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CHARLES GOODYEAR HUBBARD II (1869-1969). Papers and Photographs; 1897-1916, 1982-1987. .25 cu. ft.
Charles Goodyear Hubbard was born in 1869 in Shermantown, Nevada. He taught school for two years in eastern Nevada after graduating from high school. He also studied mining on his own and prospected. In 1888 he moved to San Diego where he continued his study of mining and also prospected in California and Arizona. He married Bertha Huntley in 1891. In 1895, Hubbard moved to San Francisco and prospected in Central California before going to work for the San Francisco Call newspaper until 1897 when he left California to prospect in Alaska. He made his way up the Copper River to Bremner where he met his future partner, Harry Elliot. Together, Hubbard and Elliot located and staked out 120 copper claims along the Kotsina River, thirty-two of which they later patented, and formed the Hubbard-Elliot Copper Mining Development Company of Alaska. The Company began to decline after the death of Elliot in 1909 and was eventually dissolved. In 1910, Hubbard acquired eight placer gold claims on the Upper Kenai River near the town of Seward. That same year he also dredged for gold on Cooper Creek as head of the Kenai Dredging Company. He also established the Primrose Mining Company which took over the Primrose and Bluebell claims on the Kenai Peninsula in 1912. Hubbard remained the principle operator of the Primrose Mine until his death in Seward in 1969 at the age of 100 years and three months.
The collection consists papers and photographs relating to Charles Hubbard's work as a miner and prospector in Alaska. Included are: a letter from Hubbard to his wife Bertha in April 1898; an account written by Charles Hubbard concerning his journey up the Copper River in the winter of 1897-1898; a transcript of the account; a cassette tape, with transcript, of a 1966 oral history interview of Charles Hubbard; a draft of an article concerning Hubbard and his journey written by his wife, Bertha Hubbard; a copy of an Alaska Journal article by Charles Hubbard concerning his travels in Alaska during 1897-1898; stock certificates from the Crown Copper Company and the Kenai-Alaska Gold Company; and other papers. There are also photographs of Hubbard, his mining claims, his cabin on the Primrose mining claim, the Charlie Hubbard Museum near Cooper Landing, and other subjects; and a copy of a National Register of Historic Places nomination report on Hubbard's cabin on the Primrose mining claim.
The collection was presented to the archives by Helen H. Nicholson in 1989. Papers are added periodically. A deed of gift was signed in 1989.
HMC-141
DFW (2/ 2000)
Inventory:
Series 1. Letters Sent; 1898-1899,
1902, 1906.
Subseries 1A . Originals. (* indicates copy in section C.)
1. Charles Hubbard (Eyak, Alaska) to My Dearest Wife; January
17, 1898. 2 pages.*
2. Charles Hubbard (Big House - 40 miles from Eyak) to My Dear
Bird; April 6, 1898. (transcript). 6 pages.
3. Charles Hubbard (Bremner River, Alaska) to My Dearest Bird;
July 4, 1898 (transcript). 6 pages.* [Note date is given as 7/4/89
which is incorrect.]
4. Charles Hubbard (Elliott Creek) to My Dear Bird; May 17, 1902.
7 pages.*
5. Charles Hubbard to My Dear Old Sweetheart; May 1, 1906. 8
pages [Pages 7 and 8 are missing.]*
Subseries 1B. Transcripts. (* indicates copy in section C).
1. Charles Hubbard (Big House - 40 Miles from Eyak) to My Dear
Bird; April 6, 1898. 4 pages.
2. Charles Hubbard (Bremner River, Alaska) to My Dearest Bird;
July 4, 1898. 5 pages.
3. Charles Hubbard (Rapids of Copper River) to My Dear Bird;
August 22, 1898. 3 pages.*
4. Charles Hubbard (Eyak, Alaska) to My Dearest Bird; September
5, 1898. 8 pages.*
5. Charles Hubbard (Eyak, Alaska) to My Dear Bird; September
10, 1898. 7 pages.*
6. Charles Hubbard (Eyak, Alaska) to My Dear Bird; October 10,
1898. 2 pages.*
7. Charles Hubbard (Eyak, Alaska) to My Darling Bird; February
25, 1898. 4 pages.*
8. Charles Hubbard (Alagnik; Frozen Blizzard St.; Hurricane Hollow)
to My Dear Bird; March 10, 1899. 7 pages.*
9. Charles Hubbard (Kotsina River; Base of Mt. Wrangle; 10000
Miles from Nowhere.) to My Dear Bird; June 11, 1899. 8 pages.*
10. Charles Hubbard (Chicago, Illinois) to My Dear Bird; June
19, 1908. 2 pages.*
11. Charles Hubbard (Chicago, Illinois) to My Own Dearest and
Beloved; June 21, 1908. 4 pages.*
12. Charles Hubbard (Valdez) to My Dear Bertha; n.d. [Note :
"Date quite forgotten."] 1 page. [Note in margin of
this carbon copy reads: Mailed this to John Lyons; Jan. 31, 1914.]*
Subseries 1C. Copies
Electrostatic copies of some of the above listed original and
transcribed letters.
