service and Municipality of Skagway museum staff with the inventory of the George and Edna Rapuzzi Collection. The Rapuzzi Collection contains a wide variety of vintage automotive parts, which sparked Parsons’ interest.

      NPS Curator Samantha Richert asked Parsons to examine the Street Car, which is in the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park museum collection, to see if he could identify any useful parts. His inspection of the Street Car’s 1908 Packard chassis led to his identification of a matching 1908 Packard engine in the Rapuzzi Collection inventory, which Parsons and the park’s museum team believe is the original Street Car engine.

      “This is an exciting discovery and we’re happy that Tobias has been able to help Samantha in looking through the auto parts of the collection,” stated Superintendent Mike Tranel in a press release.

      The Rapuzzi Collection, which includes an estimated 30,000 items and five historic buildings, contains many artifacts related to Martin Itjen, a stampeder who later led Skagway’s developing tourist trade. After Itjen’s death in 1942, many of his belongings passed to his long-time friend, George Rapuzzi, who was a tourism promoter and guide as well as a consummate collector in his own right.

      The Rasmuson Foundation purchased the collection in 2007 and donated it to the Municipality of Skagway with the understanding that it would be processed jointly with Klondike Gold Rush NHP. Staff from both museums have been inventorying the collection for five years, and just tallied the 11,000th item, the release said. Skagway Museum director Judy Munns and the park’s curator jointly review the inventory for items that would be appropriate for their collections, and approximately 6,000 items have been included in either the municipality’s or the park’s museum collections. Inventory and research will continue on the collection this winter.

      The buildings donated as part of the Rapuzzi Collection have also undergone significant restoration work since the Rasmuson Foundation’s donation. The National Park Service has poured foundations and erected new roofs for the YMCA, Meyer’s Meat Market, and Jeff. Smiths Parlor Museum.

      The municipality has installed underground power and made safety improvements to the Commissary and has made minor stabilization repairs on the Rapuzzi/Dahl house. When restoration is completed, some buildings will include museum space for the Rapuzzi Collection to be prominently displayed. Jeff. Smith’s Parlor will showcase many artifacts from both the Itjen and Rapuzzi eras as they contribute to the “Soapy” story of Skagway’s gold rush history, the release states.

      Artifacts will continue to be featured in exhibits such as the upcoming Yuletide seasonal window display at the park headquarters, located in the historic White Pass and Yukon Route Railway Depot on 2nd Avenue.

      “I’m currently recruiting volunteers with expertise on trains,” Richert said. If you would like to help to assist with identifying train-related parts and equipment in the Rapuzzi Collection, please contact her at 907-983-9222. The park has a new Facebook page, which also features many of the Rapuzzi Collection artifacts. It can be found at: http://www.facebook.com/KlondikeGoldRushAlaska

The Skagway News

November 21, 2012

*I wish to thank Bob Lyon, historian for the NPS for sending me the information.
 










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 21, 2012 (Part 10)
March 30, 2012 (Part 11)
June 20, 2012 (Part 12)
August 8, 2012 (Part 13)
August 29, 2012 (Part 14)
September 1, 2012 (Part 15)
September 26, 2012 (Part 16)
October 4, 2012 (Part 17)

Martin Itjen: pages 11, 12-13, 453.

"My business is selling prize packages. No one is obliged to buy."

—Jefferson R. Smith, Weekly Register Call, 8/2/1889.