A Steam Tractor at Washington Creek
Allan C. 2014. A Steam Tractor at Washington Creek
The steamboats running along the Yukon River during the Klondike-Alaska Gold Rush required coal to carry people, supplies, and equipment to the north. Napoleon Bonapart LaBrie profited from the demand for coal and formed the Alaska Coal and Coke Company. The company mined around Washington Creek and brought up a steam tractor to help with the process in 1905. However, the quantity and quality of coal along Washington Creek was not enough to meet the demands of the steamboats. After LaBrie abandoned the coal mining effort, locals salvaged materials from the steam tractor and mine, though most of the machine is still present in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve.
- Type
- Resource Brief
- Authors
- Allan, Chris
- Date of Issue
- 2014
- Units
- YUCH
- Keywords
- Alaska Coal and Coke Company, coal mining, Napoleon Bonapart LaBrie, steam tractor, steamboats, Washington Creek, Yukon River, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve