Save your Receipts

 Can you imagine documentation from the DMV or from your mortgage broker being interesting in 4 or 5 generations? Maybe it would be slightly more interesting to find proof of purchase of a sports car or learning to sky dive. I certainly I was excited to find proof that my great-great-grandfather had a mining claim in Dawson City, Canada.

Family history had claimed (pun intended) that he was a miner who did find gold. I had never quite believed this, as his age didn't quite jibe with the '49 gold rush. Little did I know as a child that the second gold strike was what really made Seattle, and ignited the hearts of treasure-seekers, my ancestor included. I'm referring to Colonel Joseph Green, who was a pretty interesting individual and I have rather a decent amount of primary and secondary source information for him, so stay tuned. (I don't have it all scanned or photographed yet. Real life gets in the way, you know).

This is a photo of a photocopy so the quality isn't fantastic, but it is a "Free Miner's Certificate". This is still something one would need to purchase to have the right to "acquire mineral and placer title", here is how you would go about getting one if you were in Canada today and wanted to go pan for some gold. (view the pdf linked at the very end of the post--this was the first year these certs were required!) The date of issue of this particular document is "9th Apr 98", issued in Dawson. This is to certify that Joseph Green of Dawson has paid me this day the sun of Ten dollars and is entitled to all the rights and privileges of a free miner, under any Mining Regulations of the Government of Canada, for one year from the 9th day of Apr 1898". Modernly it only costs $25 dollars, so this would have been very steep for 19th century people. The certificate also allows hunting, fishing, cutting of essential timber. He needed this certificate in order to do this: 

Although this document predates the above, its likely that he had gotten his certificate for 1897 and it wasn't saved. I am lucky enough that these came down to me! This is a Grant for Placer Mining, stamped Aug 30, 1897. "In consideration of the payment of Fifteen Dollars, being the fee required by the provisions of the Dominion Mining Regulations, by Joseph Green of Dawson accompanying his application number 658 dated 30th August 1897 for a Mining Claim in the Indian Creek mining Division of the Yukon district, more particularly described as Placer mining Claim N* 18 Below on Sulphur (sic) Creek in the aforesaid mining division". This gave him exclusive use of the ground for mining, and to use the water that flowed there in order to do placer mining, which is the mining of alluvial deposits. 

Here is another, for 1898:

This one is a receipt for a Mr HW Mobsely, who's claim was "Placer mining claim N* 19 on Gold River Creek (?) in the aforesaid mining Division". No idea who this person was and why it got saved. 

This one is another for Joseph Green, for a different mining concern. "Date April 18 1898, for a mining claim in The Swedish Creek Mining Division of the Yukon District. Being claim No. 585 above Dis(---)" the rest is not intelligible. It looks like the pen needed a fresh dip in the inkwell. 

This is also for other people, but is appears to be the same claim on Indian Creek as the grant from 1897. Perhaps Col Joseph was working with other miners on the same claim during this time? I'm not sure why he/the family would keep it, but it was clearly important for some reason. 

The miners are AE Griffin and HP Anderson. "30 August 1898, for a mining claim in the Indian Creek mining division being No 18 below Discovery on Sulphur Creek" 

I don't know if its possible that I should get so lucky to find a match to this mining site with just one google search, but "No 18 below Sulphur Creek, Dawson, Yukon" got me some plausible connections. It doesn't seem possible but perhaps it is the same place! One, taken by Frank E Wolfe. Suggested date range is 1898-1901. Could Joseph be in this photo? Or Messrs Anderson and Griffin? 

I wish I could go to the University of Washington libraries and check out the special collections myself! 

Here's another view of the same cabin, you can recognize the large upright timber. 

Another image of what is labeled the same claim but belonging to a Tom Mokelbast at the time, part of the University's collection also. This is a Larss and Duclos photo. 

I have many letters from the Col to his family (and from them to him!) that I need to parse and share but they are copies of the originals and some rather hard to read. (And also hard to read because of the content) Perhaps some will give context and information to flesh out these forms. 

Just another interesting note, a history of Klondike mining records, in case anyone else is on this search.