Series 2. Journal; 1897-1898.
1. Journal (original); 1897-1898.
2. Journal (transcript); 1897-1898. Transcribed by Helen H. Nicholson.
Series 3. Oral History Interview
and Transcript; 1966.
1. Interview tape (60 minute cassette); 1966.
2. Interview transcript (two copies); 1966.
Series 4. Papers; n.d., 1905-1987.
1. Draft article "The Story of Copper Discovery in Alaska
by Two Alaska Pioneers", by Bertha H. Hubbard; n.d. 17 pages.
2. Article "Prospecting the Great Unknown: A Miner's Tale
of Life on the Copper River in 1898", by Charles Hubbard,
Alaska Journal; 1986. 8 pages.
3. Stock Certificate - Crown Copper Company - 100 Shares (copy);
1905. 1 page.
4. Stock Certificate - Kenai-Alaska Gold Company - 1200 Shares
(original); 1911. 1 page.
5. List of officers, Executive Committee Members, and Trustees
of the Hubbard-Elliot Copper Mines Development Company of Alaska
(copy); n.d. 1 page.
6. National Register of Historic Places nomination report for
the Primrose Mine Cabin (copy); 1987. 13 pages.
7. Clipping - Charles G. Hubbard's 100th birthday, Cheechako
News (copy); March 19, 1969.
8. Clipping - "Chicagoans Wrest $7,500,000 From Alaskan
Ice;" n.d. [original and copy]
9. "Biography of Charles Goodyear Hubbard II" by Helen
hubbard Nicholson; 1889-1990. (2 copies). 4 pages each.
Series 5. Photographs; n.d.,
1904-1985. 24 prints
and 22 negatives. [Note: * indicates that there is a negative.]
1. W.S. Phelps, which brought Hubbard to Alaska (photograph
of a newspaper engraving); n.d.* [approx. 4 X 5 inch]
2. Hubbard's Copper Claims in the Elliot Creed Area (copied from
pub.); n.d.* [approx. 3.75 X 6.5 inch]
3. "Albert Johnson Tunnel" (copied from pub.); n.d.*
[approx. 4.5 X 5.75 inch]
4. "Lower Cabin and Elliot Creek. 20,000 H.P. can be developed
Here" (copied from pub.); n.d.* [approx. 4.75 X 6.75 inch]
5. "Ore Body on Elliott Creek. 50 Percent of of this Ore
Assays over 50 Percent in Copper Values. Vein 27 ft. Wide; (copied
from pub.). n.d.* [approx. 4.75 X 6.75 inch]
6. Copper River Crossing at Chitina (Postcard) ; n.d*. [approx.
3.5 X 5.5 inch]
7. Off Eyak on Prince William Sound [ship at anchor]; ca. 1897.
[approx. 3 X 3.25 inch]
8. Charles G. Hubbard; 1904.* [approx. 3.75 X 5.75 inch]
9. Charles G. Hubbard; ca. 1907.* [approx. 5 X 7 inch inch]
10. Bertha Huntley Hubbard; 1907.* [approx. 5 X 7 inch]
11. Charles G. Hubbard in front of his cabin at Primrose Mine;
ca. 1912.* [approx. 4.25 X 6 inch]
12. Hubbard on horse "Whitie" fording the Copper River;
ca. 1908-1909.* [approx. 3.25 X 4.5 inch]
13. Dredge on Kenai Dredging Company's Ground - Kenai River;
September, 1911.* [approx. 3.25 X 5.5 inch]
14. Hubbard's house in San Diego; ca. 1916.* [approx. 3 X 4.5 inch]
15. Signpost of the Charlie Hubbard Museum near Cooper Landing;
1987.* [color; approx. 3.5 X 5 inch]
16. Signpost of the Charlie Hubbard Museum near Cooper Landing;
1987. [Same as No. 15 but approx. 4X6 inch]
17. Front of the Museum; 1982.* [color; approx. 4 X 6 inch]
18. View of the Museum From the Highway; 1982.* [color; approx.
4 X 5.5 inch]
19. Charles Hubbard Cabin on Primrose Trail to Lost lake; July
21, 1985.* [color; approx. 4 X 6 inch]
20. Panning for gold at the Charlie Hubbard Museum; June 24,
1985.* [color; approx. 3.5 X 5 inch]
21. "Gold Nugget" in front of the Museum; June 24,
1985.* [color; approx. 3.5 X 5 inch]
22. Harold Culver examining a mining dredge near the Charlie
Hubbard museum; June 25, 1985.* [color; approx. 3.5 X 5 inch]
23. Charles Hubbard with A.J. Elliot at the entrance to one of
the Hubbard-Elliot Mine Tunnels; n.d.* [approx. 8 X 10 inch]
24. Hubbard's Financial Partners and a miner at the Entrance
to one of Their Mines in the Copper Valley. Harry Elliot is on
the right and A.J. Elliot is on the left; n.d.* [approx. 8 X 10 inch]