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Watts (Charles William) Papers
mssHM 48341-48427  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Conditions Governing Use
  • Preferred Citation
  • Immediate Source of Acquisition
  • Biographical / Historical
  • Scope and Contents
  • Processing Information
  • Arrangement

  • Contributing Institution: The Huntington Library
    Title: Charles William Watts papers
    Creator: Watts, Charles William, 1858-1900
    Identifier/Call Number: mssHM 48341-48427
    Physical Description: 2.3 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
    Date (inclusive): 1897-1963
    Date (bulk): 1897-1900
    Abstract: A collection of material related to Charles William Watts, Oregon newspaperman and Klondike Gold Rush miner.
    Language of Material: Materials are in English.

    Conditions Governing Access

    Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

    Conditions Governing Use

    The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item]. Charles William Watts papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

    Immediate Source of Acquisition

    Purchased from Lee Rohrbough, February 1966.

    Biographical / Historical

    Charles William Watts (1858-1900) was born in Oregon; he was a newspaper publisher and the clerk of the Oregon legislature for two terms before leaving for Alaska. Watts went to the Klondike gold rush in 1897, and wrote letters from Juneau and Skagway, Alaska. He crossed Chilkoot Pass, kept a hotel at Bennett Lake, then mined at Eldorado and Dawson, Alaska. During this time he sent stories to the Oregonian and other Oregon newspapers. Watts died of pneumonia in Dawson on March 9, 1900.

    Scope and Contents

    A collection of 91 items from 1897 to 1963, which consists chiefly of letters written by Charles William Watts to his wife and daughter between 1897 and 1900. The letters are written from Alaska, including Juneau, Sheep Camp, Skagway, the Yukon River Valley, Dawson, and the Klondike River Valley. Watts's letters describe the Klondike gold rush and life in Alaska and in the Yukon. The collection also contains a photograph of Charles William Watts with a group of hunters and various clippings. There are also a few letters and notes written in 1963 by Lee Rohrbough.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1970. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.

    Arrangement

    Arranged chronologically.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Frontier and pioneer life -- Yukon -- Klondike River Valley
    Gold miners -- Yukon -- Klondike River Valley
    Gold mines and mining -- Yukon -- Klondike River Valley -- History
    Journalists -- United States
    Alaska -- Description and travel
    Alaska -- History -- 19th century
    Dawson (Alaska) -- Description and travel
    Juneau (Alaska) -- Description and travel
    Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Description and travel
    Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- Gold discoveries
    Klondike River Valley (Yukon) -- History -- 19th century
    Sheep Camp (Alaska) -- Description and travel
    Skagway (Alaska) -- Description and travel
    Yukon -- Description and travel
    Yukon -- History -- 19th century
    Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska) -- Description and travel
    Yukon River Valley (Yukon and Alaska) -- History -- 19th century
    Letters (correspondence) -- Alaska -- 19th century
    Letters (correspondence) -- Yukon -- 19th century