Guide to the Photographs of George W. Carmack
1896-1927

Scope and Content

The collection contains 13 images, primarily of George Carmack, his first wife Kate and daughter Graphie, second wife Marguerite, and business associates

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions might exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open to the public.

Historical Background

After deserting the United States Marine Corps in 1882, George Washington Carmack (1860-1922) settled in the Yukon Territories among the Tagish Indians with his common-law wife Kate and their daughter Graphie. Kate's brother Skookum Jim Mason, a Tagish Indian, and Tagish Charlie, Jim's nephew, were George's mining partners and also made their fortunes mining for gold.

George Carmack and several friends, including Skookum Jim, went up the Klondike River to Rabbit Creek looking for gold in 1896. Carmack was officially credited for the discovery of gold on Rabbit (later Bonanza) Creek on August 17, 1896 although it is commonly believed that his friend Skookum Jim made the actual discovery. The claim was staked in Carmack's name possibly because they felt that a claim by an Indian might not be recognized. The news of the gold strike spread and started the Klondike Gold Rush.

George and his family later moved to Hollister, California, to live with his sister, Rose Watson (later Rose Curtis). Eventually, George left California and his wife and daughter. In 1900, George married Marguerite Laimee in Olympia, Washington. Kate, illiterate and nearly destitute, initiated a protracted legal battle to prove she was George's wife and eligible for alimony, but eventually dropped the case in favor of trying to reclaim her husband. When this failed, Kate settled in Carcross, Alaska, where she lived until her death in 1920.

Processing Info

Processed by Megan Peacock, 2005.

Photographs were relocated from the Portrait Collection (PH Coll 563) in 2005.

Inventory

Folder

Item

Date

George Carmack and Family

1

1

George W. Carmack

1902

2

Kate Carmack with dog

undated

3

Woman with infant

undated

May be Kate Carmack with daughter Graphie.

4

Two women with dog

undated

May be Kate Carmack with daughter Graphie.

5

George Carmack and family, Seattle

1910

6

George Carmack and Marguerite Carmack

1902

7

Marguerite Carmack

undated

8

Marguerite Carmack

1920

Folder

Item

Date

George Carmack and business associates

2

9

George Carmack and other man at Carmack Snoqualmie claims

undated

10

George Carmack and group of men at dinner

undated

11

George Carmack and business associates, Seattle

undated

12

Sourdough convention

1927

George Carmack does not appear.

13

Photograph of application for mining claim

1896

Subject Terms

Personal Names:

Carmack, George W. (George Washington), 1860-1922--Photographs.

Carmack, Graphie Grace, 1893-1963--Photographs.

Carmack, Kate, d. 1920--Photographs.

Carmack, Marguerite, 1874-1942--Photographs.

Geographic Names:

Snoqualmie (Wash.)--Gold discoveries--Photographs.

Subjects:

Copper miners--Washington (State)--Snoqualmie--Photographs.

Gold miners--Washington (State)--Snoqualmie--Photographs.

Pioneers--Washington (State)--Photographs.

Genre Headings:

Photographic prints.

Photographs.