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Smith and Boorman family papers

Guide to the Smith and Boorman family papers
1898-1902

Collection number: HMC-1160.
Creator: Boorman, Joe.
Boorman, Mary.
Smith, Florence.
Smith, Lillie.
Title: Smith and Boorman family papers.
Dates: 1898-1902.
Volume of collection: 0.5 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Professional photographs from the Klondike gold rush.

Biographical note:
In 1898, sisters Lillie Smith, Florence Smith, and Mary Boorman, along with Mary’s husband Joe, left Seattle, Washington for Alaska. Mary and Lillie soon found work in a parka factory in Skagway, while Florence was hired as a waitress and cook at The Officers Club. Joe Boorman left Skagway for Dawson City in the Yukon Territory, where he bought a boarding house. Mary and Lillie moved to Dawson City to help operate the boarding house, but it was sold three years later when Florence, Lillie, Mary and Joe moved back to Seattle.

Collection description:
The collection contains 17 panoramic photographs and a deck of playing cards that were collected by Herbert Keithley, the nephew of Lillie and Florence Smith, and Mary and Joe Boorman. The photographs are of Dawson City 1899-1902, including Front Street as well as First Avenue and Harper Street, Ketchikan, Lake Bennett, British Columbia, and a visit to J. S. McGillivray’s Mines by the “Governor General of Canada, the Earl, and Lady Minto.” Most of the photographs were taken by Larss and Duclos Photography. The cards have scenes from the White Pass and Yukon route.

Arrangement: The collection is arranged in the order it arrived at the Archives.

Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.

Rights note: The collection is presumed to be in the public domain.

Preferred citation: Smith and Boorman family papers, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Works used in preparation of inventory: Biographical information was provided by the donor.

Acquisition note: The collection was donated to Archives and Special Collections in the name of Herbert Keithley, the Smith’s and Boorman’s nephew, in 2007.

Processing information: This collection was described by Veronica Denison in 2014.

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